Sunday, December 29, 2013

Energy (and Other) Events - December 29, 2013

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

What I Do and Why I Do It:  The Story of Energy (and Other) Events
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-i-do-and-why-i-do-it.html

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Event Index - full Event Details available below the Index

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Monday, January 6
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1pm  Boston Area Alternative Energy Supporters combined with: Boston Green Business Group
1pm  Mathematics Lecture Series
1pm  Push Button: What is so special about the Arcade?

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Tuesday, January 7
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1pm  Push Button: Translating the Arcade for the Home
6pm  Boston Area Sustainability Group:  Effecting Social Change at the Community Level
7pm  Winter School Lecture

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My rough notes on some of the events I go to are at:
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com

MIT Water Summit
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2013/12/mit-water-summit.html

Top 20 Greenhouse Gas Emitters
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/12/29/1264699/-Top-20-Greenhouse-Gas-Emitters-1854-2010

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Event Details

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Monday, January 6
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Boston Area Alternative Energy Supporters combined with: Boston Green Business Group
Monday, January 6, 2014
1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Panera Bread, 5 White Street, Porter Square, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/AltEnergyBoston/events/155056192/

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Mathematics Lecture Series
Mon, Wed, Fri, Jan 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 17, 22, 24, 27, 29, 01
1-02:30pm
MIT, Building 4-231, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

John Bush
Ten lectures by mathematics faculty members on interesting topics from both classical and modern mathematics. All lectures accessible to students with calculus background and an interest in mathematics. At each lecture, reading and exercises are assigned. Students prepare these for discussion in a weekly problem session.
Students taking 18.095 for credit are expected to attend regularly and to do problem sets. Recitation Thursday at 10:30 or 1:00.

Listeners welcome at individual sessions (series)
Web: http://math.mit.edu/classes/18.095/
Contact: John Bush, E17-408, x3-4387, bush@math.mit.edu

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Push Button: What is so special about the Arcade?
Monday, January 06, 2014
1:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 26-142, Access Via 60 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Todd Harper
A 1-week lecture and workshop series kicks off a month-long game development challenge to create games for arcade cabinets installed at the MIT Museum and in the faculty offices of MIT's Comparative Media Studies | Writing department. This lecture series will examine the culture of the Arcade, the relationship between software and hardware design and the creative work produced for arcade machines, and how to design short, moment-based gameplay. A workshop follows each lecture to put these ideas into practice.
http://gamelab.mit.edu/pushbutton/

MIT Game Lab researcher Todd Harper talks about the performative aspects of the arcade. How is playing games in public different than on home computers and consoles? What were the cultural aspects of the arcade and how did this affect the design and play of arcade video games? What parts of the arcade have followed us home now that consoles are the norm?

Afterwards, MIT Game Lab staff will lead a workshop on the design of arcade games in the 1970s through the 1990s. Participants will play emulation ed arcade games of various vintage, to compare designs and play styles. Participants will also discuss the various cultural references in these games as well as marketing materials and other cultural artifacts surrounding the games.

Web site: http://gamelab.mit.edu/event/push-button-what-is-so-special-about-the-arcade/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, MIT Game Lab
For more information, contact:  Rik Eberhardt
617-324-2173
gamelab-request@mit.edu

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Tuesday, January 7
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Push Button: Translating the Arcade for the Home
Tuesday, January 07, 2014
1:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 26-142, Access Via 60 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Nick Montfort
Push Button: Examining the Culture, Platforms, and Design of the Arcade
A 1-week lecture and workshop series kicks off a month-long game development challenge to create games for arcade cabinets installed at the MIT Museum and in the faculty offices of MITs Comparative Media Studies | Writing department. This lecture series will examine the culture of the Arcade, the relationship between software and hardware design and the creative work produced for arcade machines, and how to design short, moment-based gameplay. A workshop follows each lecture to put these ideas into practice.
http://gamelab.mit.edu/pushbutton/

Nick Montfort, Director of MIT Trope Tank, will lecture on what happens when games originally designed for the arcade are ported to home consoles. This follows on his work in platform studies, which looks at the base hardware and software systems that are the foundation of computational expression and examines how the these elements intersect with the creative production of new media.

Afterwards, MIT Game Lab staff will lead a workshop on the design of games outside of established game genres and tropes. Participants will concept arcade games about things you might not expect an arcade game to be about!

Web site: http://gamelab.mit.edu/event/push-button-translating-the-arcade-for-the-home/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, MIT Game Lab
For more information, contact:  Rik Eberhardt
617-324-2173
gamelab-request@mit.edu

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Boston Area Sustainability Group:  Effecting Social Change at the Community Level
January 7
6:00 to 9:00 pm
The Venture Café, One Broadway, 4th floor, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/jan-7-2014-basg-presents-effecting-social-change-at-the-community-level-tickets-9624096933
Cost:  $10-12

Scott Richardson, Director of Research and Strategic Initiatives, Project Bread - The Walk For Hunger. Scott will talk about targeting social problems at their root: Levers for sustainable change. View his profile at:
www.linkedin.com/pub/scott-richardson/0/a2a/389
Richard Pearl, Vice President, Corporate Citizenship at State Street Corporation. Richard will discuss differences in the application of corporate citizenship at the community level, comparing the State Street Hong Kong location and the Boston location.   Although the locations may have differences in context, how do they both embody the overall objectives for corporate citizenship of the company as a whole? View his profile atwww.linkedin.com/pub/richard-pearl/4a/139/a3
Greg Hills, Managing Director FSG. Greg will discuss how the concept of "Creating Shared Value" is redefining the role of business in society. He will provide examples of global companies working around the world as well as U.S. companies creating shared value in local cities. He will share practical frameworks and lessons learned for practitioners to apply in their own businesses. View his profile at:
www.linkedin.com/pub/greg-hills/1/2a3/66
Becky Snow, Environmental Manager, adidas Group. Corporations invest in educational programs as part of their social outreach, and they value the synergies created by combining environmental and social objectives in a single program. Becky will present some research that tested the feasibility of a proposed Corporation-School Emission Reduction Partnership to help reduce GHG emissions and benefit schools and corporations. View her profile at: www.linkedin.com/in/beckysnow

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Winter School Lecture
Tuesday, January 07, 2014
7:00p–9:00p
MIT, Building 34-101, 50 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speaker: MITOC trip leaders
Winter School is an annual IAP course presented by the members of MITOC. Its goal is to teach the skills one needs to enjoy outdoor sports in the winter. During the month of January, participants attend lectures every Tuesday and Thursday evening and spend time outdoors during the weekends. Trips are offered at various levels of intensity and include hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, back-country skiing, ice climbing, winter camping, orienteering, and mountaineering.

This first lecture of the MIT Outing Club's Winter School covers topics including clothing and gear, food and safety, avalanches and basic weather, and winter hiking. Lectures on January 7 and 9 are mandatory to participate in any winter school trip.

Web site: http://web.mit.edu/mitoc/www/#events/ws.shtml
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Outing Club
For more information, contact:  Ben Scandella
bscand@mit.edu

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Upcoming Events
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Wednesday, January 8
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"Chemical Genetics and the Genetics of Chemistry"
Wednesday, January 08, 2014
11:00a
MIT, Building 76-156

Jason Sello
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, Brown University and MLK Jr. Visiting Associate Professor of Biology at MIT 

2nd Talk in The Impact of Chemistry on Understanding Biology Series

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Biology

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Government and Policy Panel
Wednesday, January 08, 2014
1:00p
MIT, Building 68-181, 31 Ames Street, Cambridge (Koch - yes, that Koch - Biology Building)

Amanda Arnold, MSc, Senior Policy Advisor, MIT Washington Office
Zofia Gajdos, PhD, Lecturer and Curriculum Fellow in Microbiology and Immunology, Harvard University
Ellie Graeden, PhD, Director of Strategic Systems Analysis, Gryphon Scientific
David Healey, PhD candidate, Gore Lab, MIT biology department

A scientist's skills need not be applied only to the lab and classroom. Come find out how scientists can employ their expertise in government and policy agencies, playing a role in shaping research infrastructure and public perception and understanding of science!

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Biology

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Push Button: From Crazy Otto to Ms. Pac-Man
Wednesday, January 08, 2014
1:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 26-142, Access Via 60 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Steve Golson
Push Button: Examining the Culture, Platforms, and Design of the Arcade
A 1-week lecture and workshop series kicks off a month-long game development challenge to create games for arcade cabinets installed at the MIT Museum and in the faculty offices of MITs Comparative Media Studies | Writing department. This lecture series will examine the culture of the Arcade, the relationship between software and hardware design and the creative work produced for arcade machines, and how to design short, moment-based gameplay. A workshop follows each lecture to put these ideas into practice.
http://gamelab.mit.edu/pushbutton/

Ms. Pac-Man was released in early 1982, so she turned thirty last year. Steve Golson, one of the original developers of Ms. Pac-Man at General Computer, will recount little-known stories about the creation of the game. How and why did it transform from Crazy Otto to Ms. Pac-Man? Using source code and graphics ROMs extracted from his 30-year-old 8??? floppy archives, Steve will show the evolution of game play and character design.

Afterwards, MIT Game Lab staff will lead a workshop about prototyping digital games via non-digital means (paper, dice, and cards!). Participants will create their own short prototypes

Web site: http://gamelab.mit.edu/event/push-button-from-crazy-otto-to-ms-pac-man/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, MIT Game Lab
For more information, contact:  Rik Eberhardt
617-324-2173
gamelab-request@mit.edu

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Thursday, January 9
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Push Button: Moment-Based Game Design
Thursday, January 09, 2014
1:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 26-142, Access Via 60 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Seth Sivak
Push Button: Examining the Culture, Platforms, and Design of the Arcade
A 1-week lecture and workshop series kicks off a month-long game development challenge to create games for arcade cabinets installed at the MIT Museum and in the faculty offices of MITs Comparative Media Studies | Writing department. This lecture series will examine the culture of the Arcade, the relationship between software and hardware design and the creative work produced for arcade machines, and how to design short, moment-based gameplay. A workshop follows each lecture to put these ideas into practice.
http://gamelab.mit.edu/pushbutton/

Local game developer Seth Sivak will talk with us about Moment-Based Game Design. This lecture is a breakdown of good and bad moments in games and how designers can approach building a game that creates great moments.

