Sunday, May 03, 2015

Energy (and Other) Events - May 3, 2015

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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Monday, May 4
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10am  The Women Sheriffs of Wall Street: A Discussion with Elizabeth Warren, Sheila Bair, and Mary Schapiro
11:30am  Networks, Shock Propagation, and Systemic Risk
12pm  MASS Seminar:  Recent Results on Hurricanes and Climate
12pm  Building a new Nepal – After the Quake
2pm  When the Dust Settles: the Russian Foreign Policy after the Ukrainian Crisis
4:30pm  Transforming Indian Cities: A Governance Challenge
5pm  The Art of Crowdsourcing Everything
5pm  Modeling and Forecast of Contagion Phenomena in the age of BIG DATA
5:30pm  The Outsider: book talk with author Patricia Gercik
6pm  What is the legacy of the 2024 Olympics?
6pm  The Fluid Mechanics of Low-Energy Architecture
7pm  HarvardX for Allston: Tangible Things public lecture

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Tuesday, May 5
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8am  Boston TechBreakfast
The 10th Annual Plant Biology Initiative Symposium:  "From Leaves to Ecosystems: Plants in a Changing World”
11am  DARPA Robotics Challenge Preview
12pm  Anti-Drones Rally at M.I.T.
3:30pm  EAPS Thesis Defense ~ Variability of the Polar Stratospheric Vortex and its Impact on Surface Climate Patterns
4pm  Project Zero Artists-In-Residence Reception
4pm  PBI Special Lecture: Understanding, Managing, and Reducing the Risks of Climate Change
4pm  Big Data, Big Brother, and Systemic Risk Management in the Financial System
4pm  Why We Should Trust Science: Perspectives from the History & Philosophy of Science
5pm  Opening Talk and Reception: Live Matter, An Exhibition by Rosetta S. Elkin
5:30pm  Climate Resilient Financing
6pm  Architecture Lecture / HTC Forum: Basile Baudez, "Drawing for the Prize: Architectural Competition Drawings from Europe to America"
6pm  BASG May 5th: Population with Alan Weisman, Author of Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth?
6:30pm  Expert panel on U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations
7:30pm  Energy solutions: a Bazaar of Ideas
7:45pm  Building Boston 2030 - MBTA: Just Fix It

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Wednesday, May 6
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SEAS [School of Engineering and Applied Sciences] Design & Project Fair
10th Annual Harvard Plant Biology Initiative Symposium: "From Leaves to Ecosystems: Plants in a Changing World”
12pm  Who's Arming Asia, and Why it Matters
12pm  Life, Leadership, and Learning
12pm  MIT Kendall Square Initiative Community Meeting
1pm  Liberal Institutions and Social Incorporation: Is There a Trade-off, Or Can We All Be Uruguay?
3pm  IDeAS: Innovative Design Alternatives Summit
3:45pm  Global and Regional Variability of Tropical Cyclone-induced Ocean Warming
4pm  DNA Damage, DNA Repair, and Human Health
4pm  Transforming Structural Materials by Understanding Nanoconfinement
4:30pm  The 2015 Harvard Horizons Symposium
5:30pm  Special Lecture with Lester Brown and J. Matthew Roney, co-authors of The Great Transition
6pm  MIT Kendall Square Initiative Community Meeting
6pm  Internet of Everything: from Circuits to Systems
7pm  How To Clone A Mammoth:  The Science of De-Extinction
7pm  Land Stewardship for Pollinator Conservation, a talk by Kelly Gill
7pm  Alive Inside: Music as Medicine

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Thursday, May 7
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12pm  Comment's Mysteries
12:15pm  Nuclear Waste as a Transnational Problem: Ethics and Governance
1pm  Advancing the Status of Women in a Globalizing Japan: A 70-Year Retrospective
4pm  Towards Artificial Living Materials
4pm  After Hobby Lobby: What Is Caesar's, What Is God's?
4:10pm  Police Violence and Crime in Rio de Janeiro: Evaluating the Pacifying Police Units
4:15pm  Dynamic Pricing in Ride-Sharing Platforms
4:30pm  Starr Forum: Evolving Security Dynamics in Asia
4:30pm  Climate Change & Scientific Consensus
4:30pm  Ukraine: Who Pays for the Broken Economic Model and How to Fix It?
5pm  Hate Crimes in Cyberspace
5:30pm  Innovation Series Event: Pushing the Limits of Lifespan, from Innovation to Commercialization
5:30pm  EnergyBar!  Greentown Labs Celebrates 4 Years!
6pm  The Half-Wild, Half-Captive Elephants of Burma
6pm  Sustainability Collaborative
6:30pm  Strategy to Shelf:  An Insider's View on Bringing Food Products to Market
7pm  BiblioTech:  Why Libraries Matter More Than Ever in the Age of Google

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Friday, May 8
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10am  The Color Economies
11:30am  Go Boston 2030 Visioning Lab
2pm  Houghton Lecture - Quantifying climate forcings and feedbacks in coupled climate simulations of the last millennium
2:30pm  Media Lab Conversations Series: Christine Sun Kim and Joi Ito
3pm  Toxic Injustice:  A Transnational History of Exposure and Struggle
3pm  Challenges and opportunities in the production of renewable chemicals and fuels in Brazil and the US
4pm  Carbon and Its Discontents:  The Futures of Energy History

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Saturday, May 9
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9am  Humanitarian Technology Festival
10am  Go Boston 2030 Visioning Lab
12pm  Mid-Cambridge Plant Swap
2pm  Stand Against Racism
3pm  Rambax, MIT Senegalese Drum Ensemble
3pm  Rising Waters/Rising Tides on Muddy River with ArtWeek Boston

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Monday, May 11
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12pm  MASS Seminar - Susan van den Heever (Colorado State University)
12pm  Brown Bag Talk with Micah Altman, Scholarly Communications in the Age of Big Data - Rules of Practical Information Economics
3pm  Eversource MIT Clean Energy Prize Showcase & Grand Prize Award Ceremony
MIT Clean Energy Prize
4pm  The Heterogeneous Effects of Summer Jobs: Evidence from Two Field Experiments - joint with Development
4:30pm  Climate Change: Science, Policy, and Communication
5:30pm  Askwith Forum: Transforming Teaching
6:30pm  Innovative Technologies for the Food of the Future:  Approaches to Preserve Original Flavors in Mass-Produced Foods

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Tuesday, May 12
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8am  Humanitarian Technology 2015
10am  Technology State House Day 2015: The Internet of Things in Massachusetts
12pm  Economic Inequality and Technology: How Knowledge Sharing Helps
12:30pm  Japan’s Search for Security
4pm  The Truth About Trust: A Scientific Perspective on Determining if We Can Trust Others (or Even Ourselves)
7pm  Mr. Robot

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

Recycled Solar:  Double-Glazed Solar Hot Cap Cloche
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/04/29/1381056/-Recycled-Solar-Double-Glazed-Solar-Hot-Cap-Cloche

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Monday, May 4
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The Women Sheriffs of Wall Street: A Discussion with Elizabeth Warren, Sheila Bair, and Mary Schapiro
WHEN  Mon., May 4, 2015, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
WHERE  Memorial Church Sanctuary, Harvard Yard
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Business, Ethics, Law, Social Sciences, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR The Project on Public Narrative at Harvard's Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics
SPEAKER(S)  Senator Elizabeth Warren, Sheila Bair (former FDIC chairwoman), and Mary Schapiro (former SEC chairwoman). Ron Suskind (Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and director of the Project on Public Narrative) will be moderating.
COST  Free and open to the public; tickets required
TICKET WEB LINK  womensheriffs.eventbrite.com
TICKET INFO  Event is free and open to the public but you will need a ticket for entry. Early Bird tickets are available now for the Harvard community on Eventbrite!
CONTACT INFO jhendel@law.harvard.edu
DETAILS  Don't miss this truly historic event in which the women sheriffs of Wall Street will reflect on the role that gender played in financial reform and regulation - before, during, and after the Great Financial Crisis of 2007-8.
Tickets are required. Seating is first-come, first-served. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early for seating!
LINK https://www.facebook.com/events/397288070395897/

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Networks, Shock Propagation, and Systemic Risk
Monday, May 4
11:30am to 1:00pm
Harvard, Maxwell Dworkin 119, 33 Oxford Street, Cambridge

Center for Research on Computation and Society, Asu Ozdaglar, MIT
This talk develops a unified framework for the study of how network interactions can function as a mechanism for propagation and amplification of microeconomic shocks. The framework nests various classes of games over networks, models of macroeconomic risk originating from microeconomic shocks, and models of financial interactions. Under the assumption that shocks are small, we provide a fairly complete characterization of the structure of equilibrium, clarifying the role of network interactions in translating microeconomic shocks into macroeconomic outcomes. This characterization enables us to rank different networks in terms of their aggregate performance. It also sheds light on several seemingly contradictory results in the prior literature on the role of network linkages in fostering systemic risk.
This is joint work with Daron Acemoglu and Alireza Tahbaz-Salehi.

Speaker Bio:  Asu Ozdaglar received the B.S. degree in electrical engineering from the Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, in 1996, and the S.M. and the Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, in 1998 and 2003, respectively.
She is currently a professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is also the director of the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems. Her research expertise includes optimization theory, with emphasis on nonlinear programming and convex analysis, game theory, with applications in communication, social, and economic networks, distributed optimization and control, and network analysis with special emphasis on contagious processes, systemic risk and dynamic control.
Professor Ozdaglar is the recipient of a Microsoft fellowship, the MIT Graduate Student Council Teaching award, the NSF Career award, the 2008 Donald P. Eckman award of the American Automatic Control Council, the Class of 1943 Career Development Chair, the inaugural Steven and Renee Innovation Fellowship, and the 2014 Spira teaching award. She served on the Board of Governors of the Control System Society in 2010 and was an associate editor for IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control. She is currently the area co-editor for a new area for the journal Operations Research, entitled "Games, Information and Networks" and the chair of the Control System Society Technical Committee “Networks and Communication Systems”. She is the co-author of the book entitled “Convex Analysis and Optimization” (Athena Scientific, 2003).
Contact: Carol Harlow
Email: harlow@seas.harvard.edu

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MASS Seminar:  Recent Results on Hurricanes and Climate
Monday, May 4
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)

Speaker: Suzana Camargo

MASS Seminar

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Atmospheric Science Seminars (MASS)
For more information, contact:  MASS organizing committee
mass@mit.edu

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Building a new Nepal – After the Quake
WHEN  Mon., May 4, 2015, 12 – 1:30 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard, CGIS South, S050, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR South Asia Institute
SPEAKER(S)  Prashant Jha, associate editor, Hindustan Times
DETAILS  On April 25, Nepal was hit by a devastating earthquake. Almost 5000 people have died and the numbers are steadily increasing. The full scale of losses in terms of human casualties, homes destroyed and cultural heritage reduced to rubble is still not known. The earthquake has tested the already limited resolve of the Nepali state, which is struggling to cope and respond to the disaster – especially in rural areas. In this backdrop, what is the current situation on the ground and challenges ahead for the government? How did Nepal get here and could a functional political order have equipped the country to deal with this better? What will be the possible political implications of this disaster – in terms of the quest for a new constitution? What has been the role of India in relief efforts – and in general in Nepal? Where does the rest of the international community come in? The talk will focus on these and related issues.
LINK http://southasiainstitute.harvard.edu/event/building-a-new-nepal/

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When the Dust Settles: the Russian Foreign Policy after the Ukrainian Crisis
Monday, May 4
2:00p–3:30p
MIT, Building E40-496, Pye Conference Room, 1 Amherst Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Andrey Kortunov, Carol R. Saivetz
A long time participant and analyst of Russian foreign policy, Andrey Kortunov will discuss alternative possibilities for Russian foreign policy in the near- to medium-term.

Speaker:  Andrey Kortunov is President of the Eurasia Foundation in charge of its operations in Russia, and an expert for the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Russian State Duma. He is the President of the Information Scholarship Education Center (ISE) and a member of the Educational Board of the Open Society Institute. He specializes in problems of international security, and focuses on the emergence of security arrangements and political systems in the states of the former Soviet Union. His major recent publications include Russia and UN Reforms, and Disintegration of the Soviet Union and US Policies.

