Sunday, April 29, 2012

Energy (and Other) Events - April 29, 2012

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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Solar IS Civil Defense PSA   http://youtu.be/u0mjqjgZ64E

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Monday, April 30

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Webinar: The Emergence of a Digital Money Ecosystem
Monday, April 30, 2012
12:00p–1:00p
Location: Virtual -- Web site:  http://sdm.mit.edu/news/news_articles/webinar_043012/webinar-digital-money-ecosystem.html

Speaker: Irving Wladawsky-Berger, PhD Visiting Lecturer, MIT Engineering Systems Division and MIT Sloan School of Management
MIT System Design and Management Program Systems Thinking Webinar Series
This series features research conducted by SDM faculty, alumni, students, and industry partners. The series is designed to disseminate information on how to employ systems thinking to address engineering, management, and socio-political components of complex challenges.

We are in the early stages of a very important transformation???the transition to a digital money ecosystem. This transformation is likely to be among the most exciting, important, and challenging initiatives the world will undertake in the coming decades.

The transformation involves more than the transformation of money (cash, checks, credit and debit cards, etc.) from physical to digital objects that we will carry in our smart mobile devices. It encompasses the whole money ecosystem, including the global payment infrastructures, the management of personal identities and personal financial data, the global financial flows among institutions and between institutions and individuals, the government regulatory regimes, and more.

This webinar will present an overview of this digital money transformation and the technical and societal forces that are driving it. We will also discuss some of the potential major consequences to business, the economy, and society in general.

Web site:  http://sdm.mit.edu/news/news_articles/webinar_043012/webinar-digital-money-ecosystem.html
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Tickets: See url above
Sponsor(s): Engineering Systems Division, MIT System Design and Management (SDM) Program
For more information, contact:
Lois Slavin
617-253-0812
lslavin@mit.edu

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"Internalizing the Environmental Impacts of Offshore Energy Development"
Monday, April 30, 2012
12:00pm - 1:30pm
Bell Hall, 5th Floor, Belfer Building, Harvard Kennedy School, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge

Energy Policy Seminar with James Tripp, Senior Counsel, Environmental Defense Fund
Contact Name:  Louisa Lund
louisa_lund@harvard.edu

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"Climate change comes to Thoreau's Concord: Ten years of research and future directions."
Monday, April 30
noon
BU:  BRB 113, 5 Cummington Street, Boston

Richard Primack

contact cecb@bu.edu

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BUILDING TECHNOLOGY SPRING LECTURE SERIES: Building Energy Efficiency Research at the Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems
Monday, April 30, 2012
12:30p–2:00p
MIT, Building 7-431, Long Lounge (AVT), 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Speaker: Dr. Kurt W. Roth, Director, Building Energy Efficiency, Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems CSE, Cambridge, MA

Building Technology Spring Lecture Series

Dr.Kurt Roth leads the Building Energy Efficiency Group at the Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems (CSE). His group works with industry on applied research to develop, analyze, test, evaluate, and demonstrate advanced energy-saving building technologies. At CSE, Dr. Roth also is the Principal Investigator for the Fraunhofer CSE-led Building America Team. Prior to joining Fraunhofer CSE, he was a Principal in the Mechanical Systems group of TIAX LLC, formerly Arthur D. Little's Technology & Innovation business. Dr. Roth has led several studies funded by the Department of Energy to assess the energy savings and commercialization potentials of HVAC, building controls and diagnostics, toplighting, and IT technologies. In addition, he led analyses to characterize building energy consumption, including the energy consumed by commercial and residential IT, consumer electronics, and residential and commercial miscellaneous electricity consumption. Dr. Roth has presented at numerous conferences and meetings, and has authored more than sixty "Emerging Technology" articles for the ASHRAE Journal. He received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), all in mechanical engineering, and is a member of ASES, ASHRAE, ASME, NESEA, and Sigma Xi.

Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Department of Architecture, Building Technology Program

For more information, contact:
Alexandra Golledge
253-0463
agoll18@mit.edu

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Responding to the Arab Spring and Rising Populism: The Challenges of Building a European Migration Policy
WHEN  Mon., Apr. 30, 2012, 2:15 – 3:45 p.m.
WHERE  Goldman Room, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, 27 Kirkland St. at Cabot Way, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION  Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR  Kokkalis Program on Southeastern and East-Central Europe, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies
SPEAKER(S)  Cecilia Malmström, European commissioner for home affairs
CONTACT INFO  ilyana_sawka@hks.harvard.edu
LINK  http://www.hks.harvard.edu/programs/kokkalis

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Course of the Future Syllabus Fair
WHEN  Mon., Apr. 30, 2012, 3 – 4:30 p.m.
WHERE  Room S030, Concourse, CGIS South Bldg, 1730 Cambridge St., Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION  Education, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR  Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning
COST  Free
CONTACT INFO  bokcenter@fas.harvard.edu
NOTE  GSAS and the Bok Center invite you to peruse the products of the spring "Designing the Course of the Future" seminar at a poster reception with refreshments. Seminar participants will be on hand to chat about their syllabi and assignment designs, as well as about what we've learned regarding course design, new media, and student learning.
LINK  bokcenter.harvard.edu

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Great American City: A Panel Discussion
WHEN  Mon., Apr. 30, 2012, 4 – 6 p.m.
WHERE  Starr Auditorium, Belfer Building, Harvard Kennedy School, 79 JFK St. Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION  Social Sciences, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR  Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy; FAS Department of Sociology; Joblessness and Urban Poverty Research Program; Multidisciplinary Program in Inequality and Social Policy; Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management; Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston; Taubman Center for State and Local Government
SPEAKER(S)  Robert Sampson, William Julius Wilson, Kathryn Edin, Thomas Sugrue, Edward Glaeser, Edward Davis