Afterwards, MIT Game Lab staff will lead a workshop analyzing arcade games using the moment-based game design methods discussed in the lecture.

Web site: http://gamelab.mit.edu/event/push-button-moment-based-game-design/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, MIT Game Lab
For more information, contact:  Rik Eberhardt
617-324-2173
gamelab-request@mit.edu

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Video Strategy for Nonprofits: HandsOn Tech Boston
Thursday, January 9, 2014 (and January 16)
1:30 PM to 3:30 PM (EST)
Google Cambridge Office, 3 Cambridge Center, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/video-strategy-for-nonprofits-19-116-tickets-9423388609

Creating Short, Effective Videos on a Budget for Nonprofits
Video is a powerful communications tool available to non-profits. Whether trying to increase demand for a service, fundraise for a cause, inform a target population, or simply share your story - short, effectives videos can help nonprofits meet their objectives.

This two-day workshop series will introduce participants to the basics of planning and executing a successful film project.
January 9th: Planning and Organizing a Film Project
In the first workshop session, participants will learn:
To Identify the purpose, target audience, key message and desired outcome of their short film
Different styles, strategies and storytelling techniques
How to create a timeline, budget, shot-list, shooting schedule, and proposal if applying for additional funding
Common pitfalls in planning and executing a film project

January 16th: Filming, Editing, and Sharing Your Video
The second workshop session will introduce participants to:
Basic equipment and editing software required and offer low-cost alternatives
Quick and dirty tips on recording quality sound and images
The basics of successful interviewing techniques
Tips on file naming and workflow management when editing
Common pitfalls when collecting and editing material
Recommendations on promoting and sharing your finished film

Presented by Laura Hanson, Montana State University, B.S., Boston University School of Public Health, MPH. Laura is a recent graduate from the BU School of Public Health where she focused on international health and public health communications. Earlier this year, Laura filmed and produced Clinic on the Move, a multi-media promotional film for PharmAccess Foundation Namibia. PharmAccess is a Dutch non-profit that operates a successful mobile clinic service in Namibia. She worked with the organization to identify the purpose and key messages of the film, coordinate travel arrangements, collect materials and interviews from the field, and finally edit and help disseminate the film. This summer, Laura traveled to western Kenya as a trainer and student coordinator for Pamoja Together. This Gates-funded program brings together university students from Boston and Kenya to research and report on stories about international aid, as told from the perspective of beneficiaries. While in Kenya, Laura co-facilitated an intensive weeklong workshop in multimedia storytelling using ipad minis, DSLR cameras, and basic audio recording equipment. Laura currently works as a freelance communications consultant, leveraging her skills as a writer, photographer and multimedia producer. 

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Winter School Lecture
Thursday, January 09, 2014
7:00p–9:00p
MIT, Building 34-101, 50 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speaker: MITOC trip leaders
This second lecture of the MIT Outing Club's Winter School covers topics including backpacks, crampons and axes, snowshoes, personal and women's issues, day trip food and winter driving. Lectures on January 7 and 9 are mandatory to participate in any winter school trip.
MITOC Winter School 2014
Winter School is an annual IAP course presented by the members of MITOC. Its goal is to teach the skills one needs to enjoy outdoor sports in the winter. During the month of January, participants attend lectures every Tuesday and Thursday evening and spend time outdoors during the weekends. Trips are offered at various levels of intensity and include hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, back-country skiing, ice climbing, winter camping, orienteering, and mountaineering.
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/mitoc/www/#events/ws.shtml
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Outing Club
For more information, contact:  Ben Scandella
bscand@mit.edu

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Friday, January 10
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Using Images in your work: A look at fair use, open licensing, and copyright
Friday, January 10, 2014
1:00p–2:15p
MIT, Building 14N-132

This session will provide information about how to assess whether use of a particular image requires permission or is "fair use," how to find images already flagged for reuse, and will touch briefly upon good practices for citing images. Directed at authors of theses, journal articles, blogs, and other scholarly writing.

Presented by Ellen Finnie Duranceau, copyright contact and Program Manager for Scholarly Publishing & Licensing in the MIT Libraries. Please contact Ellen (efinnie@mit.edu) to register.

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Libraries
For more information, contact:  Ellen Duranceau
617-253-8483
efinnie@mit.edu

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Push Button: Arcade Aesthetics
Friday, January 10, 2014
1:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 26-142, Access Via 60 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Philip Tan
Push Button: Examining the Culture, Platforms, and Design of the Arcade
A 1-week lecture and workshop series kicks off a month-long game development challenge to create games for arcade cabinets installed at the MIT Museum and in the faculty offices of MITs Comparative Media Studies | Writing department. This lecture series will examine the culture of the Arcade, the relationship between software and hardware design and the creative work produced for arcade machines, and how to design short, moment-based gameplay. A workshop follows each lecture to put these ideas into practice.
http://gamelab.mit.edu/pushbutton/

MIT Game Lab Creative Director Philip Tan will discuss the aesthetics of arcade games, particularly as part of the Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics (MDA) Framework for understanding game design. The future of arcade game design and development will be discussed: now that many of the arcades are closed in the US, what does public, physically co-located video game playing look like today.

Afterwards, MIT Game Lab staff will lead a workshop playing and analyzing modern arcade games as well as video games developed for physical installations such as museums.

Web site: http://gamelab.mit.edu/event/push-button-arcade-aesthetics/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, MIT Game Lab
For more information, contact:  Rik Eberhardt
617-324-2173
gamelab-request@mit.edu 

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Making Stuff Wilder: A Screening and Panel Event
Friday, January 10, 2014
7:00 PM to 8:00 PM (EST)
WGBH, 1 Guest Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/making-stuff-wilder-a-screening-and-panel-event-tickets-9538757681

What happens when scientists open up nature's toolbox? In "Making Stuff Wilder," David Pogue explores bold new innovations inspired by the Earth's greatest inventor, life itself. From robotic "mules" and "cheetahs" for the military, to fabrics born out of fish slime, your host travels the globe to find the world’s wildest new inventions and technologies. It is a journey that sees today's microbes turned into tomorrow’s metallurgists, viruses building batteries, and ideas that change not just the stuff we make, but the way we make our stuff. As we develop our own new technologies, what can we learn from billions of years of nature’s research?

Join NOVA Education for a special screening event, and afterwards, hear from producers of the show as well as local scientists involved in this groundbreaking work!

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Saturday, January 11
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Saturday, January 11, 2014
Push Button Game Jam
10:00a–11:30p
MIT, Building 32-124, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Philip Tan
Push Button: Examining the Culture, Platforms, and Design of the Arcade
A 1-week lecture and workshop series kicks off a month-long game development challenge to create games for arcade cabinets installed at the MIT Museum and in the faculty offices of MITs Comparative Media Studies | Writing department. This lecture series will examine the culture of the Arcade, the relationship between software and hardware design and the creative work produced for arcade machines, and how to design short, moment-based gameplay. A workshop follows each lecture to put these ideas into practice.
http://gamelab.mit.edu/pushbutton/

The MIT Game Lab is spending January obsessed with arcade games! This one-day game jam is the official start time for a month-long game development session to create games that will be playable at arcade cabinets in the MIT Museum and MIT???s Comparative Media Studies | Writing department. Students who attend will form teams and create design and technical prototypes that will eventually become full fledged games by the end of the month.

Staff from the MIT Game Lab will be on hand to provide technical and design guidance. Games will be created to conform to the technical constraints of our arcade cabinets, in particular, games that will run fullscreen in a web browser at 800 x 600 resolution on a 26??? CRT raster display, controlled by 2 joysticks and up to 12 buttons.

Web site: http://gamelab.mit.edu/event/push-button-arcade-aesthetics/
Open to: Students at MIT and other New England universities
Cost: Free
Tickets: http://mitgamelab-iap2014.eventbrite.com
Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, MIT Game Lab
For more information, contact:  Rik Eberhardt
617-324-2173
gamelab-request@mit.edu

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Monday, January 13
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2014 EAPS Lecture Series: Monsoons: Past Changes, Present Impacts, Future Projections
Jan 13, 17, 22, 24, 27, 31
12-1pm
MIT, Building 54-910 (the tallest building on campus)

Impacts of anthropogenic aerosols
Jan/13 Mon 12:00PM-01:00PM 54-915
Chien Wang - Senior Research Scientist, EAPS, MIT
Monsoon depressions
Jan/17 Fri 12:00PM-01:00PM 54-915
William Boos - Asst. Prof. of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University
Plio-Pleist African monsoon evolution
Jan/22 Wed 12:00PM-01:00PM 54-915
Peter deMenocal - Professor, Earth & Environmental Sciences, LDEO/Columbia U.
Impacts of W African monsoon variability
Jan/24 Fri 12:00PM-01:00PM 54-915
Alessandra Giannini - Research Scientist, IRI and LDEO/Columbia U.
TBA: present day monsoons
Jan/27 Mon 12:00PM-01:00PM 54-915
Peter Webster - Professor, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Tech.
Monsoon variability & decline of Maya
Jan/31 Fri 12:00PM-01:00PM 54-915
Martin Medina - Amherst College

Seasonally reversing atmospheric circulations known as monsoons determine the intensity and seasonality of precipitation throughout the tropics. Monsoon rains supply water for approximately two-thirds of the world's population, govern the distribution of tropical ecosystems and agriculture, and drive continental weathering in low latitudes; as a result, monsoon variability has wide-ranging impacts on human society and natural systems.