Moderator:
Carol R. Saivetz is a Research Affiliate in the Security Studies Program at MIT and a Lecturer in Political Science. For two years prior to that, she was a Visiting Scholar at MIT's Center for International Studies. She is also a Research Associate at Harvard's Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, and an Associate at Harvard's Ukrainian Institute.

This event is free and open to the public | Light refreshments will be provided

Co-sponsored by: MIT Center for International Studies, Seminar XXI, MIT Security Studies Program and MIT Russia
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies, Security Studies Program, MISTI MIT-Russia Program, Seminar XXI
For more information, contact:  rochoa@mit.edu 

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Transforming Indian Cities: A Governance Challenge
WHEN  Mon., May 4, 2015, 4:30 – 6 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard, CGIS South, S250, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR South Asia Institute
SPEAKER(S)  Isher Judge Ahluwalia, chairperson, Board of Governors, the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations
DETAILS  Isher Judge Ahluwalia is a renowned Indian economist, with wide experience in the fields of economic growth, productivity, industrial and trade policy reforms, and urban planning and development. She is currently Chairperson on the Board of Governors for the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), a leading think-tank based in New Delhi engaged in policy oriented research. At ICRIER, Dr Ahluwalia is leading a major research and capacity building programme on the challenges of urbanisation in India. She was awarded Padma Bhushan by the President of India in the year 2009 for her services in the field of education and literature.
LINK http://southasiainstitute.harvard.edu/event/pakistan-from-crisis-to-crisis/

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The Art of Crowdsourcing Everything
Monday, May 4
5:00p–6:00p
MIT, Building E15-341, 20 Ames Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Lior Zoref, crowdsourcing researcher and author of "Mindsharing"
MIT Media Lab, MISTI MIT-Israel, Sloan Israeli Business Club and the Israeli Student Association present "The Art of Crowd Sourcing Everything" with Lior Zoref, crowdsourcing researcher and author of "Mindsharing"

This talk explains how we can use social media and the power of big crowds to upgrade our brains, our thinking, and our lives. Mindsharing shows us how to use technology to tap into a collective wisdom that has the power to transform every aspect of our life from finance to romance to family to career. From the prospective of a leading crowd wisdom researcher, author, a former Microsoft vice president and a passionate speaker, Lior Zoref will inspire you to think about the future of thinking in the era of social networks and crowd wisdom.
If the old saying is true that two brains are better than one, get ready to benefit from the power of fifty, five hundred, or five thousand brains.
About Lior Zoref:   Lior Zoref is an author, crowdsourcing researcher and international speaker. He worked for fourteen years at Microsoft, most recently as vice president of marketing for consumer and online services.

Please RSVP at the link below.

Web site: tinyurl.com/crowdsourcingrsvp
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Tickets: tinyurl.com/crowdsourcingrsvp
Sponsor(s): MISTI MIT-Israel Program, MIT Media Lab, Israeli Association, Sloan Israeli Business Club
For more information, contact:  Kylie Fisher
617-253-3938
kgfisher@mit.edu

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Modeling and Forecast of Contagion Phenomena in the age of BIG DATA
Monday, May 4
5:00p–6:00p
MIT, Building 1-190, 33 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Pre-lecture Reception at 4:30pm

Speaker: Prof. Alessandro Vespignani
The recent big data revolution is finally enabling the development of data-driven computational models that allow very detailed analysis of dynamical processes as diverse as epidemic outbreaks, information and knowledge diffusion and Internet packet routing. These models have gained importance in the public-health domain, especially in infectious disease epidemiology, by providing quantitative approaches in support of the policy-making processes. In this lecture I will focus on discussing the recent successes as well as the methodological challenges in the modeling and forecast of contagion processes. Namely I will discuss the phenomenology emerging from the integration of multi-scale networks, the accuracy provided by different levels of data-integration, the problem of real-time estimation of parameters, and the validation through high quality data sets of the computational models. The example of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa will be used to ground some of these questions in the case of a current emerging disease threat.
Prof. Vespignani received his undergraduate degree and Ph.D., both in physics and both from the University of Rome "La Sapienza", in 1990 and 1994 respectively. See webpage for more information.

Web site: http://cee.mit.edu/system/files/CEE_SpeakerSeries_Vespignani_Poster.pdf
Open to: the general public
Cost: NA
Sponsor(s): Civil and Environmental Engineering
For more information, contact:  Roberta Pizzinato
(617) 324-5540
robertap@MIT.EDU 

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The Outsider: book talk with author Patricia Gercik
Monday, May 4
5:30p–7:15p
MIT, Building E51-325, 70 Memorial Drive, Cambridge

Speaker: Patricia Gercik
Come hear Pat, former Program Director of MIT-Japan Program and Associate Director, of MISTI talk about her recently published novel, The Outsider set in the chaos of post-war Japan. Reception to follow book talk and book signing with sushi!

Web site: https://misti.mit.edu/outsider-book-talk-author-patricia-gercik
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies, MIT-Japan Program, MISTI
For more information, contact:  Christine Pilcavage
617-258-8208
csp18@mit.edu

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What is the legacy of the 2024 Olympics?
Monday, May 4
6pm
BSA Space, 290 Congress Street, Boston

With the City anticipating immense growth by 2030, this two-part series will examine the legacy possibilities pertaining to the bid for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games. Join speaker David Manfredi FAIA, principal at Elkus Manfredi Architects, at 6:00 pm on Monday, May 4, and Monday, June 22, at BSA Space (290 Congress Street, Boston), and be part of a discussion that can effectively inform the evolving planning for 2024. This event is free, open to the public, and supported by the BSA Foundation.

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The Fluid Mechanics of Low-Energy Architecture
Monday, May 4
6:00 PM
MIT, Building 7-429, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Paul Linden, Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge
Paul Linden is the G.I. Taylor Professor of Fluid Mechanics, DAMTP, at the University of Cambridge, UK, as well as the Blasker Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of California, San Diego. Linden is the Professorial Fellow of Downing College. Linden's research focus is environmental fluid mechanics. The group conducts experimental and theoretical research on problems associated with our environment and the processes that affect and are impacted by climate change. We study and develop models of the fluid flow in low-energy buildings, gravity-driven flows in stratified and rotating fluids, internal waves and mixing in stratified fluids.

Read Paul Linden's full biography here: http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/people/p.f.linden/ and here http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/pfl4/PFL/Welcome.html

The 9th Goldstein Lecture in Architecture, Engineering, and Science/
Part of the Spring 2015 Department of Architecture Building Technology Lecture Series, "Experiments in Architecture"

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Department of Architecture, Building Technology Program
For more information, contact:  Anne Simunovic
617-253-4412
annesim@mit.edu

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HarvardX for Allston: Tangible Things public lecture
Monday, May 4
7:00 PM
Harvard Ed Portal, 224 Western Avenue, Allston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/faculty-lecture-tangible-things-discovering-history-through-art-artifacts-and-the-stuff-around-you-tickets-16676935162

Even in a world obsessed with the virtual, material things are still making history. In this lecture based on the free HarvardX course, Tangible Things, Harvard Professor Laurel Thatcher Ulrich invites participants to look closely at things around them. Whether assessing Harvard’s remarkable collections, or those that reside in the attic of your own home, see how any material thing, when examined closely, can be a link between the present and the past.

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Tuesday, May 5
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Boston TechBreakfast
Tuesday, May 5
8:00 AM
Microsoft NERD - Horace Mann Room, 1 Memorial Drive, Cambridge

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 Boston TechBreakfast:
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!
GeoOrbital: GeoOrbital Wheel - Michael Burtov
Ulula - Antoine Heuty
Cospan Design: Nysa - David McCoy
Shelfie - CJ Acosta
~9:30 - end - Final "Shout Outs" & Last Words  Boston TechBreakfast Sponsors

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The 10th Annual Plant Biology Initiative Symposium:  "From Leaves to Ecosystems: Plants in a Changing World”
Tuesday, May 5 and Wednesday May 6
Arnold Arboretum, Weld Hill Research Building, 1300 Centre Street, Boston
RSVP at http://hwpi.harvard.edu/pbi/

Please save May 5th and 6th for the 10th Annual Harvard Plant Biology Initiative Symposium: "From Leaves to Ecosystems: Plants in a Changing World”. This year the Symposium is being co-sponsored by HUCE.

This year’s symposium will kick off with a special lecture on May 5th by Chris Field, Carnegie Institution for Science, at 4:00PM in the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA. The title of Chris’s talk is, "Understanding, Managing, and Reducing the Risks of Climate Change”.  There will be a reception for faculty, and the Symposium speakers, in HUCE following the lecture.

On May 6th, we will hold a full-day symposium from 8:45AM – 5:30PM at the Arnold Arboretum's Weld Hill Research Building, 1300 Centre St., Boston, MA.  The symposium will wrap up with a panel discussion, with remarks by Harvard Plant Biology faculty. There will be a reception at the end of the symposium.

Confirmed speakers:
Carol Augspurger, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Joe Berry, Carnegie Institution of Washington
Zoe Cardon, Marine Biological Laboratory
Todd E. Dawson, University of California at Berkeley
Jim Ehleringer, The University of Utah
Graham Farquhar, Australian National University
Christian Körner, Institute of Botany, University of Basel
Beverly Law, Oregon State University
Joy Ward, The University of Kansas

Because we are providing lunch on May 6, we are asking everyone who will attend - faculty and students included - to pre-register. To learn more about the symposium and to register, please visit the PBI Website:  http://hwpi.harvard.edu/pbi  

Contact Name:
pbi@fas.harvard.edu
http://hwpi.harvard.edu/pbi/contact-pbi

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DARPA Robotics Challenge Preview
Tuesday, May 5 
11am-noon 
MIT, Building 1-190, 33 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Russ Tedrake, MIT - CSAIL  MIT's Entry in the DARPA Robotics Challenge: Real-world, Interactive-rate Optimization for Humanoid Robots

On June 5-6 of this year, 25 of the most advanced robots in the world will descend on Pomona, California to compete in the final DARPA Robotics Challenge competition (http://theroboticschallenge.org). Each of these robots will be sent into a disaster response situation to perform complex locomotion and manipulation tasks with limited power and comms. Team MIT is one of only 2 academic teams that has survived all of the qualifying rounds, and we are working incredibly hard to showcase the power of our relatively formal approaches to perception, estimation, planning, and control.

In this talk, I’ll dig into a number of technical research nuggets that have come to fruition during this effort, including an optimization-based planning and control method for robust and agile online gait and manipulation planning, efficient mixed-integer optimization for negotiating rough terrain, convex relaxations for grasp optimization, powerful real-time perception systems, and essentially drift-free state estimation. I’ll discuss the formal and practical challenges of fielding these on a very complex (36+ degree of freedom) humanoid robot that absolutely has to work on game day.
Relevant URLs: http://drc.mit.edu, http://youtube.com/mitdrc

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Anti-Drones Rally at M.I.T.
Wednesday, May 6
12:00pm
77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

U.S. drones have killed thousands of innocent people. We will read the names of victims and speak out against this insidious form of warfare. We are gathering at MIT, a major center of drone research.

Sponsored by the Eastern Massachusetts Anti-Drones Network, a task force of UJP, and Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF).