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Economic Gardening: An Entrepreneurial Approach to Economic Development
WHEN  Mon., Apr. 30, 2012, 4:10 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE  124 Mt. Auburn Street, Suite 200-North, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION  Business, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR  Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation
SPEAKER(S)  Christian Gibbons, director of business/industry affairs, Littleton, Colorado
COST  Free
CONTACT INFO  Christina Marchand: christina_marchand@harvard.edu, 617.496.4491
NOTE  Littleton, Colorado's Economic Gardening program focuses on enhancing the city’s home-grown industries to increase job growth and overall economic prosperity for the region. Launched in 1987, Economic Gardening gives emerging growth Stage II businesses assistance in competitive market research, trade area analysis, social media, and web marketing grounded in a host of scientific theories adapted to entrepreneurship.
LINK  http://ash.harvard.edu/Home/News-Events/Events/Economic-Gardening-An-Entrepreneurial-Approach-to-Economic-Development

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The Evolutionary Significance of Human Social Networks
WHEN  Mon., Apr. 30, 2012, 4:30 – 6 p.m.
WHERE  9 Bow Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION  Lecture, Science, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR  Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies
SPEAKER(S)  Nicholas Christakis, professor of medical sociology, Department of Health Care Policy, and professor of medicine, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; and professor of sociology, Department of Sociology, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences

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CDD Forum - Shrinking Cities
Monday, April 30, 2012
6:00p–8:00p
MIT, Building 7-431, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Camilo Jose Vergara, Photographer and MacArthur Fellow

Detroit: The Eternal City of the Industrial Age

The 2012 City Design and Development Forum public lecture series will bring to MIT emerging and leading thinkers in disciplines influencing the urbanism of shrinking cities, including: landscape, architecture, planning, and photography.

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Department of Architecture

For more information, contact:
Sandra Elliott
617-253-5115
sandrame@mit.edu

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Nerd Nite
Monday April 30, 2012
8pm
Middlesex, 315 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge

Featuring Nerd-appropriate tunes by Claude Money

$5

The lineup:
Talk 1. “Urban Farming: From Backyards to Rooftops”
by Brendan Shea and Jessie Banhazl

Talk 2.  “Glam Rock 101 – Wolves in Women’s Clothing: The Differences between GLAM-rock & glam-RAWK”
by Vadim Akimenko

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Tuesday, May 1
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SEAS Design Fair
May 01, 2012
11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Harvard, Maxwell Dworkin Building, 33 Oxford St, Cambridge

The inaugural SEAS Design Fair fair will showcase our design activities through project posters and demonstrations.

Exhibitions and discussion will take place throughout Maxwell Dworkin during one of three 2-hour sessions (11:00-1:00, 12:30-2:30, 2:00-4:00).
Open to the Harvard community and the general public.

COURSE-BASED EXHIBITS

CS 164 | David Malan | MD Lobby | Mobile Web/iOS projects
Bok Center Seminar | John Girash | MD 3rd Floor Lobby | Innovative Course Design Posters
CS 51 | Greg Morrisett | MD 221 and MD 2nd Floor Lobby | Computer Programs
CS171 | Hanspeter Pfister | MD 119 and MD 119 Lobby | Video Presentations
ES50 | Marko Loncar | MD 319 | Arduino Microcontroller Platform
CS266 | Radhika Nagpal | Robot soccer field on MD 3rd floor | Multi-robot Algorithms
ES222 | Neel Joshi | MD 223 | Posters and Video
ES51 | Conor Walsh/Samuel Kesner | MD 323 | Micro All-Terrain-Vehicles
ES227 |  Conor Walsh/Samuel Kesner | MD 323 | Medical Device Prototypes
AM205/207/275 | Ros Reid, MD 123 | Posters and Videos
ES96 | Woody Yang | MD Lobby | Posters
Design Lab | Anas Challah, Design Lab and MD Lobby | Posters
Host:  Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Contact:  Anas Chalah
achalah@seas.harvard.edu

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Reducing Conflict and Creating Community Through Great Food
WHEN  Tue., May 1, 2012, 12 – 1:30 p.m.
WHERE  Weil Town Hall, Belfer Building (B L1), Harvard Kennedy School
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION  Lecture, Social Sciences, Sustainability
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR  Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations
SPEAKER(S)  Kamal Mouzawak, founder, Souk el Tayeb, Lebanon's first farmers market
COST  Free and open to the public
LINK  hausercenter.harvard.edu

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Energy 101 : Nuclear Fusion
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
12:30p–1:30p
MIT, Building 66-168, 25 Ames Street
Speaker: Caleb Waugh (MIT Energy Club co-director)

Energy 101 Lectures series
The purpose of the Energy 101 series is to present the basics of different topics in the energy field

This talk will present an overview of the science, technology and economics of nuclear fusion.

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Club

For more information, contact:
Aziz Abdellahi (Energy 101 Chair)
aziz_a@mit.edu

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Illumine: Exploring the Intersection between Art and Renewable Energy

5/1/2012 (Tuesday)

ACT I -- 2PM

ACT 2 -- 8PM

Harvard Dance Center, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge

(The performance will take place on the roof of the dance center

*each act will run a total of 40 minutes


The performance will take place in two acts:

The first act will take place in the afternoon, during which solar energy will be collected and stored using eight photovoltaic solar panels and batteries. The first act will incorporate moving walls as part of the set design and choreography.

The second act will take place in the evening and will use the energy stored to generate electricity to power all stage lighting, which will be implanted into set.

Audiences are encouraged to attend both acts, to gain a hollistic performance experience. If it is not possible to attend both acts on the same day, you are invited to attend one act on one performance date and the other on the next performance date.