This January, EAPS' IAP seminar will explore the magnitude, drivers and impacts of changes in monsoon precipitation in the past, present and future. Featured speakers will share their research into a diverse array of topics, including past abrupt changes in the African monsoon, the role of monsoon changes in the collapse of Mayan civilization, the dynamics of monsoon-associated cyclones, and the impacts of present and future monsoon changes on societies in the Sahel region of North Africa.
Individual lectures in the series will be given in 54-915, noon to 1pm. Please check individual session listing for descriptions of each topic and the day it will be offered.
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions

Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
Contact: Vicki McKenna, 54-910, 253-3380, vsm@mit.edu

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Science Writing Panel
Monday, January 13, 2014
1:00p
MIT, Building 68-181, 31 Ames Street, Cambridge (Koch - yes, that Koch - Biology Building)

Ann Cheung, PhD, Scientific Editor, Cancer Cell
Elizabeth McKenna, PhD, Science Writer, Cancer Discovery
Joanne Kotz, PhD, Director of Scientific Outreach, Broad Institute Center for the Science of Therapeutics

"How can we apply our scientific training to effective communication, both among scientists and to the public? Come learn about the different ways our panelists have ventured into science writing as editors, writers, and communicators with broad audiences."

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Biology

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Finding the Lowest Airfares -- Understanding Airline Pricing and Distribution
Monday, January 13
1:00PM-02:30PM
MIT, Building 33-206, 125 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Dr. Peter Belobaba, Principal Research Scientist, Program Manager, MIT Global Airline Industry Program
Why is airline pricing so complicated and why do airline fares change so often? This talk explains the theory and practice of airline pricing and revenue management -- how airlines determine prices and how many seats to sell at each price. The links between these models and internet distribution channels provide insights into the search for the best fares and itineraries.

Sponsor(s): Aeronautics and Astronautics
Contact: Marie Stuppard, 33-202, x3-2279, mas@mit.edu

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Science by the Pint:  “The Huddlers’ Dilemma: The evolutionary biology of snuggling”
WHEN  Mon., Jan. 13, 2014, 7 – 9 p.m.
WHERE  The Burren, 247 Elm Street, Davis Square, Somerville
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Science in the News
SPEAKER(S)  David Haig
CONTACT INFO sitnboston@gmail.com
NOTE  Meet a scientist over great brews and food! All are welcome! No prior knowledge necessary!
LINK http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/science-by-the-pint/

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Tuesday, January 14
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Big Data & You: Preparing Current & Future Information Specialists
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
8:15 AM to 12:30 PM (EST)
MIT, Building 4-349 (Pappalardo Room), 182 Memorial Drive (Rear), Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/big-data-you-preparing-current-future-information-specialists-tickets-9600478289
Cost:  $15.00 - $45.00

The New England Chapter of the Association for Information Science & Technology, together with the Simmons College Student Chapter, invite you to join us at our 2014 Winter Event:  Big Data & You: Preparing Current & Future Information Specialists

Big Data is rapidly changing the way researchers, scientists and businesses learn, compete and adapt in digital data-driven environments. The conversation is not just about what data to store, but also how to extract meaningful intelligence from all data, and this is just the beginning.

We now ask what librarians, data scientists and researchers need to know in order to prepare for the challenges of Big Data over the next 10 years. Our panelists are leading practitioners and experts in information and computer science. They will discuss their experiences with Big Data and share their insights into leading a successful career in the always-changing information field.

Program
8:15-9:00am Registration & Breakfast
9:00-9:15am Welcome & Introduction
9:15-10:00am
Sands Fish, Senior Software Engineer--MIT Libraries
"Knowing in the Age of Networked Knowledge"
The words "research" and "knowing" have distinctly different meanings than they used to before the Information Age.  Asking a librarian a question would likely have yielded a different kind of result than it does today.  Now, asking questions of data yields vast and complex answers.  Researchers, scientists, and librarians need to have a common ground to work together in this environment.  What does it mean to "know" about something as our knowledge becomes increasingly interlinked?  Where do we draw these boundaries and how does technology meet these challenges?
10:00-10:45am
Bradley Strauss, Senior Data Engineer--Chitika
"Is Big Data Bigger than a Bread Box?"
What do we mean by "big data," and what, if anything, is new or different about it? This talk will attempt to answer these questions from the standpoint of a practitioner working with large data sets on a daily basis.
10:45-11:00am Break
11:00-11:45am
Christopher Erdmann, Head Librarian--Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
"New Approaches to Library Data Services from an Astrophysics Perspective"
The rise of big data is having a transformational affect on the research community in increasing ways. From new policies to changes in research workflows, a dramatic shift is occurring. This talk will explore approaches the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics John G. Wolbach Library has taken to offer new data-related services with particular emphasis on training opportunities for librarians.
11:45am-12:30pm Panel Discussion with Michael Leach, Head of Collection Development--Harvard University Cabot Science Library

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Sustainability and the Corporation - New Strategies for Managing Global Business:  What is Sustainability
Tuesday, January 14
10:00AM-12:00PM
MIT, Building E53-438, 30 Wadsworth Street, Cambridge

Overview of the development of sustainability as business strategy (also referred to as corporate social responsibility/CSR) and focuses on the impact of globalization. Examines strengths and limitations of sustainability as a business strategy. Is there a business case for sustainability?  Which companies gain from having a sustainability strategy? Does society gain from sustainability and if so under what conditions?

Jette Steen Knudsen, Visiting Professor
In April 2013 the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh killed more than 1,100 people. The collapse led to heavy criticism of working conditions for garment workers in Bangladesh and to demands that western companies such as H&M and the GAP take increased responsibility for improving social and environmental conditions in supplier factories. Many other sectors such as consumer electronics (Apple) and toys (Mattel) have faced similar challenges.

These examples illustrate a growing trend.  Today stakeholders as diverse as investors, employees, the media, NGOs and customers have strong views on how corporations should be run. Firms operating in or sourcing from developing countries are increasingly held responsible for a range of issues that were previously considered the responsibility of public authorities, such as environmental management, labor standards and human rights. Furthermore, several governments have adopted new regulations that require companies to adopt CSR activities (i.e., non-financial reporting requirements; green public procurement; legislation pertaining to anti-corruption). Companies therefore have to consider a wide range of new social issues as a key element of their broader risk management. How can firms best manage and prioritize their social risk management efforts? Which types of regulation (private or public) are most helpful for managing social risks?

Sponsor(s): Political Science
Contact: Jette Steen Knudsen, jettesk@MIT.EDU

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BIG Transitions & How They Affect Your Startup Culture
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
6:00 PM
swissnex Boston - Consulate of Switzerland, 420 Broadway, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Boston-Startup-Culture-Meetup/events/154019682/

It seems like everyone has big plans for 2014 and our January event is the ideal place to hear from other Culture Enthusiasts about how to take the opportunity that comes with change and drive inspiring startup culture initiatives! Join Gary Fortier, COO at Raizlabs, Susan Hunt Stevens, Founder and CEO at Practically Green, and Ben Thomas, VP, Security at Backupify for a discussion about their experience with transitions and their role in keeping the culture alive!

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Wednesday, January 15
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Boston Music-Tech Group 2014 Kickoff!
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Venture Cafe at CIC, 1 Main Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Boston-Music-Technology-Group/events/155986512/

Free pizza and drinks will be provided (pssst! if anyone knows a food co. that might want to sponsor let me know)
"UnConference Style" Thematic Conversations (7 small groups)
Featured Presentation
3-4 product demos by meetup group members and new music startups
Free mingle and network

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Thursday, January 16
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Sustainability and the Corporation - New Strategies for Managing Global Business: Can governments govern international business
Thursday, January 16
10:00AM-12:00PM
MIT, Building E53-438, 30 Wadsworth Street, Cambridge

This session examines the changing boundaries between public and private regulation of sustainability. Can governments govern international business?  How are boundaries changing between public and private regulation of sustainability?

Sponsor(s): Political Science
Contact: Jette Steen Knudsen, jettesk@MIT.EDU

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The Feynman Films - Symmetry to Physical Law
Thursday, January 16, 2014
12:00p–1:30p
MIT, Building 6-120, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

IAP Physics Feynman Film Series
A series of films by Richard Feynman and open to the MIT community.

Web site: http://student.mit.edu/searchiap/iap-BD6D0CF8E314B284E0400312852F4A61.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Physics IAP
For more information, contact:  Denise Wahkor
617-253-4855
denisew@mit.edu

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FAS Freecycle
Thursday, January 16
12-2pm
Harvard Science Center, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge

Received gifts you really can't wait to get rid of? Or got everything you wanted, and need to make more space? Clean out your closets, and bring it to the FAS Freecycle!
Bring your good, reusable items to the Science Center, or take away items for that post Holiday White Elephant.
FAS Staff can reach out for item pickups before Jan 14th by reaching out tobrandon_geller@harvard.edu. Donations will also be welcome on Jan 16th from 9-11am.

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All the Buzz About Data Science - Claudia Perlich
Thursday, January 16, 2014
5:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Kingston Station, 25 Kingston Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/The-Data-Scientist/events/156418172/

All the Buzz about Data Science is an evening spent around thought leaders discussing application of data science in the industry with a glass of alcohol in hand. We are organizing a data science discussion in a bar to talk about the impact of data science on business. It will not be a presentation. But rather a speaker talking about their experiences leading into a discussion with the speaker. The entire bar will be rented out for this event.

Speaker:  For the first Data Salon event we have invited Claudia Perlich as a main speaker who will describe her experiences in the industry and generate conversation around challenges faced by the industry.
http://people.stern.nyu.edu/cperlich/ 

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Friday, January 17
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Bertarelli Symposium on Neuroengineering: Molecules, Minds and Machines
WHEN  Fri., Jan. 17 – Sat., Jan. 18, 2014
WHERE  Armenise Amphitheater, Harvard Medical School
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Conferences, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Bertarelli Program in Translational Neuroscience and Neuroengineering
SPEAKER(S)  Bernardo L. Sabatini, Harvard Medical School
COST  Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO gail_townsend@hms.harvard.edu, 617.432.1745
LINK http://www.hms.harvard.edu/bertarelli/events.html

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TIM, MIT's Mascot's 100th Birthday Party
Friday, January 17, 2014
11:30a–1:30p
MIT, W20-Lobby, 84 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Come help TIM, MIT's mascot, celebrate his 100th birthday! Get your photo taken with TIM, enjoy some music provided by the MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble, have a piece of cake, and more....

Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Campus Activities Complex
For more information, contact:  Lauren Smock-Randall
253-3913
campus-activities@mit.edu 

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Tuesday, January 21
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Boston TechBreakfast: EasyWebContent, Energy Intelligence, AppNeta, SBR Health, Pingwyn
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
8:00 AM
Microsoft NERD - Horace Mann Room, 1 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
RSVP at  http://www.meetup.com/Boston-TechBreakfast/events/155722322/

Interact with your peers in a monthly morning breakfast meetup. At this monthly breakfast get-together techies, developers, designers, and entrepreneurs share learn from their peers through show and tell / show-case style presentations.

And yes, this is free! Thank our sponsors when you see them :)

Agenda for January 2014:
8:00 - 8:15 - Get yer Bagels & Coffee and chit-chat
8:15 - 8:20 - Introductions, Sponsors, Announcements
8:20 - ~9:30 - Showcases and Shout-Outs!
EasyWebContent - Payman Taei
Energy Intelligence - Daniel Shani
30 Second Lightning "Shout Outs": JOBS
AppNeta - James Meickle
SBR Health - Christopher Herot
30 Second Lightning "Shout Outs": EVENTS
Pingwyn - Vlad Zachary
9:30 - end - Final "Shout Outs" & Last Words 

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Thursday, January 23
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Third Annual Computational Science Ventures
WHEN  Thu., Jan. 23, 2014, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard SEAS, Maxwell Dworkin Building, Room G125, 33 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Conferences, Information Technology, Lecture, Science, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Institute for Applied Computational Science, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
SPEAKER(S)  Marija Ilic, professor, Carnegie Mellon University; Ted Morgan, founder and CEO of Skyhook; Sokwoo Rhee, founder/CTO of Millennial Net and Presidential Innovation Fellow
COST  Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO iacs-info@seas.harvard.edu
NOTE  This event explores some of the extraordinary entrepreneurial opportunities on the frontier of computational science. Participants will hear from and speak with innovators seizing these opportunities. Computational Science Ventures is organized by Alexander Wissner-Gross, a scientist, inventor, and entrepreneur who is Institute Fellow at IACS.
LINK http://computefest.seas.harvard.edu/computational-science-ventures

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The Propaganda Cartel—Extra-Governmental Organizations and the Cold-War Consensus
January 23, 2014
12:15-2:00 p.m.
Harvard, Belfer Center Library, Littauer-369, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Chad Levinson, Research Fellow, International Security Program
Description:   What are the sources of interest group influence in the politics of U.S. security policy? What causes some groups to thrive and others falter? This seminar offers a theory that influence derives from the distribution of relevant information, the preferences of White House occupants, and public beliefs about the credibility of political actors. The presentation will explore the consequences of this proposition, specifically the emergence of a concentrated group of extra-governmental propaganda organizations that helped forge the Cold-War consensus and build a civilian national security policy apparatus within the Executive.

Series: International Security Brown Bag Seminar
Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.
Open to the Public

Contact:  ISP Program Coordinator
International Security Program, 79 John F. Kennedy St., Mailbox 53, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
HARVARD Kennedy School
Email: susan_lynch@hks.harvard.edu
Phone: 617-496-1981
Fax: 617-495-8963
Url: http://www.belfercenter.org/ISP/

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Actor/vocalist Brian Stokes Mitchell
WHEN  Thu., Jan. 23, 2014, 2 – 3:30 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard, Agassiz Theatre, 10 Garden Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Classes/Workshops, Theater
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Learning From Performers, Office for the Arts
COST  Free; tickets/RSVPs not required. Admission first-come, first-served, based on venue capacity
NOTE  Dubbed “The Last Leading Man” by The New York Times, Brian Stokes Mitchell has enjoyed a rich and varied career on Broadway, television and film, along with appearances in the America’s greatest concert halls. He will lead a master class for undergraduate singers, and observers are welcome; admission is free (tickets/RSVPs not required). This event is co-sponsored by Celebrity Series of Boston, which is presenting Brian Stokes Mitchell in concert on Thursday, January 23 at 8 pm at Harvard’s Sanders Theatre. For more information about the concert, visit the Celebrity Series: www.celebrityseries.org.
LINK http://ofa.fas.harvard.edu/lfp/details.php?ID=44406

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Viral Culture Talk
Thursday, January 23
3:00PM TO 4:30PM
Northeastern, Renaissance Park 310,1135 Tremont Street, Boston

The 2013-14 Northeastern Humanities Center Resident Fellows will present their current research projects with the theme "Viral Culture."
The 2013-14 Fellows are:
Nicole Aljoe, Assistant Professor, Department of English, College of Social Sciences and Humanities; "'Do you Remember the Days of Slav'ry?': The Neo-Slave Narrative in Contemporary Caribbean Cultural Production"
Ryan Cordell, Assistant Professor, Department of English, College of Social Sciences and Humanities; "Uncovering Reprinting Networks in Nineteenth-Century American Periodicals"
Ilham Khuri-Makdisi, Associate Professor, Department of History, College of Social Sciences and Humanities; "The Waves That Bind: Radio Broadcasting in Lebanon and Beyond, 1958-1968"
Justin Manjourides, Assistant Professor, Department of Health Sciences, BouvĂ© College of Health Sciences; "The Application of Infectious Disease Surveillance Methodologies to Humanities Data"
Suzanna Danuta Walters, Director of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program; Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, College of Social Sciences and Humanities; "'The Viral is Political': Sexual Identity, Sexual Violence, Social Media"
Sara Wylie, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, College of Social Sciences and Humanities; "Redesigning WellWatch with Open Source Hardware Tools for Environmental Investigation"
Lana Cook, PhD Candidate, Department of English, College of Social Sciences and Humanities; “Altered States: The American Psychedelic Aesthetic”
M.J. Motta, PhD Candidate, Law and Public Policy, College of Social Sciences and Humanities; “Policy Innovation, Learning, and Diffusion in Offshore Wind Development”

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Boston Quantified Self Show&Tell #BQS15 (IBM)
Thursday, January 23, 2014
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
IBM Innovation Center, 1 Rogers Street, Cambridge
Price: $5.00/per person
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/BostonQS/events/155525672/

Please come join us on Thursday, January 23rd for another fun evening of self-tracking presentations, sharing ideas, and showing tools. If you are self-tracking in any way -- health stats, biofeedback, life-logging, mood monitoring, biometrics, athletics, etc. -- come and share your methods, results and insights.

We're happy to hosted by our friends at the IBM. Be sure to RSVP early to grab your spot! Come to meet new people, check out new hands-on gadgets and tools, enjoy healthy food, and learn from personal stories.

6:00 - 7:00 pm DEMO HOUR & SOCIAL TIME
Are you a toolmaker? Come demo your self-tracking gadget, app, project or idea that you're working on and share with others in our "science fair for adults." If you are making something useful for self-trackers – software, hardware, web services, or data standards – please demo it in this workshop portion of the Show&Tell. Want to participate in Demo Hour? Please let us know when you RSVP or contact Vincent at vmcphillip at gmail dot com for a spot.

7:00 - 8:00 pm IGNITE SHOW&TELLS
If you'd like to talk about your personal self-tracking story, please let us know in your RSVP or contact Joshua at joshuakot at gmail dot com, so we can discuss your topic. In your talk, you should answer the three prime questions: What did you do? How did you do it? What did you learn?

If you've never been to a meetup before, you can get a sense of what the talks are like from watching videos of previous QS talksathttps://vimeo.com/groups/quantifiedself/videos

Don't know what Ignite means? Tips on how to deliver a fantastic quick-fire presentation at http://scottberkun.com/2009/how-to-give-a-great-ignite-talk/

8:00 - 9:00 pm MORE SOCIAL TIME & NETWORKING
Talk to the speakers, chat with new and old friends, ask other people what they're tracking, and generally hang out and have a great time.

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Friday, January 24
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Weathering the Data Storm: The Promise and Challenges of Data Science
Friday, January 24, 2014
9:00am - 5:30pm
Harvard Science Center, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA
Attendance is free, no registration required

Session Co-Chairs:
Hanspeter Pfister, Computer Science
Joe Blitzstein, Statistics
Pavlos Protopapas, Institute for Applied Computational Science

Industry leaders, researchers, and Harvard students will come together for a day of lively conversation about the sweeping advances in data science at the intersection of statistics, computer science, and various domains. Leading experts in data science will talk about the way organizations are using careful analysis of data to address important real-world issues, about the challenges of big data, and about the future of this exciting emerging field. This one-day symposium will bring together data analytics professionals, domain scientists, academic researchers and users, and fosters an exchange of ideas through invited talks, panels, and plenty of audience interaction. Click here to download the symposium poster, and here to download a copy of the symposium schedule (tentative).

Speakers:
Ryan Adams, Harvard University
Luke Bornn, Harvard University
Jeff Heer, University of Washington
Diane Lambert, Google
Fernando Perez, UC Berkeley
Claudia Perlich, Dstillery
Bonnie Ray, IBM
Cynthia Rudin, MIT
Rachel Schutt, News Corp
Yuan Yuan, Dropbox

http://computefest.seas.harvard.edu/data-storm

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Workshop on Mapping the Neighborhoods of Boston
Friday, January 24, 2014
9am to 4 pm
Emerson College's Bordy Theater, 216 Tremont Street, Boston
Free; Pre-registration is required at http://www.rsvpbook.com/mappingboston

This day-long, hands-on workshop will introduce Boston-area scholars, students, civic leaders and community members to the Boston Research Map and other tools that can improve research, teaching, and advocacy focused on Boston’s neighborhoods.