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EAPS Thesis Defense ~ Variability of the Polar Stratospheric Vortex and its Impact on Surface Climate Patterns
Tuesday, May 5
3:30p–4:30p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)

Speaker: Aditi Sheshadri

Web site: http://eapsweb.mit.edu
Open to: the general public
Cost: n/a
Sonsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
For more information, contact:  Roberta Allard
617-253-3381

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Project Zero Artists-In-Residence Reception
WHEN  Tue., May 5, 2015, 4 – 5 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard Graduate School of Education, Gutman Library Gallery- Lobby, 6 Appian Way, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Education, Exhibitions, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Graduate School of Education
SPEAKER(S)  Anjali Rodrigues, Aysha Upchurch, Massimo Pacchione, and Tess Landon
COST  Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO saq670@mail.harvard.edu
DETAILS  Anjali Rodrigues, Aysha Upchurch, Massimo Pacchione, and Tess Landon are the four 2015 Project Zero Artists-In-Residence. They will be exhibiting their work in the lobby of Gutman from Thursday, April 30th - Wednesday, May 6th.
Please join us to celebrate their hard work at our reception on Tuesday, May 5th, from 4-5pm in Gutman Gallery.
For more information, please visit our facebook event: www.facebook.com…
LINK http://pzweb.harvard.edu/artists_in_residence.php

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PBI Special Lecture: Understanding, Managing, and Reducing the Risks of Climate Change
WHEN  Tue., May 5, 2015, 4 – 5 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Environmental Sciences, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Plant Biology Initiative
SPEAKER(S)  Chris Field, Carnegie Institution for Science
COST  Free and open to the public
TICKET WEB LINK  http://hwpi.harvard.edu/pbi/register
LINK http://hwpi.harvard.edu/pbi/schedule

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Big Data, Big Brother, and Systemic Risk Management in the Financial System
Tuesday, May 5
4:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 32-155, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Andrew Lo, Charles E. and Susan T. Harris Professor, Professor of Finance, Director of Laboratory for Financial Engineering, MITeminar Series (joint with SSRC). A reception will follow.

Overview: A recurring theme among the many narratives of the financial crisis of 2008 is the complexity of the financial system and the failure of private- and public-sector policies to anticipate and attenuate the crisis. This failure may be a symptom of the emergence of a new type of risk to the financial system--systemic risk--and the growing mismatch between rapidly evolving financial technologies and increasingly antiquated regulations that were never designed to address these challenges. However, technology can also be used to improve regulation. In this talk, Prof. Andrew Lo will provide several examples of the potential for big data analytics to transform financial regulation, including self-stabilizing capital requirements, machine-learning models for consumer credit risk management, aggregate risk measures that guarantee individual privacy, and the application of software engineering principles to the design and implementation of financial rules and regulations.

Please join us for the next seminar in the Spring 2015 LIDS S

Web site: ssrc.mit.edu / lids.mit.edu
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Sociotechnical Systems Research Center, LIDS
For more information, contact:  Jacqueline Paris
jparis@mit.edu

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

Why We Should Trust Science: Perspectives from the History & Philosophy of Science
Tuesday, May 5
4:00p–5:30p
MIT, E51-115, Wong Auditorium, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Naomi Oreskes, Harvard
2015 Arthur Miller Lecture on Science and Ethics

The annual Arthur Miller Lecture on Science and Ethics is funded by the family of MIT alumnus Arthur Miller (B.S., 1934; Ph.D., 1938), this lecture provides an opportunity to present issues of science and ethics to the larger MIT community.

Web site: web.mit.edu/sts
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): HASTS, SHASS Dean's Office
For more information, contact:  Randyn Miller
617-253-3452
randyn@mit.edu

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

Opening Talk and Reception: Live Matter, An Exhibition by Rosetta S. Elkin
WHEN  Tue., May 5, 2015, 5 p.m.
WHERE  Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Johnson-Kulukundis Family Gallery, Byerly Hall, 8 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Exhibitions, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
SPEAKER(S)  Rosetta S. Elkin, assistant professor, landscape architecture, Harvard Graduate School of Design
COST  Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO events@radcliffe.harvard.edu
DETAILS  Opening Talk with Rosetta S. Elkin: May 5, 5 PM, Sheerr Room, Fay House, 10 Garden Street, Radcliffe Yard, Cambridge.
Opening Reception: May 5, 5:30 PM, Johnson-Kulukundis Family Gallery, Byerly Hall, 8 Garden Street.
The Live Matter exhibition is in the Johnson-Kulukundis Family Gallery of Byerly Hall at 8 Garden Street, Radcliffe Yard, Cambridge, MA 02138.
From May 5–May 29, the exhibition will be open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m.
Live Matter concerns itself with the ongoing measure of the natural world—how plant life has been described, muted, and labeled throughout botanical history—to reveal a new discourse that delights in an attitude of discovery, one that acknowledges the aliveness of plants. Visitors to the exhibition are invited to stand beneath the complex of a mature root system, gaining a rare vantage point from which to consider the normally concealed foundations of plant life. Live Matter offers a provocative new perspective on the living, breathing organisms that are all around us, yet seldom fully appreciated.
Rosetta S. Elkin works at the intersection of practice, teaching, research, exhibitions, and writing, across scales and media. She is an assistant professor of landscape architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where her teaching and research focus on innovative applications of ecological and vegetative technologies that highlight the role of plants, from innovative seed mechanics to bionetworks. Elkin’s work has been featured internationally, including installations at the Chelsea Fringe Festival, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Jardins de Métis.
LINK http://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/2015-rosetta-s-elkin-exhibition

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

Climate Resilient Financing
Tuesday, May 5
5:30 PM to 7:00 PM (EDT)
Goulston & Storrs, 400 Atlantic Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/climate-resilient-financing-tickets-16469473639

Thanks to the tremendous work of nearly 350 entrants to the Boston Living with Water design competition, we now have a far better understanding of how climate resilient design can help Boston prepare for increased coastal flooding.

What also became clear is that Boston is looking at a third round--after the Big Dig and Harbor cleanup--of major public and private investment in the city's built environment to prevent widespread flooding in the 1/3 of the city that lies within eight feet of today's high tide.

How and who will pay for this?  How much of this investment will be public and how much can we count on, incentivize, or require private investment?  What’s the role of insurance? How do we make sure investment is equitable, to prevent islands of protected properties surrounded by flooded neighborhoods?

Join Matt Kiefer, real estate lawyer with Goulston and Storrs, for a panel discussion with experts on residential, commercial and infrastructure preparedness financing and insurance.  We look forward to a lively, hopeful conversation focused on maintaining and enhancing Boston's economic and social vibrancy. See you there!

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

Architecture Lecture / HTC Forum: Basile Baudez, "Drawing for the Prize: Architectural Competition Drawings from Europe to America"
Tuesday, May 5
6:00p–8:00p
MIT, Building 7-429, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Speaker: Basile Baudez
MIT Architecture Lecture Series
Part of the Spring 2015 Department of Architecture Lecture Series

Hosted by the HTC Forum, History, Theory and Criticism of Architecture and Art Program

Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): History, Theory and Criticism of Architecture and Art, Department of Architecture
For more information, contact:  Anne Simunovic
617-253-4412
annesim@mit.edu

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

BASG May 5th: Population with Alan Weisman, Author of Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth?
Tuesday, May 5
6:00 PM to 8:30 PM (EDT)
Cambridge Innovation Center, Venture Cafe - 5th Floor, One Broadway, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/basg-may-5th-population-with-alan-weisman-author-of-countdown-our-last-best-hope-for-a-future-on-tickets-16504403114
Cost:  $8 - $10

Population is undoubtedly a root cause of climate change, but it is also the third rail of sustainability. The statistic of human's exponential growth is oft cited to introduce the topic of sustainability and to invite consideration of what changes we might make to accommodate one million more of us every 4 1/2 days on the planet. Rarely though do we delve deeper into the topic to understand the historical, political, religious, and cultural circumstances that incentivize continued growth, even as current events suggest reducing numbers may be in our own best interest. For our May 5th event, the Boston Area Sustainability Group (BASG) brings acclaimed journalist and author, Alan Weisman, to lead us on an important global exploration and intimate discussion of the future of humanity.

About Alan Weisman
Journalist Alan Weisman has worked in more than 50 countries and on all seven continents. His reports from around the world have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, Harper's, The Los Angeles Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Mother Jones, Discover, Orion, Wilson Quarterly, and on National Public Radio. His latest book is Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth? (Little, Brown and Company, 2013, and in 13 foreign language editions). Countdown was awarded the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Paris Book Festival Prize for Nonfiction, the Nautilus Gold Book Award, the Population Institute’s Global Media Award for Best Book, and was a finalist for the Orion Prize and the Books for a Better Life Award.

His previous book, The World Without Us, an international bestseller translated into 34 languages, was named Best Nonfiction Book of 2007 by Time Magazine and Entertainment Weekly, and was the iTunes #1 Nonfiction Audiobook. It was also winner of the Wenjin Book Prize of the National Library of China, and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Rachel Carson Prize, the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize, and the Orion Book Prize.

His other books include An Echo In My Blood; Gaviotas: A Village to Reinvent the World; and La Frontera: The United States Border With Mexico.  He is a senior documentary writer and producer for Homelands Productions, and lives in western Massachusetts with his wife, sculptor Beckie Kravetz.

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

Expert panel on U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations
Tuesday, May 5
6:30p–8:00p
MIT, Building 32-155, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Speakers: Jim Walsh, Payam Mohseni, Aaron Arnold, Farzan Sabet
Iranian Studies Group (ISG) of MIT is hosting a panel on US-Iran Nuclear negotiations: The framework of the nuclear agreement between Iran and major world powers, the challenges to reach the final agreement, and the possibility of sustaining the deal. Talk will be held at MIT Bldg. 32 (Stata), Room 155. Light refreshments will be served at 6:15 pm and the panel starts at 6:30 pm.

We are greatly honored to have four experts deeply engaged in development of the negotiations in our panel:

Jim Walsh of MIT's Political Science Department
Payam Mohseni of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government
Aaron Arnold of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government
Panel Chair: Farzan Sabet of Graduate Institute of Geneva, visiting fellow at Georgetown University

Our panel of experts goes beyond questions like is it a "good" or "bad" deal. Instead, we take a relatively in-depth look at the status of the talks so far and the major outstanding issues before the 30 June 2015 deadline, when we may at last have a final historical nuclear agreement.

Web site: https://www.facebook.com/events/1592565677648973/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Iranian Studies Group @ MIT, GSC Funding Board
For more information, contact:  Poorya Hosseini

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

Energy solutions: a Bazaar of Ideas
Tuesday, May 5
7:30p–10:00p
MIT, Building 13, Lobby 13, 105 Massachusetts Avenue (Rear), Cambridge

Freshmen from MIT's Terrascope learning community will present prototypes, models and demonstrations of the technologies they have been working on to solve energy-related problems

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Terrascope
For more information, contact:  Aczel, Debra Gross
617-253-4074
daczel@mit.edu 

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

Building Boston 2030 - MBTA: Just Fix It
Tuesday, May 5
7:45 AM to 9:45 AM (EDT)
C. Walsh Theatre - Suffolk University, 55 Temple Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/building-boston-2030-mbta-just-fix-it-tickets-16562066587

The Center for Real Estate and the Greater Boston Real Estate Board presents: Building Boston 2030 - MBTA Just Fix It

Prompted by chronic service and equipment failures, Governor Baker assembled a task force to examine possible solutions to improve service and increase revenue. How will the task force's recommendations fix the MBTA?
Panelists:
Stephanie Pollack, Secretary of Transportation, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
James Aloisi, Principal, Pemberton Square Group
Eileen McAnneny, President, Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation
James O’Leary, Partner, Alternate Concepts, Inc.
Greg Sullivan, Research Director, Pioneer Institute

More panelists will be announced shortly!
Moderated by:
Peter Howe, Business Editor, NECN

This event is free and open to the public, registration is required.

------------------------
Wednesday, May 6
------------------------

SEAS [School of Engineering and Applied Sciences] Design & Project Fair
Wednesday, May 6, 2015 (All day)
Harvard, Science Center Plaza Tent, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge

We invite you to attend the annual showcase of SEAS undergraduate and graduate student demonstrations, presentations, and prototypes. See how our students at SEAS are applying their knowledge to solve real-world problems.
Meet us under the big white tent in the Science Center Plaza, and see what's new at SEAS this year!

Email: events@seas.harvard.edu

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

10th Annual Harvard Plant Biology Initiative Symposium: "From Leaves to Ecosystems: Plants in a Changing World”
Wednesday, May 6
All day
Arnold Arboretum, Weld Hill Research Building, 1300 Centre Street, Boston
RSVP at http://hwpi.harvard.edu/pbi 

Please save May 5th and 6th for the 10th Annual Harvard Plant Biology Initiative Symposium: "From Leaves to Ecosystems: Plants in a Changing World”. This year the Symposium is being co-sponsored by HUCE.