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Occupied Knowledges: 1968 and the Occupy Movement Now
WHEN  Tue., May 1, 2012, 2 – 4 p.m.
WHERE  Emerson Hall, Room 210, 25 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION  Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR  Presented by the Warren Center’s workshop on the Politics of Knowledge in Universities and the State
SPEAKER(S)
Immanuel Wallerstein (Yale)
Linda Gordon (NYU)
Jeffrey Stewart (UCSB)
Mark Solovey (Toronto)
LINK  http://warrencenter.fas.harvard.edu/fsprogramschedule.html

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How Can We Feed A Growing World and Sustain the Planet
May 1
4:30pm - 5:30pm
Wong Auditorium, E51-115, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge

Speaker:  Professor Jonathan Foley, Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota
12th Annual Henry W. Kendall Memorial Lecture

http://eapsweb.mit.edu/events/henry_kendall_lecture
In his talk, Foley will discuss how increasing population and wealth, along with changing patterns of diet and consumption, are plac­ing unprecedented demands on the world’s agriculture and natural resources. He will propose possible solutions to this dilemma, which together could double the world’s food production while greatly reducing the environmental impacts of agriculture.

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Sajed Kamal, author of The Renewable Revolution
May 1
5:15 pm
Brandeis, Glynn Auditorium, Heller School, 415 South Street, Waltham

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Switch - Free Preview Screening
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
6:15p–9:00p
MIT, Building 32-123, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
What does the future of energy really hold? Join Dr. Scott Tinker on a spectacular global adventure to find out.

Dr. Tinker explores the world's leading energy sites, from coal to solar, oil to biofuels, many highly restricted and never before seen on film. He gets straight answers from the people driving energy today, international leaders of government, industry and academia. In the end, he cuts through the confusion to discover a path to our future that is surprising and remarkably pragmatic. Q&A to follow with Dr. Scott Tinker, Bureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas and Harry Lynch, Director of Switch.

Refreshments will be served.

Web site: http://mit.edu/mitei/news/seminars/switch.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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Wednesday, May 2
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Weapons of the Strong: Exploring the Global Diffusion of Nonviolent Uprisings
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
12:00p–1:30p
MIT, Building E40-496, 1 Amherst Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Erica Chenowith, Wesleyan University
SSP Wednesday Seminar

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Security Studies Program

For more information, contact:
617-253-7529

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"Group Decision Making, Fast and Slow."

Wednesday, May 2

Noon

Harvard:  William James Hall 474, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge

Nicholas Aramovich

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Estimating the global-scale flow of energy through the marine planktonic food web

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

12:10p–1:00p

MIT, Building 54-915, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Speaker: Charles Stock (NOAA/GFDL)

Sack Lunch Seminar

Web site: http://eaps-www.mit.edu/paoc/events/sls-charles-stock-gfdl
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Oceans & Climate Sack Lunch Seminar
For more information, contact:  Dan Goldberg
617-253-2977
dgoldber@mit.edu

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llumine: Exploring the Intersection between Art and Renewable Energy

5/2/2012 (Wednesday)

ACT I -- 2PM

ACT 2 -- 8PM


Harvard Dance Center, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge

(The performance will take place on the roof of the dance center

*each act will run a total of 40 minutes

The performance will take place in two acts:
The first act will take place in the afternoon, during which solar energy will be collected and stored using eight photovoltaic solar panels and batteries. The first act will incorporate moving walls as part of the set design and choreography.

The second act will take place in the evening and will use the energy stored to generate electricity to power all stage lighting, which will be implanted into set.

Audiences are encouraged to attend both acts, to gain a hollistic performance experience. If it is not possible to attend both acts on the same day, you are invited to attend one act on one performance date and the other on the next performance date.

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Examining Investment and Financial Markets in Agriculture

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

2:30p–4:00p

MIT, Building E51-376, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Chris Udry (Yale)

Web site: http://econ-www.mit.edu/files/7768

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Development and Environmental Economics Workshop

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

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Layer-by-Layer Assemblies: From Fundamental Thermal Analysis to Electrochemical Energy Storage Applications

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

3:30p–5:00p

MIT, Building 66-110, 25 Ames Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Prof. Jodie L. Lutkenhaus (Texas A&M University)

MIT Program in Polymer Science and Technology (PPST) Polymer Seminar Series
PPST sponsors a series of seminars covering a broad range of topics of general interest to the polymer community,featuring speakers from both on and off campus.

We invite the polymer community at MIT and elsewhere to participate.

SEMINAR 3:30 to 4:45 PM, RECEPTION 3:00 to 3:30 PM

Web site: http://web.mit.edu/ppst/index.html

Open to: the general public

Cost: FREE

Sponsor(s): MIT Program in Polymer Science and Technology (PPST)

For more information, contact:  Gregory Sands
(617) 253-0949

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"Fallujah: A Lost Generation?" Film Screening
Wednesday, May 2
4 pm
Harvard School of Public Health, Kresge building, Room G-3, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston

Environmental Health and Sustainability Student Club
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Remember-Fallujah-Project/148687775148374

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Oxidation Processes in Clouds, Aerosol and Snow: Potential Impacts
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
4:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 54-915, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Speaker: Professor Jonathan Abbatt, Dept. of Chemistry, University of Toronto
EAPS Department Lecture Series

Web site: http://eapsweb.mit.edu/events
Open to: the general public
Cost: $0.00
Tickets: N/A
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)

For more information, contact:  Jacqui Taylor
617-253-2127
jtaylor@mit.edu

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Nuclear Power and Nuclear Weapons:  Asia, the Middle East, and the Future of Nonproliferation
Wednesday May 2
5:15-7:00pm
MIT, Building 32-155, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speakers:
Matthew Bunn, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
Jon Wolfsthal, Special Advisor to the Vice President for Nonproliferation and Director for Nonproliferation of the National Security Council

Moderator:
Richard Lester, Japan Steel Industry Professor and Head, Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering

Following the panel, Global Zero will be announcing the first George W. Rathjens Non-Proliferation Prize competition. The $1,000 prize, provided by the MIT Security Studies Program, will be given to a student who has performed original non-proliferation research, policy analysis, or an artistic expression which aims to reduce nuclear weapon proliferation around the world. Additional information about the competition, including entry guidelines and deadlines, will be provided at this event and on our website.