During the day, participants will:
Learn How to Use the Boston Research Map: In the morning, participants will learn how to visualize various types of spatial information—including administrative and research data, historical maps, Google Street View and Flickr photos—in Boston Research Map, a free, online platform developed by Harvard’s Center for Geographic Analysis with support from the Boston Area Research Initiative (BARI). Participants will also learn how to use the map’s other features, including uploading and downloading data, linking maps to other web sites (e.g., Yelp), and drawing custom neighborhoods.
Use the Boston Research Map to Describe a Nearby Neighborhood: Participants will use these tools when they fan out into surrounding neighborhoods for lunch. When they return, they will use the tools to prepare brief presentations about the areas they visited.
Explore Use of Boston Research Map in Their Work: The day will conclude with breakout sessions exploring ways to use the tools in research, classroom activities and course assignments, and work with community-based organizations and other entities.
The workshop will be led by BARI Research Director Dan O’Brien and BARI Senior Project Advisor David Luberoff. Attendees should bring their own laptops, but do not need previous experience with GIS or spatial data. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

The workshop is free but space is limited so participants must pre-register.

To register please visit us at http://www.rsvpbook.com/mappingboston.

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Saturday, January 25
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TEDxNortheastern University
Saturday, January 25

More information at http://www.tedxnortheasternu.com

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Sunday, January 26
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The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible: An Evening with Charles Eisenstein
Sunday January 26th
4:00pm
First Church JP, 6 Eliot Street, Jamaica Plain
RSVP on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/events/1390291651218107/ or
by email info@jamaicaplainforum.org?subject=RSVP%20for%201%2F26%20Charles%20Eisenstein%20forum

As our social and ecological crisis deepens, what is our next step as agents of healing and change?  Charles Eisenstein's
(http://charleseisenstein.net/) work is an empowering antidote to the cynicism, frustration, and paralysis so many of us feel, replacing it with a grounding reminder of what's true: we are all connected, and our personal choices bear unsuspected transformational power.

Using real-life stories, Charles unites systems-level change with small, individual acts of courage, kindness, and self-trust. These, he says, can
change our culture's guiding narrative of separation that has generated the present planetary crisis.  Charles is the author of several books,
including Sacred Economics (http://sacred-economics.com/) and Ascent of Humanity (http://www.ascentofhumanity.com/).
His new book is The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible (http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Hearts-Possible-Sacred-Activism/dp/1583947248)

http://jamaicaplainforum.org/

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A Fireside Chat with Drew Houston, Founder & CEO of Dropbox and Jason Pontin, Editor in Chief, MIT Technology Review
Monday, January 27, 2014
5:00p–7:00p
MIT, Building 32-123, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Cost: Free for full-time students with ID, and MITEF Members; $45 for Non-members
Tickets: http://www.mitforumcambridge.org
MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge

Speaker: Drew Houston, CEO, DropBox
Jason Pontin, Editor in Chief and Publisher, MIT Technology Review will host a fireside chat with Drew Houston, Founder and CEO of Dropbox.
Drew graduated from MIT and wrote the first lines of code for Dropbox while at a train station in Boston. These days he's usually out and about running Dropbox's business affairs, but he still contributes a lot to Dropbox's client software. In the little free time he has, Drew can be found jamming on his guitar.

Dropbox is a free service that lets you bring your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and share them easily. Dropbox was founded in 2007 by Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi, two MIT students tired of emailing files to themselves to work from more than one computer.

Today, more than 200 million people across every continent use Dropbox to always have their stuff at hand, share with family and friends, and work on team projects.

Web site: http://www.mitforumcambridge.org/events/fireside-chat-with-drew-houston-founder-ceo-of-dropbox/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge
For more information, contact:  Amy Goggins
617-253-3937
agoggins@mit.edu 

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Tuesday, January 28
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Writing in Digital Margins - Annotation Studio Workshop
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
1:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building E51-095, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge

Annotation Studio, an easy-to-use web application for education, engages students in close reading through annotation, allows them to add multimedia links to comments in order to cite sources, variations, or adaptations, and to share annotations with fellow students.

In this hands-on workshop you'll learn how to create, tag, link, and share annotations, how you can integrate digital text annotation in your teaching, or - if you are interested in the development or deployment aspects - how the underlying open-source technology opens up exciting possibilities for new functionality. Free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Web site: http://hyperstudio.mit.edu/events/annotation-studio-workshop-january-2014/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): MIT Hyperstudio
For more information, contact:  Gabriella Horvath
617-715-4480
hyperstudio@mit.edu 

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Wednesday, January 29
----------------------------

Radcliffe Institute Fellows' Presentation Series: "Olympia (2012)"
WHEN  Wed., Jan. 29, 2014, 4 p.m.
WHERE  Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Sheerr Room, Fay House, 10 Garden Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Film, Humanities, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
SPEAKER(S)  T. Marie Dudman, 2013-2014 Radcliffe-Harvard Film Study Center Fellow, Massachusetts College of Art and Design
COST  Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO 617.495.8212
NOTE  T. Marie Dudman is a transdisciplinary artist and an assistant professor in the animation program at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Her recent works "Slave Ship" and "Water Lilies" extend her long-term interest in the intersection of film, painting, and animation.
LINK  http://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/2014-t-marie-dudman-fellow-presentation

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Clean Air Act Regulation of CO2 from Power Plants
WHEN  Wed., Jan. 29, 2014, 4:10 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard Kennedy School, Littauer-382, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Environmental Sciences, Law, Lecture, Social Sciences, Sustainability
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Environmental Economics Program
SPEAKER(S)  Dallas Burtraw
LINK http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k96249

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Food on Film Presents: Symphony of the Soil
Wednesday, January 29 
7:00 p.m.
Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston

Local specialists will be offering soil and composting workshops beginning 30 minutes before the program and for 30 minutes afterward.
Thomas J. Akin, conservation agronomist, grazing lands coordinator, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service 
Serita D. Frey, PhD, professor of soil microbial ecology, University of New Hampshire; research faculty at The Harvard Forest 
Jim Ward, farmer and owner, Ward’s Berry Farm, Sharon, Massachusetts
Join us to explore the complexity and mystery of a miraculous substance—soil. Symphony of the Soildraws from ancient knowledge and cutting-edge science, and shares the voices of some of the world’s most esteemed soil scientists, farmers, and activists. Filmed on four continents, it portrays soil as a protagonist in our planetary story. Soil is alive, and its health and survival are intricately connected to that of all life. A panel discussion follows the screening.
Advance registration begins at 9:00 a.m., Wednesday, January 15 (Monday, January 13 for Museum members).

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Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Best of European Short Film Festival at MIT 2013
7:00p–9:00p
MIT, Building 6-120, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Watch a rarely seen selection of the best European short films from the MIT 2013 European Short Film Festival. These films give you a glimpse into contemporary short film productions from European film schools, young and established independent filmmakers, and European festivals. 12 films - many of them US premiers - that reflect the most compelling fiction, animation, documentary and experimental film from the 3-day festival in October 2013. A brief introduction will precede the screening.

Web site: esff.mit.edu
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): CMS, MIT Hyperstudio
For more information, contact:  Gabriella Horvath
617-715-4480
hyperstudio@mit.edu 

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

Science in the News Election Meeting
WHEN  Wed., Jan. 29, 2014, 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
WHERE  TMEC 250, Longwood campus, Boston
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Science in the News
CONTACT INFO sitnboston@gmail.com
NOTE  Science in the News, and democracy in action – if you are a SITN member, come to our annual election meeting, cast your vote (or join!) the new executive board, and make your ideas heard. If you would like to become a member, come check us out!
LINK http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu

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Thursday, January 30
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Media Lab Conversations Series: Colleen Macklin
Thursday, January 30, 2014
2:00p–3:00p
MIT, Building E14, 3rd floor atrium, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge

Media Lab Conversations Series
Colleen Macklin in conversation with Joi Ito

Web site: http://www.media.mit.edu/events/2013/01/30/media-lab-conversations-series-colleen-macklin
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Media Lab
For more information, contact:  Jess Sousa
events-admin@media.mit.edu 

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

Harvard University and Boston University Joint Piano Recital: The Two Piano Project
Thu., Jan. 30, 2014, 8 – 9:30 p.m.
WHERE  Tsai Performance Center, 685 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Concerts, Music, Special Events, Support/Social
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard College Piano Society; Boston University, College of Fine Arts, Piano Department
CONTACT INFO harvardpiano@gmail.com
NOTE  Music is a collaborative art. Many people, musicians and composers are among them, are required to produce a performance of music. As an organization part of an academic institution, collaboration is at the core of Harvard’s values, as it is through collaboration that progress and fulfillment can be achieved.
With these goals in mind and with the passion to create music, Boston University’s Piano Department chairman Boaz Sharon, Co-President of the Harvard College Piano Society George Ko and concert pianist and BU doctoral candidate Anna Arazi have decided to create the Two Piano Project. This project entails an annual recital series featuring Boston University and Harvard students performing two piano works side by side. George Ko and Millie Shi are the Harvard directors and Anna Arazi is the Boston University director and coach for this event.
Repertoire:
I. Suite Op. 23 No. 2 Silhouettes by Arensky
Leon Bernsdorf (Boston University)- Primo
Auburn Lee (Harvard University)- Secundo
II. Concerto per due pianoforti soli by Stravinsky
Sitan Chen (Harvard University)- Primo
Pei-yeh Tsai (Boston University)- Secundo
III. Suite No. 1 Fantasie-Tableaux for Two Pianos by Rachmaninoff
Anna Arazi (Boston University)- Primo
Jennifer Tu (Harvard University)- Secundo
LINK http://harvardpiano.com/?page_id=1605

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Friday, January 31
---------------------

Friday, January 31, 2014
IAP Math Department Music Recital
2:00p–4:00p
MIT, Building 14-Killian Hall, 160 Memorial Drive, Cambridge

The math department's annual IAP music recital at Killian Hall. It's a fine tradition, and always features a variety of great performances for an adoring audience of our peers and colleagues

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Mathematics, Department of
For more information, contact:  Alexander Moll
alexmoll@math.mit.edu

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Opportunity
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Where is the best yogurt on the planet made? Somerville, of course!

Join the Somerville Yogurt Making Cooperative and get a weekly quart of the most thick, creamy, rich and tart yogurt in the world. Membership in the coop costs $2.50 per quart. Members share the responsibility for making yogurt in our kitchen located just outside of Davis Sq. in FirstChurch.  No previous yogurt making experience is necessary.