This year’s symposium will kick off with a special lecture on May 5th by Chris Field, Carnegie Institution for Science, at 4:00PM in the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA. The title of Chris’s talk is, "Understanding, Managing, and Reducing the Risks of Climate Change”.  There will be a reception for faculty, and the Symposium speakers, in HUCE following the lecture.

On May 6th, we will hold a full-day symposium from 8:45AM – 5:30PM at the Arnold Arboretum's Weld Hill Research Building, 1300 Centre St., Boston, MA.  The symposium will wrap up with a panel discussion, with remarks by Harvard Plant Biology faculty. There will be a reception at the end of the symposium.

Confirmed speakers:
Carol Augspurger, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Joe Berry, Carnegie Institution of Washington
Zoe Cardon, Marine Biological Laboratory
Todd E. Dawson, University of California at Berkeley
Jim Ehleringer, The University of Utah
Graham Farquhar, Australian National University
Christian Körner, Institute of Botany, University of Basel
Beverly Law, Oregon State University
Joy Ward, The University of Kansas

Because we are providing lunch on May 6, we are asking everyone who will attend - faculty and students included - to pre-register. To learn more about the symposium and to register, please visit the PBI Website:  http://hwpi.harvard.edu/pbi  

Contact Name:   pbi@fas.harvard.edu
http://hwpi.harvard.edu/pbi/contact-pbi

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

"Who's Arming Asia, and Why it Matters"
Wednesday, May 6
12:00p–1:30p
MIT, Building E40-496, 1 Amherst Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Jonathan Caverley (MIT)
Wednesday Seminar Series, Security Studies Program

Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies

For more information, contact:  Elina Hamilton
617-253-7529
elinah@mit.edu

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

Life, Leadership, and Learning
WHEN  Wed., May 6, 2015, 12 – 1:30 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard, Gutman Conference Center, 6 Appian Way, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Wellness/Work Life, Working@Harvard
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR The Committee on the Concerns of Women at Harvard
SPEAKER(S)  Margaret Andrews, vice provost, Hult International Business School (former associate dean at Harvard University’s Division of Continuing Education)
COST  Free; registration required
DETAILS  Light refreshments provided.
LINK ccw.hhr.harvard.edu

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

MIT Kendall Square Initiative Community Meeting
Wednesday, May 6
Noon – 2 PM
MIT Student Center, Building W20 Room 491, 84 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
A light lunch will be provided

Since 2010, MIT has been working with the broader community to advance a proposal to bring new vibrancy and diversity to Kendall Square — the most innovative square mile on the planet. This comprehensive five-year process, involving the MIT and Cambridge communities and benefitting from several critical studies, has served to shape the Kendall Square Initiative. As a result, MIT is now poised to deliver a dynamic blend of uses in this area, including housing, lab and research space, retail, innovation space, open space, and a dedicated facility for the MIT Museum.

The Institute’s process will turn a collaborative vision into a reality. By transforming five MIT-owned parking lots into a mix of lively uses, the Institute will contribute significantly to enhancing the life and character of the local community and will advance the pace of life-changing science by attracting innovative companies and strengthening vital collaborations within the Kendall Square ecosystem.

Consistent with its zoning approval, MIT is launching the design phase of the Initiative and looks forward to engaging in the next steps of the public review process. We invite you to explore the details of the Kendall Square Initiative, including:
Priorities: Community input significantly influenced key elements of the plan, including housing, retail, open space, historic integration, and innovation space.
Planning:  The inclusive process has brought various stakeholders together to create a collaborative vision.
Updates: MIT has started the design phase of the Initiative and will proceed with the public review process. Visit the updates section to review key progress points.
Over the next few months, we’ll add information on the plans for each parcel. Visit this site to review the progress and stay involved.

Ideas/questions?
Contact kendallsquare@mit.edu.

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

Liberal Institutions and Social Incorporation: Is There a Trade-off, Or Can We All Be Uruguay?
WHEN  Wed., May 6, 2015, 1 – 6 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard, 1730 Cambridge Street, Room S250, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Business, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies
SPEAKER(S)  Santiago Anria, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Ana María Bejarano, University of Toronto
Catherine Conaghan, Queens University
Juan Pablo Luna, Universidad Católica de Chile
Alberto Vergara, Harvard University/Banting Foundation
LINK http://drclas.harvard.edu/event/liberal-institutions-and-social-incorporation-there-trade-or-can-we-all-be-uruguay

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

IDeAS: Innovative Design Alternatives Summit
Wednesday, May 6, 2015 at 3:00 PM - Thursday, May 7, 2015 at 5:30 PM (EDT)
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/ideas-innovative-design-alternatives-summit-tickets-16618396070

Shaping a New Vision for Boston
What is our vision for the City of Boston? How can innovative design enhance the quality of life in Boston? How can Boston foster design excellence throughout the City?
Goal: To initiate an inclusive, interactive visioning process, to imagine the collaborative planning process, and to learn how we will experience Boston’s physical and cultural environments in the years 2020 and 2030.
Audience: Boston residents and workers, public officials, community leaders, designers, students and thought leaders engaged in envisioning Boston’s future form and functions.
This two-day conference will kick off with a plenary panel focusing specifically on design. The kick off will be followed by a day-long summit to be held at the Boston Society of Architects.

Plenary Panelists
Francine Houben, Architect, Creative Director, Mecanoo
Tamara Roy, Principal, ADD Inc/Stantec; President-Elect Boston Society of Architects
Bill Rawn, Founding Principal, William Rawn Associates
John Barros, City of Boston, Chief of Economic Development
Robert Campbell, Architect, Architecture Critic, Boston Globe

Panels
Who We Are
How do we best respond to Boston’s emerging demographics? In this session we will discuss how design helps us to integrate our diversity into the fabric of the city, neighborhood identity; historic preservation, and culture, entertainment and sports. How do we describe ourselves to those who do not know Boston?
Panelists
Andrea Leers, Principal, Leers Weinzapfel Associates
Barry Bluestone, Director, Northeastern University Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy
Harry Smith,Director of Sustainable and Economic Development and Dudley Neighbors
Jerome Smith, City of Boston, Chief of Civic Engagement
Charlotte Kahn, Co-Founder & Director, Emeritus, Boston Indicators Project

How We Grow
This panel will address how design enhances economic development, regionalization, transportation and transit-oriented development, and infrastructure. What is our plan for smart growth? What big data and aggregation of design planning will be useful to inform our process and to assess our needed resources?
Panelists
Tony Pangaro, Principal, Millenium Partners
Gia Biagi, Senior Director of Urbanism and Civic Impact, Studio Gang Architects
Aaron Young, Partner, Rogers Partners
Cliff Selbert, Partner, Selbert Perkins Design Collaborative
Bill Christopher, City of Boston, Commissioner of Inspectional Services
Marc Draisen, Executive Director, Metropolitan Area Planning Council

How and Where We Live
In this session we will explore housing, equity, affordability, and design that helps to manage time in a global environment. How do we insure affordability to attract and hold a middle-class economic base? How do we design across generations and for individuals with disabilities? What are the possible effects on housing and transportation by the 2024 Olympics planning process?
Panelists
Chrystal Kornegay, Undersecretary, Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development
Kelly Saito, Partner, Gerding Edlen
Tim Love, Principal, Utile; President, Boston Society of Architects
Glynn Lloyd, Managing Director, Boston Impact Initiative
Sheila Dillon, City of Boston, Chief of Housing and Director of Neighborhood Development
Katherine Swenson, Vice-President for Design, Enterprise Community Partners

Creating Common Ground
Open space can support place-making and facilitate way-finding, enhance community and cultural identity. How do we explore design solutions that work in harmony to support the public good? This panel discussion will address accessibility, design interventions for health and safety, neighborhood needs and scale, and how innovative design enhances the experience of the city. What can we achieve using civic technology and big data to better understand how we live and play?
Panelists
Dick Galvin, President, CV Properties
Geeta Pradham, Associate VP for Programs, The Boston Foundation
Aziza Robinson-Goodnight, Artist in Transit, Fairmount Development Corridor
Mikyoung Kim, Principal, Mikyoung Kim Design
Valerie Fletcher, Executive Director, Institute for Human Centered Design
Julie Burros, City of Boston, Chief of Arts and Culture
Brian Golden, Director, Boston Redevelopment Authority

How We Survive in Our Environment
How do form, materials, technology, energy management, sustainability and resiliency affect planning the built environment? In this session we will discuss morphology and form, innovative technologies, construction practices, and design tools, energy management strategies, climate change and design opportunities. How do we engage and experience the city through digital interfaces?
Panelists
Stefan Behnisch, Partner, Behnisch Architekten
Bryan Koop, Vice-President & Regional Manager, Boston Properties
Kristina Ford, Professor of Professional Practice in International and Public Affairs, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs
Matthew Clarke, Senior Associate, SHoP Architects
Austin Blackmon, City of Boston, Chief of Environment, Energy, & Open Space
Vivien Li, President, Boston Harbor Association

How We Share Our Resources
As we engage our communities in design, consider innovations in regionalization and infrastructure needs and alternative financing for an innovative plan for our city how do we enhance equal and equitable access to economic development resources? How do we assess community and cultural benefits from design interventions?
Panelists
John Alschuler, Chairman, HR&A Advisors
Jim Rooney, Executive Director, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority
Katie Lapp, Executive Vice President, Administrative, Business and Operating Officer, Harvard University
David Lee, Partner, Stull and Lee
Gail Latimore, Executive Director at Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation
Gina Fiandanca, Commissioner, City of Boston Transportation Department

Please check back soon for a detailed agenda.

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

Global and Regional Variability of Tropical Cyclone-induced Ocean Warming
Wednesday, May 6
3:45p–5:00p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)
Refreshments, 3:45 pm, Ida Green Lounge

Speaker: Isaac Ginis, University of Rhode Island
We examine the magnitude and cumulative footprint of subsurface warm anomalies forced by tropical cyclones, making use of a high resolution global ocean circulation model. Analysis of a 20-year simulation using a realistic global tropical cyclone distribution reveals how the ocean adjusts to tropical cyclone-induced warming. Lateral transport of the warm anomalies plays a key role in redistribution of heat between the ocean basins and maintaining the ocean heat balance. Tropical cyclones induce semi-permanent warming of the upper thermocline in some regions that can reach as much as 1/4C. Transport pathways and ventilation mechanisms are regulated by the large-scale seasonal and interannual climate variability, such as the Asian monsoon and El Nino Southern Oscillation.

EAPS Department Lecture Series
Weekly talks given by leading thinkers in the areas of geology, geophysics, geobiology, geochemistry, meteorology, oceanography, climatology, and planetary science.