Refreshments will be served!

Co-sponsored with Global Zero, Nuclear Science and Engineering at MIT,and the MIT Security Studies Program

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Thursday, May 3
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Cyber Disorders: Rivalry and Conflict in a Global Information Age
WHEN  Thu., May 3, 2012, 12:15 – 2 p.m.
WHERE  Belfer Center Library, Littauer-369, Harvard Kennedy School, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION  Information Technology, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR  International Security Program
SPEAKER(S)  Lucas Kello, research fellow, International Security Program/Explorations in Cyber International Relations
CONTACT INFO  susan_lynch@harvard.edu
LINK http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/5798/cyber_disorders.html

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Sustainable Transportation - is the world moving in this direction?
Thursday, May 03, 2012
12:30p–1:30p
MIT, Building 31-141, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Speaker: Paulo Sergio Custodio
Transportation Seminar Series

Abstract: Over the last decades decision makers and stakeholders have embrace the ideas of sustainability and pursued great endeavors in public transportation that have shaped major cities in the developing world. Amazing futures - inspired by the Rede Integrada de Transporte of Curitiba, Brazil (1974) - were imagined through the transit projects of Transmilenio, Lima BRT, Transantiago, and Guangzhou, China. However, more than ten years after the implementation of Transmilenio, the ability of these projects to fulfill that sustainable vision is being questioned and in some cases these projects are considered by the public as failures. What was the sequence of events and conflicting interest that led to these results? How does stakeholders?? and decision makers?? lack of commitment to sustainability shape these outcomes? Does it make sense to keep promoting these systems as feasible solutions to mobility? The lecture will provide an update of the current state of these systems and set the ground for a rich discussion of the reasons behind their under performance and the possible answers to these questions.


Speaker: Paulo Sergio Custodio is a Brazilian international consultant with 40 years of experience in planning design and implementation of sustainable urban transportation projects. Throughout his career Mr. Custodio has worked in Asia, Africa, and Latin America and he is recurrent consultant for the World Bank, the ITDP and the World Resources Institute.

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Transportation Club, Transportation@MIT

For more information, contact:  Maite Pena-Alcaraz
info-transportclub@mit.edu

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Scientific Assessments and Environmental Policy

Thursday, May 3

2:00pm–6:00pm
BU, Photonics Center, Colloquium Room (Room 906), 8 St. Mary's St., 9th floor

“The Timescale of Climate Change: Challenges and Responsibilities"
Daniel Schrag, Depts. of Geology and Environmental Science & Engineering, Harvard University

“The Role of Value Judgments in Policy-Relevant Environmental Science"
Kevin Elliott, Dept. of Philosophy, University of South Carolina

“Science and Environmental Policy: How do Scientists Assess Scientific Knowledge for Action"
Naomi Oreskes, Dept. of History, University of California, San Diego

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"Simplicity" as a component of invention

Friday, May 04, 2012

3:00p–4:00p

MIT, Building E14-674, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker: George M. Whitesides, Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Harvard University

Warren K. Lewis Lectureship
The Warren K. Lewis Lectureship was established in 1978 to recognize Professor Lewis' revolutionary impact on chemical engineering education. By developing the concept of unit operations, first proposed by A. D. Little and William Walker, he revolutionized the design of chemical engineering processes and equipment. Throughout his career, Professor Lewis was mindful of the needs of industrial practice; accordingly, the Lewis lecture features speakers from industry and academia.

Warren K. Lewis Lecture

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

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Nanowires: Current and Future Opportunities in Energy and Life Sciences

Thursday, May 03, 2012

4:00p–5:00p

MIT, Building 3-270, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Speaker: Charles M. Lieber, Harvard University

Materials Science and Engineering Seminar Series
The materials science and engineering seminar series is jointly sponsored by the Center for Materials Science and Engineering, the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and the Materials Processing Center.

matseminars@mit.edu
http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/matseminars

Advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology depend critically on the development of increasingly complex nanostructures with unique properties and/or capabilities. Here we highlight the power of semiconductor nanowires, which provide the capability for synthetic design to realize unprecedented structural and functional complexity in building blocks, as a platform material for exploring new science and technology. First, a brief review of the synthesis of complex modulated nanowires in which rational design can be used to precisely control composition, structure and most recently structural topology will be discussed. Second, the unique functional characteristics emerging from our exquisite control of nanowire materials will be illustrated with several selected examples from nanoelectronics, quantum electronics and nano-enabled energy. Third, the remarkable power of nanowire building blocks will be further highlighted through their capability to create unprecedented active electronic interfaces with biological systems. Recent work pushing the limits of both multiplexed extracellular recording at the single cell level and the first examples of intracellular recording will described, as well as the prospects for truly blurring the distinction between nonliving and living information processing systems.

Open to: the general public

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

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ROOT CAUSE’S SOCIAL INNOVATION FORUM SHOWCASE
5/3/2012
5:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Microsoft New England R&D Center, One Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02142

Description: Imagine a venture fair for the nonprofit sector. The Social Innovation Forum’s annual Showcase is just that — a chance for action-oriented donors of financial and other resources to meet our 2012 Social Innovators — six innovative, results-oriented nonprofits that are working to address core social issues in greater Boston. The Showcase is the Social Innovation Forum’s flagship event, attracting a crowd of more than 300 business leaders, foundation representatives, government officials, and philanthropists each year.

If you are interesting in registering for this event, please email RSVP@rootcause.org

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Making the decision on Residential Solar Power Easy for everyone
Green Drinks Boston/Cambridge
Thursday, May 3, 2012
6:30 PM
Brickyard Collaboration Space, 86 Sherman Street, Cambridge

Ok everyone, it's time to get rolling with some serious GreenDrinks action to celebrate the beautiful spring in Boston.
On May 3rd, let's meet up to learn about solar electricity in the state of Massachusetts.

RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Green-Drinks-Boston-Cambridge/events/61404752/?a=ea1_grp&rv=ea1

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2012 MIT IDEAS Global Challenge Awards Celebration
Thursday, May 3, 2012
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM (ET)
MIT Stata Center, 32-123, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Join the MIT IDEAS Global Challenge and our special guest speaker Joi Ito, Director of the MIT Media Lab, for a celebration of the spirit of innovation, entrepreneurship, and public service. This year, over 35 teams are working with communities around the world on challenges such as waste treatment; access to clean water, healthcare, education, and transportation; disaster relief; and much more.

On Thursday, May 3, meet the teams entered this year and celebrate with us as we announce the teams that will be awarded up to $10,000 to make their ideas a reality. This is where ideas come to life!

The celebration will entail:
6:00pm - Mix and Mingle with Teams
7:00pm - Awards Ceremony
8:30pm - Special Toast to Teams

To meet the teams in advance and check out prototypes and models, join us on Monday, April 30 at the Poster Session (open to the public). Details here:http://globalchallenge.mit.edu/events/view/187

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Ethics and Religious Faith:  Is One Possible without the Other?
Thursday May 3
7:30-9pm
MIT, Building 32-D461, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Guest Speaker: Dr. Thomas Groome, Professor of Theology and Religious Education, Boston College

This program is free and open to the public. Dinner will be provided.

Co-sponsored with the MIT Addir Interfaith Program.

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Friday, May 4
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Calculating the Environmental Impact of Transport in the EU
Friday, May 04, 2012
10:00a–11:00a
Webex link: https://mitweb.webex.com/mitweb/j.php?ED=153145827&UID=490408737&PW=NODMwOTQ4NTU0&RT=MiMxMQ%3D%3D
Meeting Number: 644 563 183
Meeting Password: leap
Speaker: Magnus Swahn, Network for Transport and the Environment

LEAP Sustainability Speaker Series

Learn about NTM's methodology to determine the environmental footprint of transport within the European Union.

Web site: http://leap.mit.edu/speaker-series/

Open to: the general public

Cost: free

Sponsor(s): LEAP: Global Leaders in Environmental Assessment and Performance

For more information, contact:  Suzanne Greene
6177155473
segreene@mit.edu

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Please join Action for Clean Energy for a tour of Hull, MA first wind turbine
Friday May 4th

The following times have been scheduled for colleges/universities
Harvard University 10am
Brandeis University 11am
Suffolk University 1pm
Boston University 2pm
MIT 3pm
Tufts 4pm

Tour of Hull 1 at 100 Main street - Hull High school

Hull 1 has been supplying clean renewable energy to the town of Hull
since December, 2001. Come learn about the project, wind technology
and Hull's plans to expand its clean energy projects. 

Groups of 10 or more are encouraged to scheduled ahead of time

Transportation to/from Hull will be resposibility of individuals/groups - and can be done on public transportation -

MBTA Water shuttle or http://mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/boats/lines/?route=F2
 
-or-

Redline to Quincy center - 220 bus to Hingham
http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/bus/routes/?route=220

 then the 714 Hull shuttle (need to bring $1.25 fare each way = $2.50)


To schedule a group visit or for more information contact 

Andrew Stern

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Design and Computation Group Lecture Series - "Rethinking Architecture: From the Art of Building to the Art of Environmental Experience"

Friday, May 04, 2012

12:30p–2:00p

MIT, Building 7-431, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Speaker: Arnold Berleant - Professor of Philosophy (Emeritus), Long Island University

Design and Computation Lecture Series, Department of Architecture

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Computation Group Events, Architecture

For more information, contact:  Daniela Stoudenkova
danielas@mit.edu

--------------------------
UNBOUND: Speculations on the Future of the Book

Friday, May 04, 2012

12:45p–4:30p

MIT, Building E15-070, 20 Ames Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Christian Bok, Univ. of Calgary; Mary Fuller, MIT; Wyn Kelley, MIT; Bonnie Mak, Univ. of Illinois; Gita Manaktala, MIT Press; James Reid-Cunningham, Boston Athenaeum; and Bob Stein, Inst. for the Future of the Book.

This symposium explores the future potential of the book by engaging practitioners and performers of this versatile technology to ask some key questions: is the book an artifact on its deathbed or a mutable medium transitioning into future forms? What shape will books of the future take? Grounded in this technology's history, we will reflect critically on possible futures, promises, and challenges of the book, showcasing practices by writers and artists, putting them in conversation with scholars and thinkers from across the disciplines who are framing discourse and questions about book-related technotexts. This symposium hopes to foster a lively discussion where audience members participate and invoke their multiple perspectives of the book.

Register for free on the symposium website.

Web site: http://futurebook.mit.edu/

Open to: the general public

Cost: Free but register

Sponsor(s): Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies, CMS, MIT Hyperstudio, SHASS Dean's Office, Arts at MIT, Communications Forum, Literature Section, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

For more information, contact:  Amaranth Borsuk
(617) 253-4532
amaranth@mit.edu

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"Simplicity" as a component of invention

Friday, May 04, 2012

3:00p–4:00p

MIT, Building E14-674, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge

Speaker: George M. Whitesides, Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Harvard University

Warren K. Lewis Lectureship
The Warren K. Lewis Lectureship was established in 1978 to recognize Professor Lewis' revolutionary impact on chemical engineering education. By developing the concept of unit operations, first proposed by A. D. Little and William Walker, he revolutionized the design of chemical engineering processes and equipment. Throughout his career, Professor Lewis was mindful of the needs of industrial practice; accordingly, the Lewis lecture features speakers from industry and academia.