For more information checkout.
https://sites.google.com/site/somervilleyogurtcoop/home

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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).

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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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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/

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

MIT Events:  http://events.mit.edu

MIT Energy Club:  http://www.mitenergyclub.org/calendar/

Harvard Events:  http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/harvard-events/events-calendar/

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

Sustainability at Harvard:  http://green.harvard.edu/events

Mass Climate Action:  http://www.massclimateaction.net/calendar/events/index.php

Meetup:  http://www.meetup.com/

Eventbrite:  http://www.eventbrite.com/

Microsoft NERD Center:  http://microsoftcambridge.com/Events/tabid/57/Default.aspx

Startup and Entrepreneurial Events:   http://www.greenhornconnect.com/events/calendar

High Tech Events:  http://harddatafactory.com/Johnny_Monsarrat/index.html

Cambridge Civic Journal:  http://www.rwinters.com

Cambridge Happenings:  http://cambridgehappenings.org

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

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

Boston Events Insider:  http://bostoneventsinsider.com/boston_events/

Nerdnite:  http://boston.nerdnite.com/

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Energy (and Other) Events - December 22, 2013

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

What I Do and Why I Do It:  The Story of Energy (and Other) Events
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-i-do-and-why-i-do-it.html

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Event Index - full Event Details available below the Index

There is no events of interest I could find happening around town between now and the New Year.  Seems that people are busy celebrating the Holidays - Merry X and Happy New (and I add a little Bah Humbug! to just to spice things up).  Have a good time and below you will find some of the events coming up in January.

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My rough notes on some of the events I go to are at:
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com

Solar Christmas Present
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/12/19/1264018/-Solar-Christmas-Present

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Event Details


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Upcoming Events
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Boston Area Alternative Energy Supporters combined with: Boston Green Business Group
Monday, January 6, 2014
1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Panera Bread, 5 White Street, Porter Square, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/AltEnergyBoston/events/155056192/

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Push Button: What is so special about the Arcade?
Monday, January 06, 2014
1:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 26-142, Access Via 60 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Todd Harper
A 1-week lecture and workshop series kicks off a month-long game development challenge to create games for arcade cabinets installed at the MIT Museum and in the faculty offices of MIT's Comparative Media Studies | Writing department. This lecture series will examine the culture of the Arcade, the relationship between software and hardware design and the creative work produced for arcade machines, and how to design short, moment-based gameplay. A workshop follows each lecture to put these ideas into practice.
http://gamelab.mit.edu/pushbutton/

MIT Game Lab researcher Todd Harper talks about the performative aspects of the arcade. How is playing games in public different than on home computers and consoles? What were the cultural aspects of the arcade and how did this affect the design and play of arcade video games? What parts of the arcade have followed us home now that consoles are the norm?

Afterwards, MIT Game Lab staff will lead a workshop on the design of arcade games in the 1970s through the 1990s. Participants will play emulation ed arcade games of various vintage, to compare designs and play styles. Participants will also discuss the various cultural references in these games as well as marketing materials and other cultural artifacts surrounding the games.

Web site: http://gamelab.mit.edu/event/push-button-what-is-so-special-about-the-arcade/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, MIT Game Lab
For more information, contact:  Rik Eberhardt
617-324-2173
gamelab-request@mit.edu

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

Push Button: Translating the Arcade for the Home
Tuesday, January 07, 2014
1:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 26-142, Access Via 60 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Nick Montfort
Push Button: Examining the Culture, Platforms, and Design of the Arcade
A 1-week lecture and workshop series kicks off a month-long game development challenge to create games for arcade cabinets installed at the MIT Museum and in the faculty offices of MITs Comparative Media Studies | Writing department. This lecture series will examine the culture of the Arcade, the relationship between software and hardware design and the creative work produced for arcade machines, and how to design short, moment-based gameplay. A workshop follows each lecture to put these ideas into practice.
http://gamelab.mit.edu/pushbutton/

Nick Montfort, Director of MIT Trope Tank, will lecture on what happens when games originally designed for the arcade are ported to home consoles. This follows on his work in platform studies, which looks at the base hardware and software systems that are the foundation of computational expression and examines how the these elements intersect with the creative production of new media.

Afterwards, MIT Game Lab staff will lead a workshop on the design of games outside of established game genres and tropes. Participants will concept arcade games about things you might not expect an arcade game to be about!

Web site: http://gamelab.mit.edu/event/push-button-translating-the-arcade-for-the-home/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, MIT Game Lab
For more information, contact:  Rik Eberhardt
617-324-2173
gamelab-request@mit.edu

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

Boston Area Sustainability Group:  Effecting Social Change at the Community Level
January 7
6:00 to 9:00 pm
The Venture Café, One Broadway, 4th floor, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/jan-7-2014-basg-presents-effecting-social-change-at-the-community-level-tickets-9624096933
Cost:  $10-12

Scott Richardson, Director of Research and Strategic Initiatives, Project Bread - The Walk For Hunger. Scott will talk about targeting social problems at their root: Levers for sustainable change. View his profile at:
www.linkedin.com/pub/scott-richardson/0/a2a/389
Richard Pearl, Vice President, Corporate Citizenship at State Street Corporation. Richard will discuss differences in the application of corporate citizenship at the community level, comparing the State Street Hong Kong location and the Boston location.   Although the locations may have differences in context, how do they both embody the overall objectives for corporate citizenship of the company as a whole? View his profile atwww.linkedin.com/pub/richard-pearl/4a/139/a3
Greg Hills, Managing Director FSG. Greg will discuss how the concept of "Creating Shared Value" is redefining the role of business in society. He will provide examples of global companies working around the world as well as U.S. companies creating shared value in local cities. He will share practical frameworks and lessons learned for practitioners to apply in their own businesses. View his profile at:
www.linkedin.com/pub/greg-hills/1/2a3/66
Becky Snow, Environmental Manager, adidas Group. Corporations invest in educational programs as part of their social outreach, and they value the synergies created by combining environmental and social objectives in a single program. Becky will present some research that tested the feasibility of a proposed Corporation-School Emission Reduction Partnership to help reduce GHG emissions and benefit schools and corporations. View her profile at: www.linkedin.com/in/beckysnow

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Winter School Lecture
Tuesday, January 07, 2014
7:00p–9:00p
MIT, Building 34-101, 50 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speaker: MITOC trip leaders
Winter School is an annual IAP course presented by the members of MITOC. Its goal is to teach the skills one needs to enjoy outdoor sports in the winter. During the month of January, participants attend lectures every Tuesday and Thursday evening and spend time outdoors during the weekends. Trips are offered at various levels of intensity and include hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, back-country skiing, ice climbing, winter camping, orienteering, and mountaineering.

This first lecture of the MIT Outing Club's Winter School covers topics including clothing and gear, food and safety, avalanches and basic weather, and winter hiking. Lectures on January 7 and 9 are mandatory to participate in any winter school trip.

Web site: http://web.mit.edu/mitoc/www/#events/ws.shtml
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Outing Club
For more information, contact:  Ben Scandella
bscand@mit.edu

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Government and Policy Panel
Wednesday, January 08, 2014
1:00p
MIT, Building 68-181, 31 Ames Street, Cambridge (Koch - yes, that Koch - Biology Building)

Amanda Arnold, MSc, Senior Policy Advisor, MIT Washington Office
Zofia Gajdos, PhD, Lecturer and Curriculum Fellow in Microbiology and Immunology, Harvard University
Ellie Graeden, PhD, Director of Strategic Systems Analysis, Gryphon Scientific
David Healey, PhD candidate, Gore Lab, MIT biology department

A scientist's skills need not be applied only to the lab and classroom. Come find out how scientists can employ their expertise in government and policy agencies, playing a role in shaping research infrastructure and public perception and understanding of science!

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Biology

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Push Button: From Crazy Otto to Ms. Pac-Man
Wednesday, January 08, 2014
1:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 26-142, Access Via 60 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Steve Golson
Push Button: Examining the Culture, Platforms, and Design of the Arcade
A 1-week lecture and workshop series kicks off a month-long game development challenge to create games for arcade cabinets installed at the MIT Museum and in the faculty offices of MITs Comparative Media Studies | Writing department. This lecture series will examine the culture of the Arcade, the relationship between software and hardware design and the creative work produced for arcade machines, and how to design short, moment-based gameplay. A workshop follows each lecture to put these ideas into practice.
http://gamelab.mit.edu/pushbutton/

Ms. Pac-Man was released in early 1982, so she turned thirty last year. Steve Golson, one of the original developers of Ms. Pac-Man at General Computer, will recount little-known stories about the creation of the game. How and why did it transform from Crazy Otto to Ms. Pac-Man? Using source code and graphics ROMs extracted from his 30-year-old 8??? floppy archives, Steve will show the evolution of game play and character design.

Afterwards, MIT Game Lab staff will lead a workshop about prototyping digital games via non-digital means (paper, dice, and cards!). Participants will create their own short prototypes

Web site: http://gamelab.mit.edu/event/push-button-from-crazy-otto-to-ms-pac-man/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, MIT Game Lab
For more information, contact:  Rik Eberhardt
617-324-2173
gamelab-request@mit.edu 

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Push Button: Moment-Based Game Design
Thursday, January 09, 2014
1:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 26-142, Access Via 60 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Seth Sivak
Push Button: Examining the Culture, Platforms, and Design of the Arcade
A 1-week lecture and workshop series kicks off a month-long game development challenge to create games for arcade cabinets installed at the MIT Museum and in the faculty offices of MITs Comparative Media Studies | Writing department. This lecture series will examine the culture of the Arcade, the relationship between software and hardware design and the creative work produced for arcade machines, and how to design short, moment-based gameplay. A workshop follows each lecture to put these ideas into practice.
http://gamelab.mit.edu/pushbutton/

Local game developer Seth Sivak will talk with us about Moment-Based Game Design. This lecture is a breakdown of good and bad moments in games and how designers can approach building a game that creates great moments.