A reception in Building 54, Room 923 precedes the talk.
All are welcome.
If you have any questions regarding the lecture, please contact Jen Fentress at 617.253.2127 or jfen@mit.edu. Reservations not required.
Web site: http://eapsweb.mit.edu/events/2015/DLS_Ginis
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
For more information, contact:  Jen Fentress
jfen@mit.edu

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

DNA Damage, DNA Repair, and Human Health
WHEN  Wed., May 6, 2015, 4 p.m.
WHERE  Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Sheerr Room, Fay House, 10 Garden Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
SPEAKER(S)  Leona D. Samson, 2014-15 Radcliffe Institute Fellow and Uncas and Helen Whitaker Professor in the Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
COST  Free and open to the public
LINK http://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/2015-leona-d-samson-fellow-presentation

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

Transforming Structural Materials by Understanding Nanoconfinement
Wednesday, May 6
4:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 1-131, 33 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Speaker: Prof. Sinan Keten
Natural systems frequently exploit intricate multiscale and multiphasic structures to achieve remarkable properties. This talk will summarize our recent efforts aimed at mimicking such multi-tier organization by designing nacre-inspired systems that feature both high strength and toughness. Our vision is that understanding the nanoconfinement of solids in low-dimensional phases is crucial to mimic biological systems. First, I will outline an atomistically informed coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CGMD) approach to describe the thermomechanical behavior of confined polymers and 2D nanomaterials at extended length and time scales. Following this, I will present simulations that explain why polymers with very similar physical properties (PS/PMMA) exhibit comparable elastic properties but divergent glass-transition behavior in ultra-thin films. Following this, I will describe how nanoconfinement could be best utilized to achieve high strength and toughness in layered assemblies of polymers and functionalized graphene. These findings will culminate in analytical models that are aimed at predicting failure mechanisms and localization phenomena in layer-by-layer assemblies. Applications of the models to study size and interfacial effects in emergent materials such as nanocellulose will be briefly discussed. I will conclude by contrasting atomistic vs. continuum perspectives, as well as additive manufacturing vs. self-assembly approaches towards bioinspired materials-by-design

Mechanics and Infrastructure

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Civil and Environmental Engineering
For more information, contact:  Rebecca Fowler
617-253-7101
obuyuk@mit.edu 

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

The 2015 Harvard Horizons Symposium
WHEN  Wed., May 6, 2015, 4:30 – 6 p.m.
WHERE  Sanders Theater
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Education, Health Sciences, Humanities, Lecture, Science, Special Events
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard GSAS
COST  Free and open to the public
TICKET INFO  free tickets available from the Harvard Box Office beginning April 22, or at the door
DETAILS  Each year, eight outstanding P.h.D candidates are chosen as Harvard Horizons Scholars and receive targeted mentoring and coaching designed to enhance their presentation skills. The program will culminate in the Harvard Horizons Symposium on May 6, where Horizons Scholars will deliver brief, compelling talks about their research from the Sanders Theatre stage (free tickets available from the Harvard Box Office beginning April 22).
LINK https://www.gsas.harvard.edu/harvard_horizons

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

Special Lecture with Lester Brown and J. Matthew Roney, co-authors of The Great Transition
Wednesday, May 6
5:30PM - 7:00PM
Harvard, Science Center, Lecture Hall C, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge

Lester Brown and J. Matthew Roney
The energy transition is here. As fossil fuel resources shrink, as air pollution worsens, and as concerns about climate instability cast a shadow over the future of coal, oil, and natural gas, a new world energy economy is emerging. The old economy, fueled largely by coal and oil, is being replaced with one powered by solar and wind energy.

Lester Brown and J. Matthew Roney, co-authors of The Great Transition, will present and discuss their new book, addressing how we can (and must) move beyond fossil fuels.

Sponsored by the Sustainability and Environmental Management (SEM) Program, Harvard Extension School
Open to the Public

Contact Name: Tim Weiskel
tim@ecoethics.net

Editorial Comment:  I believe this is a session of a Harvard Extension Course ENVR E-130 Global Climate Change: The Science, Social Impact, and Diplomacy of a World Environmental Crisis (http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k108352) taught by William Moomaw and Tim Weiskel but the public is most definitely invited.

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

MIT Kendall Square Initiative Community Meeting
Wednesday, May 6
6 – 8 PM
Kendall Marriott, 50 Broadway, Cambridge
A light supper will be provided

Since 2010, MIT has been working with the broader community to advance a proposal to bring new vibrancy and diversity to Kendall Square — the most innovative square mile on the planet. This comprehensive five-year process, involving the MIT and Cambridge communities and benefitting from several critical studies, has served to shape the Kendall Square Initiative. As a result, MIT is now poised to deliver a dynamic blend of uses in this area, including housing, lab and research space, retail, innovation space, open space, and a dedicated facility for the MIT Museum.

The Institute’s process will turn a collaborative vision into a reality. By transforming five MIT-owned parking lots into a mix of lively uses, the Institute will contribute significantly to enhancing the life and character of the local community and will advance the pace of life-changing science by attracting innovative companies and strengthening vital collaborations within the Kendall Square ecosystem.

Consistent with its zoning approval, MIT is launching the design phase of the Initiative and looks forward to engaging in the next steps of the public review process. We invite you to explore the details of the Kendall Square Initiative, including:
Priorities: Community input significantly influenced key elements of the plan, including housing, retail, open space, historic integration, and innovation space.
Planning:  The inclusive process has brought various stakeholders together to create a collaborative vision.
Updates: MIT has started the design phase of the Initiative and will proceed with the public review process. Visit the updates section to review key progress points.
Over the next few months, we’ll add information on the plans for each parcel. Visit this site to review the progress and stay involved.

Ideas/questions?
Contact kendallsquare@mit.edu.

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

Internet of Everything: from Circuits to Systems
Wednesday, May 6
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
MIT, Building 34-401, Grier Room, 50 Vassar Street, Cambridge

The notion of the Internet of Things has caught the imagination of the person in the street who now expects her/his home, car, phone, watch, clothes, toys, etc. to be smart. The empowerment that IoT has brought to the individual makes it key that new product developments have personal interface. One is tempted to say that beyond infrastructure and with connectivity, virtually All Electronics are Personal. The nuts and bolts that enable this will be an unending stream of sensors and controllers that engineers will design. Ideally these will be microscopic in size, operate and communicate for years on contained or scrounged power and be able to accommodate to standards of communications that change over time.

We asked Professor Anantha Chandrakasan how IoT is impacting research and teaching at EECS and he has offered to convene a panel who will share with us what they are doing and how they are preparing for the future

Anantha Chandrakasan will speak on Silicon Systems for IoT.
He is the Keithley Professor of Electrical Engineering and has been Head since July 2011 of the MIT Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He received the BS, MS and Ph.D. degrees in EE and Computer Sciences from UC, Berkeley. He is the author of papers and books, several of which are in the area of ultra-low power systems. Professor Chandrakasan has received several awards including the 2013 IEEE Donald O. Pederson Award in Solid-State Circuits.

Dina Katabi will speak on Smart Homes that Adapt to our Habits and Improve our Well-Being. She is the Viterbi Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and the director of the MIT’s center for wireless networks and mobile computing. She received the BS from Damascus University, and the MS and Ph.D. from MIT. Katabi was named an ACM fellow in 2014, and a MacArthur Fellow in 2013. She has received several ACM and MIT awards for academic and professional achievement.

Sanjay Emani Sarma will speak on From RFID to Cloud Things
He is the Flowers Professor of Mechanical Engineering as Former Chairman of Research and Co-Founder of the Auto-ID Center at MIT. He received the B. Tech degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, M. Eng. From Carnegie Mellon, and Ph.D. from UC Berkeley. He has been the recipient of several awards in the Technology and Business worlds.

Program:
6:00PM – Food, soft drinks
6:30PM – Greetings from BosCESoc and BosSSCSoc
6:45PM – Greetings from host Anantha Chandrakkasan
7:00PM – Presentations
8:00PM – Q&A
Summations from Chapter Chairs: Bruce Hecht, SSCSoc and L. Dennis Shapiro, CESoc
8:30PM – Adjourn

Registration Required including your name and company/affiliation/school to Dennis Shapiro, BosCESoc@gmail.com
IEEE membership is not a requirement.
Fees: Enjoy this FREE program
To assist us better plan this meeting, please pre-register at: http://www.ieeeboston.org/Register/.

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How To Clone A Mammoth:  The Science of De-Extinction
Wednesday, May 6
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Harvard Book Store welcomes evolutionary biologist and pioneer in "ancient DNA" research BETH SHAPIRO for a discussion of her book How To Clone A Mammoth: The Science of De-Extinction.

Could extinct species, like mammoths and passenger pigeons, be brought back to life? The science says yes. In How to Clone a Mammoth, Beth Shapiro walks readers through the astonishing and controversial process of de-extinction. From deciding which species should be restored, to sequencing their genomes, to anticipating how revived populations might be overseen in the wild, Shapiro vividly explores the extraordinary cutting-edge science that is being used—today—to resurrect the past. Journeying to far-flung Siberian locales in search of ice age bones and delving into her own research—as well as those of fellow experts such as Svante Pääbo, George Church, and Craig Venter—Shapiro considers de-extinction's practical benefits and ethical challenges. Would de-extinction change the way we live? Is this really cloning? What are the costs and risks? And what is the ultimate goal?

Using DNA collected from remains as a genetic blueprint, scientists aim to engineer extinct traits—traits that evolved by natural selection over thousands of years—into living organisms. But rather than viewing de-extinction as a way to restore one particular species, Shapiro argues that the overarching goal should be the revitalization and stabilization of contemporary ecosystems. For example, elephants with genes modified to express mammoth traits could expand into the Arctic, re-establishing lost productivity to the tundra ecosystem.

Looking at the very real and compelling science behind an idea once seen as science fiction, How to Clone a Mammoth demonstrates how de-extinction will redefine conservation's future.

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Land Stewardship for Pollinator Conservation, a talk by Kelly Gill
Wednesday, May 6
7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, Cambridge

Presented by Grow Native Massachusetts

Pollinators are essential to our ecosystem—more than 85 percent of the world's flowering plants and two-thirds of our agricultural crops depend upon them for reproduction. But loss of habitat due to urbanization and use of pesticides are causing declines in both managed honeybee colonies and native pollinator populations. Come learn about the diverse world of New England’s native pollinators—bees, butterflies, flies, beetles, and wasps— and about the latest science-based approaches to reversing pollinator declines by protecting and managing habitat for these vital insects. Free and Open to the Public

Kelly Gill is the Pollinator Conservation Specialist for the Xerces Society and a Partner Biologist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. More information: http://grownativemass.org/programs/eveningswithexperts

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Alive Inside: Music as Medicine
Wednesday, May 6
7:00 PM (EDT)
Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/alive-inside-music-as-medicine-registration-15036441401

Takao Hensch, PhD, director of the Conte Center at Harvard; professor of neurology, Harvard Medical School; professor of molecular and cellular biology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University | Gottfried Schlaug, MD, PhD, director of the Music and Neuroimaging Laboratory and the Stroke Recovery Laboratory; associate professor of neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School
Imagine awakening memories, emotions, and long-extinguished passions after years of numbness. The stirring documentary Alive Inside beautifully depicts the miraculous revitalization of Alzheimer’s and dementia patients through the simple experience of listening to music. Alive Inside’s inspirational story left audiences humming, clapping, and cheering at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, where it won an Audience Award. Join us for a screening and provocative discussion to explore music and the mind, the brain’s plasticity, and the power of music to heal in cases where prescription medication falls short.
Advance registration begins at 9:00 a.m., Wednesday, April 22 (Monday, April 20 for Museum members) at mos.org/events.
This program is free thanks to the generosity of the Lowell Institute. Additional funding provided by the Richard S. Morse Fund.

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Thursday, May 7
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Comment's Mysteries
Thursday, May 7
12:00pm
MIT Media Lab, 3rd floor, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://civic.mit.edu/event/civic-media-lunch-joseph-reagle-comments-mysteries

In his new book Reading the Comments: Likers, Haters, and Manipulators at the Bottom of the Web (MIT Press, 2015) Joseph Reagle visits communities of Amazon reviewers, fan fiction authors, online learners, scammers, freethinkers, and mean kids. He shows how comment can inform (through reviews), improve (through feedback), manipulate (through fakery), alienate (through trolling and hate), shape (through social comparison), and perplex us. While we are counseled to “avoid the comments,” Reagle argues that reading the comments permits us to ask important questions about human nature and social behavior. In this talk, he will reflect on four of those questions. What’s behind the boom and bust cycle of blog, comment, and community platforms? Second, can we trust online reviews? Third, why are comments often so hostile, sexist, and racist? And finally, how can we make sense of the product review: “saved my son’s life: 4/5 stars”?

Joseph Reagle is an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Northeastern and a faculty associate at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard. He taught and received his Ph.D. at NYU’s Department of Media, Culture, and Communication. As a Research Engineer at MIT he served as an author and working group chair within the IETF and W3C on topics including digital security, privacy, and Internet policy. His current interests include geek feminism and online culture.