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

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Electronic Literature and Future Books

Friday, May 04, 2012

5:00p–7:00p

MIT, Building E15-070, 20 Ames Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Katherine Hayles, Duke University; Rita Raley, UC Santa Barbara; Nick Montfort, MIT; and David Thorburn, MIT

Mainstream and avant-garde poets and fiction writers have been exploring the literary potential of the computer for decades, creating work that goes far beyond today's e-books. The creators of electronic literature have developed new interface methods, new techniques for collaboration, and new ways of linking language, computing, and other media elements. How has electronic literature influenced other media, including the Web and the book? What are the implications of having literary projects in the digital sphere alongside other forms of communication and art?

This forum concludes a day-long symposium on the future of the book. Register for free at http://futurebook.mit.edu.

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

Open to: the general public

Cost: Free

Sponsor(s): Communications Forum

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


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Saturday, May 5
--------------------

Connect the Dots Campaign

Saturday, May 5

Connect the dots between climate change and extreme weather.

http://www.climatedots.org/

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Cleanweb Hackathon
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Greentown Labs, 337 Summer Street, Boston
http://boston.cleanwebhack.com/wp/
Contact Name:  Matt Liebhold
matt@liebhold.net

The Cleanweb Hackathon is an upcoming gathering to demonstrate the impact of applying information technology to resource constraints. Join us May 4th through the 6th in Boston as we bring together developers, designers and business professionals dedicated to optimizing resource use and accelerating cleantech development. Participants are tasked with building applications that tackle energy, waste, water, and other sustainability issues by leveraging web and mobile technologies. We challenge attendees on what they can do over the course of the weekend that might just change the world for the better.
Saturday and Sunday’s Events will be held at Greentown Labs in the heart of the Innovation District in Boston. Friday night kick-off location TBA.

$20 registration for hackathon participants

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Wake Up the Earth Festival

Saturday, May 5

11 am - 6 pm

Southwest Corridor, Jamaica Plain

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

Boston Innovation Challenge
Saturday, May 5, 2012
12:00 AM
Harvard I-Lab, 125 Western Ave, Allston

Calling all Mobile Developers, Hackers, and Business Builders ... The “Boston Innovation Challenge” is an Advanced Hack that gives multidisciplinary Teams (not just techs) a full 2 weeks to tackle designated topics that need our attention and your participation as a Team Member, Advisor, Volunteer, etc.  We are looking for citizen Entrepreneurs and company Intrapreneurs... so come alone or get your Team together!

This first Challenge, at Harvard I-Lab May 5-20, is about making Boston Better with Mobile solutions in 4 categories - Causes, Jobs, Startups, and Arts. Sign up to win stuff and help solve real problems together with The Boston Globe, Harvard I-Lab, the City of Boston, and more partners every day.

Sign-up at www.BostonInnovationChallenge.com

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Sunday, May 6
-----------------

Cleanweb Hackathon
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Greentown Labs, 337 Summer Street, Boston
http://boston.cleanwebhack.com/wp/
Contact Name:  Matt Liebhold
matt@liebhold.net

The Cleanweb Hackathon is an upcoming gathering to demonstrate the impact of applying information technology to resource constraints. Join us May 4th through the 6th in Boston as we bring together developers, designers and business professionals dedicated to optimizing resource use and accelerating cleantech development. Participants are tasked with building applications that tackle energy, waste, water, and other sustainability issues by leveraging web and mobile technologies. We challenge attendees on what they can do over the course of the weekend that might just change the world for the better.
Saturday and Sunday’s Events will be held at Greentown Labs in the heart of the Innovation District in Boston. Friday night kick-off location TBA.

$20 registration for hackathon participants

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

Get Growing Festival
Sunday May 6
noon to 6, Palmer St., Harvard Square (part of May Fair).

You CAN grow food in small spaces—come learn how on the greenest street in Harvard Square’s huge May Fair.  Check out composting, beekeeping, raised beds, hydroponics, rain barrels, mushrooms, nutrient density, rabbits, herbs/good weeds, and much more.  Meet some chickens, add to a map of urban fruit trees, buy locally-raised seedlings.  Anyone can be an urban gardener!  No outdoor space of your own? Grow herbs on a windowsill, or harvest veggies on an urban farm.  Rain date May 20—details at HarvardSquare.com

Plan now to grow something delicious or beautiful to enter in the 4th Annual Harvard Sq. Ag Fair on Sep. 16.

More info: Helen, hmsnively@aol.com

http://www.facebook.com/events/233939250046332/

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The Real Cost of Coal Forum
Sunday, May 6
3PM
First Parish in Cambridge, 3 Church Street, Cambridge (near the Harvard T-stop)

FACEBOOK RSVP:  http://www.facebook.com/events/349900668391499
CONTACT: Monique, moniqueditullio@gmail.com; 508-769-2599
ADMISSION: Free and open to the public
MORE INFO: http://dirtymoney.org

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

FESTIVAL FLORALIA
Sunday May 6, 2
4:30
Hooper-Lee-Nichols House, 159 Brattle Street, Cambridge
A fund-raiser for Grow Native Massachusetts, which encourages us to use native plants in our gardens.  Great event: info sessions, music, food, native plants for sale.

More info: www.grownativemass.org/programs/festivalfloralia

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Monday, May 7
------------------

Connect the Dots Boston
350.org & Mass Uniting
Launching Metro Boston Climate Defense
Monday, May 7
6:30 am - 11:00 am

Meeting at Copley Sq. at 6:30 am to collect leaflets & uniforms (arrive wearing white shirt & dark pants, we'll provide vest & MBCD ball cap)
Leaflet rush hour T stops 7-9:00 in teams of 2-5
Return to Copley Sq. at 10:00 for Connect the Dots photo & press conference

http://www.climatedefense.org/action.php

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

Starr Forum: Inequality and Instability: A Study of the World Economy Just Before the Great Crisis
Monday, May 07, 2012
4:30p–6:00p
MIT, Building E62-262
Speakers: James Galbraith , David Singer, Rachel Wellhausen

Books sold and signed at the event

About The Speakers:
James Galbraith is professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Aairs, the University of Texas at Austin, where he holds the Lloyd M. Bentsen Jr Chair in Government/Business Relations. He is a leading economist whose books include The Predator State, Inequality and Industrial Change, and Created Unequal.