Afterwards, MIT Game Lab staff will lead a workshop analyzing arcade games using the moment-based game design methods discussed in the lecture.

Web site: http://gamelab.mit.edu/event/push-button-moment-based-game-design/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, MIT Game Lab
For more information, contact:  Rik Eberhardt
617-324-2173
gamelab-request@mit.edu 

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

Video Strategy for Nonprofits: HandsOn Tech Boston
Thursday, January 9, 2014 (and January 16)
1:30 PM to 3:30 PM (EST)
Google Cambridge Office, 3 Cambridge Center, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/video-strategy-for-nonprofits-19-116-tickets-9423388609

Creating Short, Effective Videos on a Budget for Nonprofits
Video is a powerful communications tool available to non-profits. Whether trying to increase demand for a service, fundraise for a cause, inform a target population, or simply share your story - short, effectives videos can help nonprofits meet their objectives.

This two-day workshop series will introduce participants to the basics of planning and executing a successful film project.
January 9th: Planning and Organizing a Film Project
In the first workshop session, participants will learn:
To Identify the purpose, target audience, key message and desired outcome of their short film
Different styles, strategies and storytelling techniques 
How to create a timeline, budget, shot-list, shooting schedule, and proposal if applying for additional funding
Common pitfalls in planning and executing a film project

January 16th: Filming, Editing, and Sharing Your Video 
The second workshop session will introduce participants to:
Basic equipment and editing software required and offer low-cost alternatives 
Quick and dirty tips on recording quality sound and images 
The basics of successful interviewing techniques  
Tips on file naming and workflow management when editing 
Common pitfalls when collecting and editing material 
Recommendations on promoting and sharing your finished film

Presented by Laura Hanson, Montana State University, B.S., Boston University School of Public Health, MPH. Laura is a recent graduate from the BU School of Public Health where she focused on international health and public health communications. Earlier this year, Laura filmed and produced Clinic on the Move, a multi-media promotional film for PharmAccess Foundation Namibia. PharmAccess is a Dutch non-profit that operates a successful mobile clinic service in Namibia. She worked with the organization to identify the purpose and key messages of the film, coordinate travel arrangements, collect materials and interviews from the field, and finally edit and help disseminate the film. This summer, Laura traveled to western Kenya as a trainer and student coordinator for Pamoja Together. This Gates-funded program brings together university students from Boston and Kenya to research and report on stories about international aid, as told from the perspective of beneficiaries. While in Kenya, Laura co-facilitated an intensive weeklong workshop in multimedia storytelling using ipad minis, DSLR cameras, and basic audio recording equipment. Laura currently works as a freelance communications consultant, leveraging her skills as a writer, photographer and multimedia producer. 

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Push Button: Arcade Aesthetics
Friday, January 10, 2014
1:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 26-142, Access Via 60 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Philip Tan
Push Button: Examining the Culture, Platforms, and Design of the Arcade
A 1-week lecture and workshop series kicks off a month-long game development challenge to create games for arcade cabinets installed at the MIT Museum and in the faculty offices of MITs Comparative Media Studies | Writing department. This lecture series will examine the culture of the Arcade, the relationship between software and hardware design and the creative work produced for arcade machines, and how to design short, moment-based gameplay. A workshop follows each lecture to put these ideas into practice.
http://gamelab.mit.edu/pushbutton/

MIT Game Lab Creative Director Philip Tan will discuss the aesthetics of arcade games, particularly as part of the Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics (MDA) Framework for understanding game design. The future of arcade game design and development will be discussed: now that many of the arcades are closed in the US, what does public, physically co-located video game playing look like today.

Afterwards, MIT Game Lab staff will lead a workshop playing and analyzing modern arcade games as well as video games developed for physical installations such as museums.

Web site: http://gamelab.mit.edu/event/push-button-arcade-aesthetics/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, MIT Game Lab
For more information, contact:  Rik Eberhardt
617-324-2173
gamelab-request@mit.edu 

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

Science Writing Panel
Monday, January 13, 2014
1:00p
MIT, Building 68-181, 31 Ames Street, Cambridge (Koch - yes, that Koch - Biology Building)

Ann Cheung, PhD, Scientific Editor, Cancer Cell
Elizabeth McKenna, PhD, Science Writer, Cancer Discovery
Joanne Kotz, PhD, Director of Scientific Outreach, Broad Institute Center for the Science of Therapeutics

"How can we apply our scientific training to effective communication, both among scientists and to the public? Come learn about the different ways our panelists have ventured into science writing as editors, writers, and communicators with broad audiences."

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Biology

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Finding the Lowest Airfares -- Understanding Airline Pricing and Distribution
Monday, January 13
1:00PM-02:30PM
MIT, Building 33-206, 125 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Dr. Peter Belobaba, Principal Research Scientist, Program Manager, MIT Global Airline Industry Program
Why is airline pricing so complicated and why do airline fares change so often? This talk explains the theory and practice of airline pricing and revenue management -- how airlines determine prices and how many seats to sell at each price. The links between these models and internet distribution channels provide insights into the search for the best fares and itineraries.

Sponsor(s): Aeronautics and Astronautics
Contact: Marie Stuppard, 33-202, x3-2279, mas@mit.edu

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Science by the Pint:  “The Huddlers’ Dilemma: The evolutionary biology of snuggling”
WHEN  Mon., Jan. 13, 2014, 7 – 9 p.m.
WHERE  The Burren, 247 Elm Street, Davis Square, Somerville
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Science in the News
SPEAKER(S)  David Haig
CONTACT INFO sitnboston@gmail.com
NOTE  Meet a scientist over great brews and food! All are welcome! No prior knowledge necessary!
LINK http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/science-by-the-pint/

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Big Data & You: Preparing Current & Future Information Specialists
Tuesday, January 14, 2014 
8:15 AM to 12:30 PM (EST)
MIT, Building 4-349 (Pappalardo Room), 182 Memorial Drive (Rear), Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/big-data-you-preparing-current-future-information-specialists-tickets-9600478289
Cost:  $15.00 - $45.00

The New England Chapter of the Association for Information Science & Technology, together with the Simmons College Student Chapter, invite you to join us at our 2014 Winter Event:  Big Data & You: Preparing Current & Future Information Specialists

Big Data is rapidly changing the way researchers, scientists and businesses learn, compete and adapt in digital data-driven environments. The conversation is not just about what data to store, but also how to extract meaningful intelligence from all data, and this is just the beginning. 

We now ask what librarians, data scientists and researchers need to know in order to prepare for the challenges of Big Data over the next 10 years. Our panelists are leading practitioners and experts in information and computer science. They will discuss their experiences with Big Data and share their insights into leading a successful career in the always-changing information field.

Program
8:15-9:00am Registration & Breakfast
9:00-9:15am Welcome & Introduction
9:15-10:00am
Sands Fish, Senior Software Engineer--MIT Libraries
"Knowing in the Age of Networked Knowledge"
The words "research" and "knowing" have distinctly different meanings than they used to before the Information Age.  Asking a librarian a question would likely have yielded a different kind of result than it does today.  Now, asking questions of data yields vast and complex answers.  Researchers, scientists, and librarians need to have a common ground to work together in this environment.  What does it mean to "know" about something as our knowledge becomes increasingly interlinked?  Where do we draw these boundaries and how does technology meet these challenges?
10:00-10:45am
Bradley Strauss, Senior Data Engineer--Chitika
"Is Big Data Bigger than a Bread Box?"
What do we mean by "big data," and what, if anything, is new or different about it? This talk will attempt to answer these questions from the standpoint of a practitioner working with large data sets on a daily basis.
10:45-11:00am Break
11:00-11:45am
Christopher Erdmann, Head Librarian--Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
"New Approaches to Library Data Services from an Astrophysics Perspective"
The rise of big data is having a transformational affect on the research community in increasing ways. From new policies to changes in research workflows, a dramatic shift is occurring. This talk will explore approaches the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics John G. Wolbach Library has taken to offer new data-related services with particular emphasis on training opportunities for librarians.
11:45am-12:30pm Panel Discussion with Michael Leach, Head of Collection Development--Harvard University Cabot Science Library

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Sustainability and the Corporation - New Strategies for Managing Global Business:  What is Sustainability
Tuesday, January 14
10:00AM-12:00PM
MIT, Building E53-438, 30 Wadsworth Street, Cambridge

Overview of the development of sustainability as business strategy (also referred to as corporate social responsibility/CSR) and focuses on the impact of globalization. Examines strengths and limitations of sustainability as a business strategy. Is there a business case for sustainability?  Which companies gain from having a sustainability strategy? Does society gain from sustainability and if so under what conditions?

Jette Steen Knudsen, Visiting Professor
In April 2013 the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh killed more than 1,100 people. The collapse led to heavy criticism of working conditions for garment workers in Bangladesh and to demands that western companies such as H&M and the GAP take increased responsibility for improving social and environmental conditions in supplier factories. Many other sectors such as consumer electronics (Apple) and toys (Mattel) have faced similar challenges.

These examples illustrate a growing trend.  Today stakeholders as diverse as investors, employees, the media, NGOs and customers have strong views on how corporations should be run. Firms operating in or sourcing from developing countries are increasingly held responsible for a range of issues that were previously considered the responsibility of public authorities, such as environmental management, labor standards and human rights. Furthermore, several governments have adopted new regulations that require companies to adopt CSR activities (i.e., non-financial reporting requirements; green public procurement; legislation pertaining to anti-corruption). Companies therefore have to consider a wide range of new social issues as a key element of their broader risk management. How can firms best manage and prioritize their social risk management efforts?  Which types of regulation (private or public) are most helpful for managing social risks? 