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Nuclear Waste as a Transnational Problem: Ethics and Governance
WHEN  Thu., May 7, 2015, 12:15 – 2 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard, HKS, Belfer Center Library, Liitauer-369, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Environmental Sciences, Ethics, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR International Security Program
SPEAKER(S)  Behnam Taebi, research fellow, International Security Program/Project on Managing the Atom
CONTACT INFO susan_lynch@harvard.edu
LINK http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/6645/nuclear_waste_as_a_transnational_problem.html

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Advancing the Status of Women in a Globalizing Japan: A 70-Year Retrospective
WHEN  Thu., May 7, 2015, 1 – 5 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard, Belfer Case Study Room (S020), Japan Friends of Harvard Concourse, CGIS South Building, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Conferences, Humanities, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Program on U.S.-Japan Relations, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs; Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies; Showa Women’s University; Showa Boston Institute for Language and Culture
COST  Free and open to the public
DETAILS  The end of the Pacific War ushered in a period of unprecedented freedom for women in Japan. In 1945, they did not even enjoy the right to vote. Seventy years later, “Womenomics,” or the equalization of gender roles in the work force, is an integral part of Prime Minister Abe’s policies to revitalize the Japanese economy. This symposium will examine how women's economic, social, and political status has advanced in postwar Japan, and what obstacles remain.
LINK http://programs.wcfia.harvard.edu/us-japan/event/symposium-advancing-status-women-globalizing-japan-70-year-retrospective

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"Towards Artificial Living Materials"
Thursday, May 7
4:00 pm
MIT, Building 10-250, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Refreshments @ 3:30 pm in 4-349 (Pappalardo Community Room)

Michael Brenner, Harvard University
Biological systems provide an inspiration for creating a new paradigm for materials synthesis. Imagine it were possible to create an inanimate material that could both perform some function, e.g. catalyze a set of reactions,  and also self replicate.   Changing the parameters governing such a system would allow the possibility of evolving materials with interesting properties by carrying out "mutation-selection" cycles on the functional outcomes. Although we are quite far from realizing such a vision in the laboratory, recent experimental advances in coating colloidal scale objects with specific glues (e.g. using complementary DNA strands) have suggested a set of theoretical models in which the possibilities of realizing these ideas can be explored in a controlled way.  This talk will describe our ongoing efforts to explore these ideas using theory and simulation, and also small scale experiments.

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After Hobby Lobby: What Is Caesar's, What Is God's?
WHEN  Thu., May 7, 2015, 4 – 6 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard, Wasserstein Hall, Milstein East BC, Harvard Law School, 1585 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Conferences, Humanities, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Petrie-Flom Center
WRITTEN BY  Free; registration required
CONTACT INFO petrie-flom@law.harvard.edu
DETAILS  As prelude to the 2015 Petrie-Flom Center Annual Conference, "Law, Religion, and Health in America," please join us for a pre-conference session examining the role of religion in the American public sphere. Our expert panel will discuss the nature of conscience and conscientious objection, religious freedom, and religious accommodation from philosophical, theological, historical, legal, and political perspectives. Panelists include:
E. J. Dionne Jr., columnist, The Washington Post; Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution
Diane L. Moore, senior lecturer on religious studies and education and senior fellow at the Center for the Study of World Religions, Harvard Divinity School
Charles Fried, Beneficial Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
Frank Wolf, representative, Virginia's 10th Congressional District, U.S. House of Representatives, 1981-2015 (retired)
Reception to follow event. Register and view the full conference agenda on our website!
Co-sponsored by the Petrie-Flom Center and the Ambassador John L. Loeb, Jr. Initiative on Religious Freedom and Its Implications at the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University, and is supported by the Oswald DeN. Cammann Fund.
LINK http://petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/events/details/after-hobby-lobby

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Police Violence and Crime in Rio de Janeiro: Evaluating the Pacifying Police Units
WHEN  Thu., May 7, 2015, 4:10 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard, Ash Center, 124 Mount Auburn St., Suite 200-North, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR HKS Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation
SPEAKER(S)  Beatriz Magaloni, associate professor and senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University
COST  Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO maisie_obrien@hks.harvard.edu
DETAILS  Police brutality and violent crime have been major problems in Rio de Janeiro. Violence has affected mostly the poor, especially those living in favelas. Using a multi-method research design, we explore some of the institutional, contextual and individual factors that account for police use of lethal force and how police violence varies through time and across space. We also present an evaluation of the Pacifying Police Units (UPPs), a form of proximity policing introduced in over 40 favelas between 2008 and 2014. Using geo-coded data on lethal violence during that period, we employ a quasi-experimental method to evaluate the extent to which the UPPs have reduced police violence and violent crime in the city of Rio de Janeiro.
LINK http://ash.harvard.edu/event/police-violence-and-crime-rio-de-janeiro-evaluating-pacifying-police-unites

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Dynamic Pricing in Ride-Sharing Platforms
Thursday, May 7
4:15p–5:15p
MIT, Building E51-395, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Ramesh Johari

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

Seminar reception immediately following the talk.

Web site: http://web.mit.edu/orc/www/seminars/seminars.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Operations Research Center
For more information, contact:
Peng Shi, Nataly Youssef, or Jerry Kung
253-6185
pengshi@mit.edu, youssefn@mit.edu, jkung@mit.edu

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Starr Forum: Evolving Security Dynamics in Asia
Thursday, May 7
4:30p–6:00p
MIT, Building E51-115, MIT Wong Auditoirum, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Ambassador Shivshankar Menon, Taylor Fravel, Vipin Narang
Ambassador Shivshankar Menon was India's former national security advisor and foreign secretary. While foreign secretary in 2008, Menon was an active voice in negotiations over the India-US civil nuclear initiative, which placed India's civil nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. As a career diplomat, he was India's ambassador to China (2000-2003) and Israel (1995-1997), as well as high commissioner to Pakistan (2003-2006) and Sri Lanka (1997-2000). In addition to this, he served in Japan and in Austria in the Embassy and the Mission to the IAEA. Earlier in his career, Menon was director in the Department of Atomic Energy in Mumbai from 1983 to 1986. Earlier this year, he was at MIT CIS as a Robert E. Wilhelm Fellow and is currently a fellow at Harvard Kennedy School.

Taylor Fravel is associate professor of political science at MIT and member of the Security Studies Program at MIT. He studies international relations, with a focus on international security, China, and East Asia.

Vipin Narang is associate professor of political science at MIT and member of the Security Studies Program at MIT. His research interests include nuclear proliferation and strategy, South Asian security, and general security studies.

Free and Open to the Public | Light refreshments will be served
Co-sponsors: MIT Center for International Studies, MIT India Program, MIT Security Studies Program
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies, Security Studies Program, MIT India Program
For more information, contact:
starrforum@mit.edu

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Climate Change & Scientific Consensus
Thursday, May 7
4:30 – 6:00 p.m.
MIT, Building E19-623, 400 Main Street, Cambridge

Naomi Oreskes, Professor of the History of Science, Harvard

Public welcome.

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Ukraine: Who Pays for the Broken Economic Model and How to Fix It?
WHEN  Thu., May 7, 2015, 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard, CGIS South Building, 1730 Cambridge Street, Room S010 (Tsai Auditorium), Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Business, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, and the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, Harvard Kennedy School
SPEAKER(S)  Andrei Kirilenko, professor of finance, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Discussant: Paul Tucker, senior fellow, Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Business School
Chair: Nadiya Kravets, GIS postdoctoral fellow, Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute; visiting scholar, Davis Center
COST  Free and open to the public
LINK http://daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu/events/ukraine-who-pays-broken-economic-model-and-how-fix-it

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"Hate Crimes in Cyberspace"
Thursday, May 7
5:00p–7:00p
MIT, Building 4-231, 182 Memorial Dr (Rear), Cambridge

Danielle Keats Citron
Most Internet users are familiar with trolling--aggressive, foul-mouthed posts designed to elicit angry responses in a site's comments. Less familiar but far more serious is the way some use networked technologies to target real people, subjecting them, by name and address, to vicious, often terrifying, online abuse. In an in-depth investigation of a problem that is too often trivialized by lawmakers and the media, University of Maryland Professor of Law Danielle Keats Citron exposes the startling extent of personal cyber-attacks and proposes practical, lawful ways to prevent and punish online harassment. A refutation of those who claim that these attacks are legal, or at least impossible to stop, Hate Crimes in Cyberspace reveals the serious emotional, professional, and financial harms incurred by victims.

Persistent online attacks disproportionately target women and frequently include detailed fantasies of rape as well as reputation-ruining lies and sexually explicit photographs. And if dealing with a single attacker's "revenge porn" were not enough, harassing posts that make their way onto social media sites often feed on one another, turning lone instigators into cyber-mobs.

Hate Crimes in Cyberspace rejects the view of the Internet as an anarchic Wild West.

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
For more information, contact:  Andrew Whitacre
617-324-0490
cmsw@mit.edu 

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Innovation Series Event: Pushing the Limits of Lifespan, from Innovation to Commercialization
Thursday, May 7
5:30p–8:00p
The Broad Institute 415 Main Street Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.mitforumcambridge.org/ 
Cost: Free for Students; $20 for Members; $45 for nonmembers

Speaker: Aubrey de Grey, Chief Science Officer & Co-founder,SENS Research Foundation; Sanjiv Chopra, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School; Carol Massar, Co-host of Taking Stock on Bloomberg Radio

Exploring trends in life extending research and technology and their potential for monetization.
Life extending technologies and research are evolving exponentially, from induced pluripotent stem cells (IPS), pharmacogenomics and embedded technologies to naturally derived alternative therapies and holistic approaches. In this climate, investors and consumers are left to perform high-stakes due diligence that can influence both the financial success of a company and also one's individual health.

Join us for an event that brings together both internationally renowned researchers and leading life science investors for a conversation that explores the fascinating field of life extension, its potential for monetization and role in challenging humanity's greatest adversary, mortality itself.

Open to: the general public
Cost: Free for Students; $20 for Members; $45 for nonmembers
Tickets: http://www.mitforumcambridge.org/
Sponsor(s): MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge
For more information, contact:  Amy Goggins
617-253-3937
entforumcambridge@mit.edu 

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EnergyBar!  Greentown Labs Celebrates 4 Years!
Thursday, May 7
5:30pm - 8:30pm
Greentown Labs, 28 Dane Street, Somerville
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/energybar-registration-15734097108

Join us for beer, wine and light appetizers
In partnership with the Somerville Camber of Commerce, we bring you:
B2Green Expo & EnergyBar networking event!
About EnergyBar: EnergyBar is a monthly event devoted to helping people in clean technology meet and discuss innovations in energy technology. Entrepreneurs, investors, students, and ‘friends of cleantech,’ are invited to attend, meet colleagues, and expand our growing regional clean technology community.
Light appetizers and drinks will be served starting at 5:30 pm. Suggested dress is shop floor casual.

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The Half-Wild, Half-Captive Elephants of Burma
Thursday, May 7
6:00PM
Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge

Please join the Harvard Museum of Natural History for a free and public lecture about the current state of elephant conservation in Burma.

In 1920, James Howard Williams began working in the teak logging camps of Burma (now Myanmar). Mesmerized by the intelligence, character, and humor of the great animals that hauled logs through the remote jungles, he became a gifted “elephant wallah” who championed humane treatment for the animals. The elephants led a double life, working alongside men for five hours a day, then living in the forest much like wild elephants for the remaining hours. In this free and public lecture, Author and Journalist Vicki Croke will discuss her best-selling book Elephant Company: The Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Hero and the Animals Who Helped Him Save Lives in World War II, which chronicles Williams’ life. She will also provide an overview of elephants in Myanmar today, highlighting why conservationists worry about their future.

Presented in collaboration with the Harvard Animal Studies Project

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Sustainability Collaborative
Thursday, May 7
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Venture Cafe, Cambridge Innovation Center, 1 Broadway, 5th floor,  Cambridge

The Venture Café Foundation has partnered with EcoMotion to bring the Sustainability Collaborative to monthly Venture Café gatherings.
Stay tuned for more information about this month’s Sustainability Collaborative.