David Singer is associate professor of political science at MIT. He studies international political economy, with a focus on international nancial regulation, the inuence of global capital ows on govt policymaking, international institutions and governance, and the political economy of central banking. He is author of Regulating Capital: Setting Standards for the International Financial System.

Rachel Wellhausen is a PhD candidate in international political economy and comparative politics at the MIT Department of Political Science. Her dissertation seeks to explain why, in an era of economic globalization, emerging economy governments can sometimes break their commitments to protect foreign investors' property rights.

Web site:http://web.mit.edu/cis/eventposter_050712_galbraith.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
For more information, contact:  starrforum@mit.edu

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

How to Build a Great Company, Step by Step: The Startup Owner's Manual

Monday, May 07, 2012

5:30p–6:30p

MIT, Building E62-276, MIT Sloan, 100 Main Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Bob Dorf

During this lecture, Bob Dorf will describe the detailed Customer Development process for building scalable startups and explain how Alexander Osterwalder's Business Model Canvas provides a framework for conceiving the innovator's business model and monitoring progress in the Customer Development process. The Customer Development process and The Startup Owner's Manual bring a nearly scientific method to the typically chaotic startup process.

Complimentary books will be given to 25 attendees

Web site: http://legatum.mit.edu/content/1189

Open to: the general public

Cost: 0

Sponsor(s): Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship, SEID, Sloan Entrepreneurs for International Development

For more information, contact:  Agnes Hunsicker
617-324-2768
legatum@mit.edu

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

CDD Forum - Shrinking Cities - The Power of Architecture

Monday, May 07, 2012

6:00p–8:00p

MIT, Building 7-431, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Speaker: Andrew Zago, Principal, Zago Architecture


The 2012 City Design and Development Forum public lecture series will bring to MIT emerging and leading thinkers in disciplines influencing the urbanism of shrinking cities, including: landscape, architecture, planning, and photography.

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Department of Urban Studies and Planning

For more information, contact:
Sandra Elliott
617-253-5115
sandrame@mit.edu


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Tuesday, May 8
-------------------

The Information: James Gleick
Tuesday, May 8
12:30 pm
Harvard Law School, Venue TBA
RSVP required for those attending in person at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2012/05/jgleick#RSVP
This event will be webcast live at 12:30 pm ET and archived on our site shortly after at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/interactive/webcast
James Gleick, author of The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood, will discuss his new book.

About James
James Gleick is a native New Yorker and a graduate of Harvard and the author of a half-dozen books on science, technology, and culture. His latest bestseller, translated into 20 languages, is The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood, which the NY Times called "ambitious, illuminating, and sexily theoretical." Whatever they meant by that. They also said "Don't make the mistake of reading it quickly."


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Upcoming

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***********

Spring of Sustainability
now through June 22
Free live and online speakers and events
http://springofsustainability.com/

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

Media Lab Conversations Series: Howard Rheingold
Thursday, May 10, 2012
2:00pm - 4:00pm
MIT Media Lab, E14 6th Floor, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
ALL TALKS AT THE MEDIA LAB, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
THIS TALK WILL BE WEBCAST.
JOIN US ON TWITTER: #MLTALKS
The future of digital culture depends on how well we learn to use the media that have infiltrated, amplified, distracted, enriched, and complicated our lives. How we employ a search engine, stream video from our phonecam, or update our Facebook status matters to us and everyone, because the ways people use new media in the first years of an emerging communication regime can influence the way those media end up being used and misused for decades to come. Instead of confining his exploration to whether or not Google is making us stupid, Facebook is commoditizing our privacy, or Twitter is chopping our attention into microslices (all good questions), Rheingold has been asking himself and others how to use social media intelligently, humanely, and above all mindfully.

Rheingold's talk will be followed by a conversation with Joi Ito and Mimi Ito, as well as Q&A.

Biography:  Howard Rheingold, author of best-sellers Virtual Reality, The Virtual Community, Smart Mobs, and Net Smart,editor of best-seller The Millennium Whole Earth Catalog, takes audiences on a journey through the human side of the technology-shaped future. He's been in on the Web since the beginning, and long before. He's studied Internet enterprises and started them. Rheingold was the founding executive editor of HotWired; founder of Electric Minds (named by Time magazine one of the ten best websites of 1996). He's a participant-observer in the design of new technologies; a pioneer, critic, and forecaster of technology's impacts; and a speaker who involves his audience in an adventure in group futurism. His books are published in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish language editions, in addition to distribution in the United Kingdom, and the United States. Rheingold has taught as appointed lecturer at UC Berkeley and Stanford University. He was a non-resident fellow at the Annenberg Center for Communication, visiting professor at De Montfort University, UK, which awarded him an honorary doctorate of technology degree. He delivered the invited Regents Lecture for University of California, Berkeley.

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

BASEA Forum: Movie Night! - "Burning In The Sun"
Thursday, May 10th
Doors open at 7:00 p.m.; Presentation begins at 7:30 p.m
First Parish in Cambridge Unitarian Universalist;  3 Church Street, Harvard Square

Presented in person by Dr. Richard Komp

Boston Area Solar Energy Association proudly presents......
Cinema for Peace 2012 International Green Film Award-winning, feature-length documentary film: 'Burning in the Sun'
Daniel Dembele envisions the rural villages of Mali in a new light - solar powered light.  Dr. Richard Komp becomes Daniel's mentor as they embark on a transforming journey, hand-fabricating photovoltaic panels, assembling solar cookers, and bringing together opposing groups - rebels and government - to put their differences aside and unite in a shared project with a common vision.  Their journey ignites innovation, resourcefulness and cooperation, as friendships form and hope is illuminated.