Sponsor(s): Political Science
Contact: Jette Steen Knudsen, jettesk@MIT.EDU

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Boston Music-Tech Group 2014 Kickoff!
 Wednesday, January 15, 2014
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Venture Cafe at CIC, 1 Main Street, Cambridge 
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Boston-Music-Technology-Group/events/155986512/

Free pizza and drinks will be provided (pssst! if anyone knows a food co. that might want to sponsor let me know)
"UnConference Style" Thematic Conversations (7 small groups)
Featured Presentation 
3-4 product demos by meetup group members and new music startups
Free mingle and network
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Sustainability and the Corporation - New Strategies for Managing Global Business: Can governments govern international business
Thursday, January 16
10:00AM-12:00PM
MIT, Building E53-438, 30 Wadsworth Street, Cambridge

This session examines the changing boundaries between public and private regulation of sustainability. Can governments govern international business?  How are boundaries changing between public and private regulation of sustainability?

Sponsor(s): Political Science
Contact: Jette Steen Knudsen, jettesk@MIT.EDU

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All the Buzz About Data Science - Claudia Perlich
Thursday, January 16, 2014
5:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Kingston Station, 25 Kingston Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/The-Data-Scientist/events/156418172/

All the Buzz about Data Science is an evening spent around thought leaders discussing application of data science in the industry with a glass of alcohol in hand. We are organizing a data science discussion in a bar to talk about the impact of data science on business. It will not be a presentation. But rather a speaker talking about their experiences leading into a discussion with the speaker. The entire bar will be rented out for this event.

Speaker:  For the first Data Salon event we have invited Claudia Perlich as a main speaker who will describe her experiences in the industry and generate conversation around challenges faced by the industry.
http://people.stern.nyu.edu/cperlich/
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Boston TechBreakfast: EasyWebContent, Energy Intelligence, AppNeta, SBR Health, Pingwyn
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
8:00 AM
Microsoft NERD - Horace Mann Room, 1 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
RSVP at  http://www.meetup.com/Boston-TechBreakfast/events/155722322/

Interact with your peers in a monthly morning breakfast meetup. At this monthly breakfast get-together techies, developers, designers, and entrepreneurs share learn from their peers through show and tell / show-case style presentations.

And yes, this is free! Thank our sponsors when you see them :)

Agenda for January 2014:
8:00 - 8:15 - Get yer Bagels & Coffee and chit-chat
8:15 - 8:20 - Introductions, Sponsors, Announcements
8:20 - ~9:30 - Showcases and Shout-Outs!
EasyWebContent - Payman Taei
Energy Intelligence - Daniel Shani
30 Second Lightning "Shout Outs": JOBS
AppNeta - James Meickle
SBR Health - Christopher Herot
30 Second Lightning "Shout Outs": EVENTS
Pingwyn - Vlad Zachary
9:30 - end - Final "Shout Outs" & Last Words 

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Viral Culture Talk
Thursday, January 23 
3:00PM TO 4:30PM
Northeastern, Renaissance Park 310,1135 Tremont Street, Boston

The 2013-14 Northeastern Humanities Center Resident Fellows will present their current research projects with the theme "Viral Culture."
The 2013-14 Fellows are:
Nicole Aljoe, Assistant Professor, Department of English, College of Social Sciences and Humanities; "'Do you Remember the Days of Slav'ry?': The Neo-Slave Narrative in Contemporary Caribbean Cultural Production"
Ryan Cordell, Assistant Professor, Department of English, College of Social Sciences and Humanities; "Uncovering Reprinting Networks in Nineteenth-Century American Periodicals"
Ilham Khuri-Makdisi, Associate Professor, Department of History, College of Social Sciences and Humanities; "The Waves That Bind: Radio Broadcasting in Lebanon and Beyond, 1958-1968"
Justin Manjourides, Assistant Professor, Department of Health Sciences, BouvĂ© College of Health Sciences; "The Application of Infectious Disease Surveillance Methodologies to Humanities Data"
Suzanna Danuta Walters, Director of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program; Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, College of Social Sciences and Humanities; "'The Viral is Political': Sexual Identity, Sexual Violence, Social Media"
Sara Wylie, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, College of Social Sciences and Humanities; "Redesigning WellWatch with Open Source Hardware Tools for Environmental Investigation"
Lana Cook, PhD Candidate, Department of English, College of Social Sciences and Humanities; “Altered States: The American Psychedelic Aesthetic”
M.J. Motta, PhD Candidate, Law and Public Policy, College of Social Sciences and Humanities; “Policy Innovation, Learning, and Diffusion in Offshore Wind Development”

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Boston Quantified Self Show&Tell #BQS15 (IBM)
Thursday, January 23, 2014
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
IBM Innovation Center, 1 Rogers Street, Cambridge
Price: $5.00/per person
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/BostonQS/events/155525672/

Please come join us on Thursday, January 23rd for another fun evening of self-tracking presentations, sharing ideas, and showing tools. If you are self-tracking in any way -- health stats, biofeedback, life-logging, mood monitoring, biometrics, athletics, etc. -- come and share your methods, results and insights.

We're happy to hosted by our friends at the IBM. Be sure to RSVP early to grab your spot! Come to meet new people, check out new hands-on gadgets and tools, enjoy healthy food, and learn from personal stories.

6:00 - 7:00 pm DEMO HOUR & SOCIAL TIME
Are you a toolmaker? Come demo your self-tracking gadget, app, project or idea that you're working on and share with others in our "science fair for adults." If you are making something useful for self-trackers – software, hardware, web services, or data standards – please demo it in this workshop portion of the Show&Tell. Want to participate in Demo Hour? Please let us know when you RSVP or contact Vincent at vmcphillip at gmail dot com for a spot.

7:00 - 8:00 pm IGNITE SHOW&TELLS
If you'd like to talk about your personal self-tracking story, please let us know in your RSVP or contact Joshua at joshuakot at gmail dot com, so we can discuss your topic. In your talk, you should answer the three prime questions: What did you do? How did you do it? What did you learn?

If you've never been to a meetup before, you can get a sense of what the talks are like from watching videos of previous QS talks athttps://vimeo.com/groups/quantifiedself/videos

Don't know what Ignite means? Tips on how to deliver a fantastic quick-fire presentation at http://scottberkun.com/2009/how-to-give-a-great-ignite-talk/

8:00 - 9:00 pm MORE SOCIAL TIME & NETWORKING
Talk to the speakers, chat with new and old friends, ask other people what they're tracking, and generally hang out and have a great time.

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Weathering the Data Storm: The Promise and Challenges of Data Science
Friday, January 24, 2014
9:00am - 5:30pm
Harvard Science Center, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA
Attendance is free, no registration required

Session Co-Chairs:
Hanspeter Pfister, Computer Science
Joe Blitzstein, Statistics
Pavlos Protopapas, Institute for Applied Computational Science

Industry leaders, researchers, and Harvard students will come together for a day of lively conversation about the sweeping advances in data science at the intersection of statistics, computer science, and various domains. Leading experts in data science will talk about the way organizations are using careful analysis of data to address important real-world issues, about the challenges of big data, and about the future of this exciting emerging field. This one-day symposium will bring together data analytics professionals, domain scientists, academic researchers and users, and fosters an exchange of ideas through invited talks, panels, and plenty of audience interaction. Click here to download the symposium poster, and here to download a copy of the symposium schedule (tentative). 

Speakers:
Ryan Adams, Harvard University
Luke Bornn, Harvard University
Jeff Heer, University of Washington
Diane Lambert, Google
Fernando Perez, UC Berkeley
Claudia Perlich, Dstillery
Bonnie Ray, IBM
Cynthia Rudin, MIT
Rachel Schutt, News Corp
Yuan Yuan, Dropbox

http://computefest.seas.harvard.edu/data-storm

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TEDxNortheastern University
Saturday, January 25

More information at http://www.tedxnortheasternu.com

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The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible: An Evening with Charles Eisenstein
Sunday January 26th
4:00pm
First Church JP, 6 Eliot Street, Jamaica Plain
RSVP on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/events/1390291651218107/ or
by email info@jamaicaplainforum.org?subject=RSVP%20for%201%2F26%20Charles%20Eisenstein%20forum

As our social and ecological crisis deepens, what is our next step as agents of healing and change?  Charles Eisenstein's
(http://charleseisenstein.net/) work is an empowering antidote to the cynicism, frustration, and paralysis so many of us feel, replacing it with a grounding reminder of what's true: we are all connected, and our personal choices bear unsuspected transformational power.

Using real-life stories, Charles unites systems-level change with small, individual acts of courage, kindness, and self-trust. These, he says, can
change our culture's guiding narrative of separation that has generated the present planetary crisis.  Charles is the author of several books,
including Sacred Economics (http://sacred-economics.com/) and Ascent of Humanity (http://www.ascentofhumanity.com/).
His new book is The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible (http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Hearts-Possible-Sacred-Activism/dp/1583947248)

http://jamaicaplainforum.org/

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Opportunity
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Where is the best yogurt on the planet made? Somerville, of course!

Join the Somerville Yogurt Making Cooperative and get a weekly quart of the most thick, creamy, rich and tart yogurt in the world. Membership in the coop costs $2.50 per quart. Members share the responsibility for making yogurt in our kitchen located just outside of Davis Sq. in FirstChurch.  No previous yogurt making experience is necessary.

For more information checkout.
https://sites.google.com/site/somervilleyogurtcoop/home

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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).

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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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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/

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

MIT Events:  http://events.mit.edu

MIT Energy Club:  http://www.mitenergyclub.org/calendar/mit_events_template

Harvard Events:  http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/harvard-events/events-calendar/

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

Sustainability at Harvard:  http://green.harvard.edu/events

Mass Climate Action:  http://www.massclimateaction.net/calendar/events/index.php

Meetup:  http://www.meetup.com/

Eventbrite:  http://www.eventbrite.com/

Microsoft NERD Center:  http://microsoftcambridge.com/Events/tabid/57/Default.aspx

Startup and Entrepreneurial Events:   http://www.greenhornconnect.com/events/calendar

High Tech Events:  http://harddatafactory.com/Johnny_Monsarrat/index.html

Cambridge Civic Journal:  http://www.rwinters.com

Cambridge Happenings:  http://cambridgehappenings.org

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

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

Boston Events Insider:  http://bostoneventsinsider.com/boston_events/

Nerdnite:  http://boston.nerdnite.com/