Questions? Contact Sierra at sflanigan@ecomotion.us

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Strategy to Shelf:  An Insider's View on Bringing Food Products to Market
Thursday, May 7
6:30PM
Cambridge Innovation Center, Havana Center, 1 Broadway, Cambridge
RSVP at http://strategytoshelf.splashthat.com

The challenges of bringing a food product to market can be daunting. Thinking that you have a great idea, and making it a reality, can be worlds apart. How many times have you heard the words: “We were undercapitalized.” This is one of many statements, that food owners say, time-and-time again.

Our leading panel of experts are here to help you navigate your way. From product development to packaging, manufacturing, distribution and finance, we will share best practices and helpful tips for building a sustainable, profitable food product business.

SPEAKERS
Carol Coutrier, President / Massachusetts Specialty Foods Association
Carol Coutrier offers consulting services to specialty foods entrepreneurs through her company, The Launching Pad & Co. Her entrepreneurial journey began when she co-founded “Just Kids,” the first after school program for the Lincoln and Sudbury, MA public schools, focusing on the arts and performing arts. She was the co-founder and president of The Hommus Factory, Inc., the first company to introduce hommus to supermarkets in New England and the first company to add flavors to hommus. She uses the skills developed and lessons learned from this 16 year experience to help entrepreneurs grow their enterprises. Special skills include determining marketability of products, naming of products/companies, new product development, long range planning and pricing. All of her resources and contacts are available to clients for strategic advice. She is president of the Massachusetts Specialty Foods Association and is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, Northeast Chapter. She was a finalist for New England Women Business Owner’s “Business Woman of the Year” award, 1995.

Bonnie Shershow, Founder / Bonnie's Jams
Bonnie Shershow is Bonnie of Bonnie’s Jams, also known as, “ace jam-maker,” by the Washington Post. Bonnie learned to love cooking with fruit as a child in Southern California, where her family  lived surrounded by acres of fruit trees and berry bushes. The memory of that magic fruit-filled land followed Bonnie east, and the pursuit of producing the perfect jam was the constant in a long and varied career. She has been in Cambridge since attending graduate school at Harvard and began selling her jams commercially in 2000. Recognition by Food & Wine Magazine, The New York Times, and other publications expanded the sales of her products throughout New England to top shops in New York City and other areas in the Northeast and across the country to the South, to California, and now to Europe. Bonnie’s Jams is now a full-time endeavor.

Lisa Sutton, Founder / Kitchen Local
Lisa Sutton is the Founder of Kitchen Local, the North Shore's first commercial shared-use kitchen, filling a niche for small-scale food producers by providing around-the-clock modern, affordable, convenient, and permitted kitchen workspace. Prior to launching Kitchen Local, Lisa worked as the director of fund development at Opportunity Works in Newburyport. With her three kids growing older, Lisa decided to explore new professional opportunities and always had dreams of opening her own shared commercial kitchen. Lisa is a recipient of the Amesbury Chamber of Commerce 2013 Trailblazer Award.

Trish Karter, Founder / Dancing Deer
Trish Karter is the Co-Founder and former CEO of Dancing Deer Baking Company, a Boston-based producer of high-end, natural baked goods sold nationwide. Prior to her work at Dancing Deer, Trish earned her MBA at Yale University and afterwards spent years exploring her love of art. An unintended turn of events led to a return to entrepreneurship, where originally with partners, then on her own, built Dancing Deer into one of the most respected natural food brands and a leader in triple bottom line practice. Trish left Dancing Deer in 2010 to pursue her interests in nutrition, sustainability, social justice and dematerialization, which led to the founding of LightEffect Farms and explorations in Urban Agriculture. She also advises specialty food companies on capital structure and fundraising to market strategy, consumer insights and product development.

Aaron Belyea, Founder / Alphabet Arm Design
Aaron Belyea is the owner and art director of Alphabet Arm, an award-winning, full service design studio specializing in bold, creative and distinctive print design solutions. A self-taught artist, Aaron launched his graphic design career while performing in numerous bands in Boston, for which he would create a visual image that complimented the band’s music. Aaron later honed his artistic talents at The Planetary Group, overseeing the design department for this artist development company. His ability to successfully develop identities rooted in decisive, visual concepts led to the establishment of his own studio in 2001, Alphabet Arm Design. The company name comes from Aaron’s design moniker, “Alphabet Arm, ” which refers to the alphabet tattoo wrapped around one of his arms. Aaron can often be found speaking at colleges and universities as well as teaching classes and presentations for various entrepreneur / start-up organizations.

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BiblioTech:  Why Libraries Matter More Than Ever in the Age of Google
Thursday, May 7
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Harvard Book Store welcomes founding chairman of the Digital Public Library of America JOHN PALFREY for a discussion of his latest book, BiblioTech: Why Libraries Matter More Than Ever in the Age of Google.

Libraries today are more important than ever. More than just book repositories, libraries can become bulwarks against some of the most crucial challenges of our age: unequal access to education, jobs, and information.

In BiblioTech, educator and technology expert John Palfrey argues that anyone seeking to participate in the 21st century needs to understand how to find and use the vast stores of information available online. And libraries, which play a crucial role in making these skills and information available, are at risk. In order to survive our rapidly modernizing world and dwindling government funding, libraries must make the transition to a digital future as soon as possible—by digitizing print material and ensuring that born-digital material is publicly available online.

Not all of these changes will be easy for libraries to implement. But as Palfrey boldly argues, these modifications are vital if we hope to save libraries and, through them, the American democratic ideal.

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Friday, May 8
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The Color Economies
Friday, May 8
10:00 AM
Le Laboratoire, 650 East Kendall Street, Cambridge

Dan Borelli, Artist, Director of Exhibitions, Harvard University, Graduate School of Design
What is your hidden color profile? How does color guide your choices? Where is color in your everyday life? This workshop will involve models, color tests, and surveys in a participatory group setting to explore our various relationships to color. This event will share the brief histories of color as it moves across mediums, such as paint versus light, as well as across cultures for not every culture has the same language sets for colors. We’ll track the movement of color across knowledge sets and economies and we’ll delve into contemporary color constructs and systems. This is not a prescriptive lecture format that shares facts but rather we’ll openly experience the slippery subjectivity of one of the most personalized aspects of our perceptual, psychological, and emotional element that permeates our daily existence: What is Your Color?

This is free, open to the public of all ages, and there is no skill level required.
RSVP by emailing programs@lelaboratoirecambridge

Dan Borelli holds a Master in Design Studies from Harvard University, Graduate School of Design with a concentration in Art, Design, and the Public Domain and a BFA in Printmaking from Rhode Island School of Design and was selected to attend their Rome Program for a full academic year. Since 2000, Dan he has worked at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design as the Director of Exhibitions and has managed well over a hundred exhibits at a variety of scales with subjects ranging from Architecture, Art, Landscape, and Urban Design.

In 2010 and as part of his Master studies at Harvard, Dan started an art-based research inquiry into the Nyanza Superfund Site in Ashland Massachusetts and the subsequent social histories. The site is named after the Nyanza Colorant Plant, which is one of the first color plants in the US that produced chemically based color for the textile and food industries. Dan’s project tracks these color histories and the subsequent hidden narrative of activism that defines the depth of commitment that Ashland citizens have shown towards remediation. This project consists of an exhibit within the EPA’s Field Repository in the Ashland Public Library, an event where the existing streetlights will shift in chroma to light up the below grade contamination that persists, and a permanent memorial garden. In July 2014, this project has been awarded an ArtPlace America Grant.

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Go Boston 2030 Visioning Lab
Friday, May 8
11:30-7:30
China Trade Center, 2 Boylston Street, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/register?orderid=416200568103&client_token=07a3c655ac614bcc8a1b976688d5f6c4&eid=16422121006

More information at http://goboston2030.org/participate/#vision

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

Houghton Lecture - Quantifying climate forcings and feedbacks in coupled climate simulations of the last millennium
Friday, May 8
2:00p–3:30p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus), Cambridge

Speaker: David Battisti
Houghton Lecture
Supported through the Houghton Fund, Houghton Lecturers are distinguished visitors from outside MIT who we invite to spend a period of time, ranging from a week to several months as scientists-in-residence within our Program. During their stay it is customary for each lecturer to offer a short-course or a series of lectures on some topic of wide interest. Houghton Lecturer recommendations are welcome throughout the year. Contact Raffaele Ferrari with your suggestions.

Web site: http://eaps-www.mit.edu/paoc/events/david-battisti-quantifying-climate-forcings-and-feedbacks-coupled-climate-simulations-last-mi
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
For more information, contact:  Jen Fentress
617-253-2127

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

Media Lab Conversations Series: Christine Sun Kim and Joi Ito
Friday, May 8
2:30pm - 4:00pm
MIT Media Lab, 3rd Floor Atrium, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
This talk will be webcast at http://www.media.mit.edu/events/medialabtalk/
Join the conversation on Twitter: #MLTalks

Christine Sun Kim uses the medium of sound through technology, performance, and drawing to investigate and rationalize her relationship with sound and spoken languages. Selected group exhibitions and performances include: Sound Live Tokyo, Tokyo; LEAP, Berlin; Carroll / Fletcher, London; nyMusikk, Oslo; Andquestionmark, Stockholm; Southern Exposure, San Francisco; Recess Activities, New York; Calder Foundation, New York; and the Museum of Modern Art, New York. She has collaborated on sound projects with artists such as Devonté Hynes, Thomas Benno Mader, Wolfgang Müller, and Alison O’Daniel, and was a recipient of Artist Residency at Whitney Museum, Haverford College, Southern Exposure, University Texas and Fellowship at TED. She works and lives in New York and Berlin. www.christinesunkim.com

All talks at the Media Lab, unless otherwise noted, are open to the public.

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

Toxic Injustice:  A Transnational History of Exposure and Struggle
Friday, May 8
3:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Harvard Book Store welcomes environmental scholar and activist SUSANNA RANKIN BOHME for a discussion of her book Toxic Injustice: A Transnational History of Exposure and Struggle.

The pesticide dibromochloropropane, known as DBCP, was developed by the chemical companies Dow and Shell in the 1950s to target wormlike, soil-dwelling creatures called nematodes. Despite signs that the chemical was dangerous, it was widely used in U.S. agriculture and on Chiquita and Dole banana plantations in Central America. In the late 1970s, DBCP was linked to male sterility, but an uneven regulatory process left many workers—especially on Dole’s banana farms—exposed for years after health risks were known.

Susanna Rankin Bohme tells an intriguing, multilayered history that spans fifty years, highlighting the transnational reach of corporations and social justice movements. Toxic Injustice links health inequalities and worker struggles as it charts how people excluded from workplace and legal protections have found ways to challenge power structures and seek justice from states and transnational corporations alike.

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

Challenges and opportunities in the production of renewable chemicals and fuels in Brazil and the US
Friday, May 8
3:00p–4:00p
MIT, Building 32-123, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Reception at 2:30pm

Bernardo Gradin was born in Bahia, Brazil in 1964. He is a civil engineer by trade, with an undergraduate degree from Politechnic School of Federal University of Bahia (1988), MA in International Studies from University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from The Wharton School of Business (1993).

He worked at the Odebrecht Group from 1988 to 1999 in Brazil and the U.S. In 2000 he moved to Braskem, where he was CEO from 2008 to 2010.

In 2011 Gradin founded and became CEO of GranBio, an industrial biotechnology company and became president of Inspirare Institute, a non-profit organization oriented to foster basic education in Brazil.

Gradin is a board member of ABIQUIM (Brazilian Chemical Association), board member of CNPEM (Brazilian National Labs), leader of the CNI Bioeconomy Commission and chairman of the Chemistry & Advanced Material Community at the World Economic Forum.