Come see the film and discuss it with pioneering renewable energy scientist, activist, author of 'Practical Photovoltaics', and our honored guest, Dr. Richard Komp.

"Before Banko's school had electricity, every year 20 percent of students passed their national exams. After Daniel installed lights, 97 percent passed."
"If you're educated, you could help develop your village."   - Jenebou [student]

http://www.basea.org


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

The Spring 2011 Mid-Cambridge PLANT SWAP
Saturday May 12
NOON to 2 pm
at Fayette Park (near the corner of Broadway and Fayette St., across from former Longfellow School)

Rain date—in case of DOWNPOUR—is Saturday, May 19, 12-2

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

Contact HMSnively@aol.com

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

NEW ENGLAND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE FORUM (NEEJF)  ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE SUMMIT
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts.

All community activists and residents, environmental justice advocates, lawyers, policymakers and others interested in public health and the environment in low income communities and communities of color are invited to attend.

Individuals may register for the event online by visiting the online registration page: http://newenglandejsummit.eventbrite.com/.  There is no cost to attend the event. Food, childcare, and great company are included. The deadline to register is May 18, 2012. Travel scholarships are available for individuals and groups that need assistance to attend.

For the first time in New England, residents of low income communities and communities of color, together with community organizers, attorneys, public health and environmental professionals and government officials will assemble for a one- day summit on environmental justice.  At the Summit attendees will share ideas, learn from one another and plan future work to address environmental and public health issues that especially affect low income communities and communities of color. NEEJF is a collaboration of Alternatives for Community and Environment, Connecticut Coalition for   Environmental Justice and Rhode Island Legal Services.

For more information, please contact Steve Fischbach: neejforum@gmail.com or 401-274-2652 ext.182

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

Spring of Sustainability
June 22

http://springofsustainability.com/

Live and webcast conference with  Bill McKibben, Vandana Shiva, Van Jones, John Robbins, Hazel Henderson, Frances Moore Lappé, John Perkins, Thom Hartmann, Aqeela Sherrills, Julia Butterfly Hill + MANY others

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Opportunity

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*************

CEA Solar Hot Water Grants
Cambridge, through the Cambridge Energy Alliance initiative, is offering a limited number of grants to residents and businesses for solar hot water systems.  The grants will cover 50% of the remaining out of pocket costs of the system after other incentives, up to $2,000.

Applications will be accepted up to November 19, 2012 and are available on a first come, first serve basis until funding runs out.  The Cambridge grant will complement other incentives including the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center solar thermal grants.  For more information, seehttp://cambridgeenergyalliance.org/resources/additional-resources/solar-hot-water-grant-program

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Cambridge Residents: Free Home Thermal Images

Have you ever wanted to learn where your home is leaking heat by having an energy auditor come to your home with a thermal camera?  With that info you then know where to fix your home so it's more comfortable and less expensive to heat.  However, at $200 or so, the cost of such a thermal scan is a big chunk of change.

HEET Cambridge has now partnered with Sagewell, Inc. to offer Cambridge residents free thermal scans.

Sagewell collects the thermal images by driving through Cambridge in a hybrid vehicle equipped with thermal cameras.  They will scan every building in Cambridge (as long as it's not blocked by trees or buildings or on a private way).  Building owners can view thermal images of their property and an analysis online. The information is password protected so that only the building owner can see the results.

Homeowners, condo-owners and landlords can access the thermal images and an accompanying analysis free of charge. Commercial building owners and owners of more than one building will be able to view their images and analysis for a small fee.

The scans will be analyzed in the order they are requested.

Go to Sagewell.com.  Type in your address at the bottom where it says "Find your home or building" and press return.  Then click on "Here" to request the report.

That's it.  When the scans are done in a few weeks, your building will be one of the first to be analyzed. The accompanying report will help you understand why your living room has always been cold and what to do about it.

With knowledge, comes power (or in this case saved power and money, not to mention comfort).

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

Free solar electricity analysis for MA residents
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHhwM202dDYxdUZJVGFscnY1VGZ3aXc6MQ

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HEET has partnered with NSTAR and Mass Save participating contractor Next Step Living to deliver no-cost Home Energy Assessments to Cambridge residents.

During the assessment, the energy specialist will:

Install efficient light bulbs (saving up to 7% of your electricity bill)
Install programmable thermostats (saving up to 10% of your heating bill)
Install water efficiency devices (saving up to 10% of your water bill)
Check the combustion safety of your heating and hot water equipment
Evaluate your home’s energy use to create an energy-efficiency roadmap
If you get electricity from NSTAR, National Grid or Western Mass Electric, you already pay for these assessments through a surcharge on your energy bills.  You might as well use the service.

Please sign up at http://nextsteplivinginc.com/heet/?outreach=HEET or call Next Step Living at 866-867-8729.  A Next Step Living Representative will call to schedule your assessment.

HEET will help answer any questions and ensure you get all the services and rebates possible.

(The information collected will only be used to help you get a Home Energy Assessment.  We won’t keep the data or sell it.)

(If you have any questions or problems, please feel free to call HEET’s Jason Taylor at 617 441 0614.)


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Resource

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Sustainable Business Network Local Green Guide

SBN is excited to announce the soft launch of its new Local Green Guide, Massachusetts' premier Green Business Directory!

To view the directory please visit: http://www.localgreenguide.org
To find out how how your business can be listed on the website or for sponsorship opportunities please contact Adritha at adritha@sbnboston.org

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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.

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

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

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/

Arts and Cultural Events List  http://aacel.blogspot.com/

http://www.massclimateaction.net/calendar/events/index.php

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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