Web site: http://web.mit.edu/cheme/news/lewis/lewis-2015.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Chemical Engineering Department
For more information, contact:  Melanie Kaufman
617-253-6500
melmils@mit.edu 

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

Carbon and Its Discontents:  The Futures of Energy History
Friday, May 8
4:00-5:30 p.m.
Harvard, Robinson Hall Lower Library, 35 Quincy Street, Cambridge

Speakers:
Lisa M. Brady, Professor, Boise State University, and Editor, journal of Environmental History
Rania Ghosn, Assistant Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Christopher F. Jones, Assistant Professor, Arizona State University
Edward Melillo, Associate Professor, Amherst College
Sara B. Pritchard, Associate Professor, Cornell University
Paul Sabin, Associate Professor, Yale University
Arianne Tanner, Chair for Science Studies, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich
Julia Adeney Thomas, Associate Professor, University of Notre Dame
Conevery B. Valencius, Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts, Boston

This event is open to the public.

More information at http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~histecon/carbon/index.html

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Saturday, May 9
---------------------

Humanitarian Technology Festival
Saturday, May 9, 9:00 AM - Sunday, May 10 at 4:00 PM (EDT)
MIT Media Lab, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/humanitarian-technology-festival-tickets-15879743741
Cost:  $15.00

Join us for the Humanitarian Technology Festival on May 9 and 10 at the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, MA. This two-day gathering will bring people together who are passionate about leveraging technology and creative media for humanitarian aid and disaster response. This event is designed to support dialogues between field practitioners, media makers and storytellers, technology developers, information security practitioners, members of affected populations, researchers, and everyone in between.

Through collaborative workshops and knowledge-sharing sessions, we'll strive to build capacity for humanitarian aid and disaster response efforts. This will be a sibling event to the MIT Humanitarian Technology Conferencetaking place later that week.
Tweet with hashtag: #humtech
Contact us: humtechfestival@aspirationtech.org

What is on the agenda?
To foster a collaborative ethos that reflects the needs, passions, and talents of the people in the room, the agenda topics are emergent, based on input from participants before and during the event. The event will be run using our participatory event methodologies.
We anticipate session topics ranging from existing HA/DR tools, social media strategy, database management, tool gaps and needs, storytelling methods, and even self-care for organizers.
We will begin at 9:00 AM on both days, and end at 19:00 (7pm) on Saturday and 16:00 (4pm) on Sunday. Breakfast and lunch will be served both days, with ample coffee provided.

Get in touch if you have any questions: humtechfestival@aspirationtech.org

We hope to see you there!

Aspiration is co-organizing this event with the Humanitarian Technology Conference, Humanitarian Toolbox, City Awake, and the MIT Media Lab.

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

Go Boston 2030 Visioning Lab
Saturday, May 9
10am-4pm
China Trade Center, 2 Boylston Street, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/register?orderid=416200568103&client_token=07a3c655ac614bcc8a1b976688d5f6c4&eid=16422121006

More information at http://goboston2030.org/participate/#vision

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Mid-Cambridge Plant Swap
Saturday, May 9
12 to 2pm
Fayette Park, Cambridge

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

Stand Against Racism
Saturday, May 9 
2:00 – 4:00 pm
Museum of Science, Gordon Current Science & Technology Center, 1 Science Park, Boston
----------------------------

Rambax, MIT Senegalese Drum Ensemble
Saturday, May 9
3:00p
W20, MIT Student Center Steps, 84 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

RAMBAX MIT Senegalese Drum Ensemble. Lamine Tour??, director. Outdoor Concert. 3pm, MIT Stratton Student Center steps. Rain Location: Lobdell, Student Center. Free.

Web site: mta.mit.edu
Open to: the general public
Cost: FREE
Sponsor(s): Music and Theater Arts
For more information, contact:  Clarise Snyder
mta-request@mit.edu

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

Rising Waters/Rising Tides on Muddy River with ArtWeek Boston
Saturday, May 9
3:00 PM to 5:00 PM (EDT)
Riverway Park on the Emerald Necklace, Longwood T stop on the Riverway, Chapel Street, Brookline

Susan Israel, Energy Necklace Project
Bring your wellies, because you’ll need them! Not Really – not now, but eventually we all will. Come on out and see how high the flood water will go if we get a super storm at high tide. Will it come all the way to Longwood Ave at the Muddy River? What about in 2050 and 2100, after sea level starts to rise? Come find out and spear a fish to show where the river bank will be. Join Susan Israel, project artist of Rising Tides, in marking the flood levels with fish to show the impact of rising sea levels due to climate change. Chat about where the project has been and its future plans, and find out how you can get involved. By Susan Israel of the Energy Necklace Project. Free. All ages. Will happen in drizzle but not in steady rain! Ground may be messy.
Rising Waters/Rising Tides will be installed on the Muddy River as part of the Seen/Unseen group exhibition of Studio Without Walls, April  25 - May 17. Join the artist at the opening reception April 26th, 1-3pm. www.studiowithoutwalls.org.
ArtWeek Boston: http://www.artweekboston.org/event/rising-tides-on-the-muddy-river/
FAQs
Don't bring a paper ticket- just sign up and come!
Are there ID requirements or an age limit to enter the event
All ages, will be near water.
What are my transport/parking options getting to the event?
Get off of Longwood MBTA station on D, Green Line, walk into Riverway Park

Where can I contact the organizer with any questions?
EnergyNecklace@gmail.com

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Monday, May 11
---------------------

MASS Seminar - Susan van den Heever (Colorado State University)
Monday, May 11
12:00a–1:00p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)

Speaker: Susan van den Heever

MASS Seminar

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Atmospheric Science Seminars (MASS)
For more information, contact:  MASS organizing committee
mass@mit.edu

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

Brown Bag Talk with Micah Altman, Scholarly Communications in the Age of Big Data - Rules of Practical Information Economics
Monday, May 11
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building E25-401, 45 Carleton, Cambridge

Speaker: Micah Altman
More content is being created by scientists and scholars than ever -- and vastly greater collections of information are the subject of science as scholarship. Simultaneously, the community of users for and uses of this information are changing. This talk reflects on trends in the generation and use of durable information assets in scholarship and science, and on the changing relationship between consumers, purchasers and funders.

Information Science Brown Bag talks, hosted by the Program on Information Science, consists of regular discussions and brainstorming sessions on all aspects of information science and uses of information science and technology to assess and solve institutional, social and research problems. These are informal talks. Discussions are often inspired by real-world problems being faced by the lead discussant.

Web site: http://informatics.mit.edu/event/brown-bag-talk-micah-altman-scholarly-communications-age-big-data-rules-practical
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Libraries
For more information, contact:  Chen, Andrew
6172533044
achen0@mit.edu 

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Eversource MIT Clean Energy Prize Showcase & Grand Prize Award Ceremony
MIT Clean Energy Prize
Monday, May 11
3:00 PM to 6:30 PM (EDT)
MIT, Kresge Auditorium, 48 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/eversource-mit-clean-energy-prize-showcase-grand-prize-award-ceremony-tickets-15896985311

Join us on May 11 for the MIT Clean Energy Prize Showcase & Award Ceremony. At the showcase (3:00pm – 5:00pm) you'll have an opportunity to meet this year's semifinalist teams and to vote on your favorite team. At the Award Ceremony (5:00pm – 6:30pm) prize winners will be announced for the Audience Choice Awards, the competition Track Awards, as well as the $75,000 DOE EERE and $200,000 Eversource Grand Prize Awards. You'll also hear from our three exciting keynote speakers.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Alex Laskey, President and Founder, OPower
Jon Wellinghoff, former Chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Jigar Shah, President and Co-founder, General Capital;  Founder, SunEdison

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

The Heterogeneous Effects of Summer Jobs: Evidence from Two Field Experiments - joint with Development
Monday, May 11
4:00p–5:30p
MIT, E62-650, 100 Main Street, Cambridge

Speaker: Sara Heller (University of Pennsylvania)

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Microeconomic Applications
For more information, contact:  economics calendar
econ-cal@mit.edu 

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

“Climate Change: Science, Policy, and Communication”
Monday, May 11
4:30 pm
MIT, Building E51, Wong Auditorium, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge

Mario J. Molina, 2015
Mario J. Molina (b. 1943) is one of the leading scientists in the world, dedicated to atmospheric chemistry. He co-authored with Frank Sherwood Rowland the 1974 Nature article predicting the depletion of the ozone layer as a direct consequence of the emissions of certain industrial gases, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The “CFC-ozone depletion theory” led to their earning the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry jointly with Paul J. Crutzen. Professor Molina’s research and publications on the subject also influenced the United Nations Montreal Protocol, a landmark international agreement designed to protect the ozone layer.

Professor Molina earned his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, a postgraduate degree from the University of Freiburg, Germany, and a PhD in physical chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. He holds a joint appointment at the University of California, San Diego, in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He was Institute Professor at MIT between 1989 and 2004 and has held research and teaching positions at the Universidad Autónoma de México, the University of California, Irvine, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology.

Professor Molina is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine in the United States. Since April 2011, he has been one of the 21 scientists who serve on President Barack Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. For his contribution to science, Professor Molina has received numerous awards, including more than 30 honorary degrees, the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, the UNEP-Sasakawa Environment Prize, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the United Nations Champion of the Earth Award. In Mexico, he presides over the Mario Molina Center for Strategic Studies on Energy and Environment, which conducts research and promotes public policies. The Center focuses on strategic studies of energy and the environment, particularly in the field of climate change and air quality.

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

Askwith Forum: Transforming Teaching
WHEN  Mon., May 11, 2015, 5:30 – 7 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard, Longfellow Hall, 13 Appian Way, Cambridge
TYPE OF EVENT Discussion, Forum, Lecture, Question & Answer Session
PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT  AskWith Forum
BUILDING/ROOM  Askwith Hall
CONTACT NAME  Roger Falcon
CONTACT EMAIL  askwith_forums@gse.harvard.edu
CONTACT PHONE  617-384-9968
SPONSORING ORGANIZATION/DEPARTMENT Harvard Graduate School of Education
REGISTRATION REQUIRED  No
ADMISSION FEE This event is free and open to the public.
RSVP REQUIRED No
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Education
DETAILS  Moderator: Jal Mehta, Associate Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Panelists:
Anthony S. Bryk, Ed.D.’77, President, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Jeff Duncan-Andrade, Associate Professor of Raza Studies and Education, San Francisco State University; Co-Founder, Teaching Excellence Network
Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers
Description:  Imagine a world in which every child has a great teacher, where strong graduates choose teaching careers, and where knowledge about good teaching is readily available and accessible. In this Askwith Forum, our panel explores ways to transform the teaching profession into one that is committed to building practitioners' skills over time. Join us as we examine what it would take to develop the systems, the institutions, and the teachers we need to achieve educational equity and prepare all students for the challenges of the future.
This forum is being held in conjunction with the Building Expertise in Teaching Project. For more information, visit totransformteaching.com.

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

Innovative Technologies for the Food of the Future:  Approaches to Preserve Original Flavors in Mass-Produced Foods
May 11, 2015
6:30pm - 9pm
MIT, Medialab, Silverman Skyline Room 100 Main Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://innovation-and-food-conference.eventbrite.com

Welcome by Conference Organizers Expo Milan 2015 Presentation
Viola Buitoni
Sixth generation member of the famed Buitoni pasta & Perugina chocolate family. She will talk about the importance of transferring the original taste and regional ingredients to food mass-production. She will also share her long entrepreneurial experience.
Claudia Vitelli
President, Vitelli Foods LLC. Under her leadership the LUIGI VITELLI® brand has grown to be the leading marketer of Authentic Italian Foods. She continue to lead the effort to protect the consumer from fraudulent Italian Products.
Fiorenzo Omenetto
Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Tufts University. He will cover the latest expe- rimental methods to preserve foods.
Caleb Harper
Founder of the CityFARM research group within the City Science Initiative at the MIT Media Lab and consultant for Barilla. He will provide an overview on indoor farming techniques that allow producers to grow particular flavors in produces.
Conclusions by Conference Organizers 
Networking Reception

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Tuesday, May 12
----------------------

Humanitarian Technology 2015
Tuesday, May 12
8AM - 5PM
Le Méridien Cambridge

Humanitarian Technology: Science, Systems and Global Impact is an exciting, relevant and technically focused international conference designed to explore emerging technologies that further enable global humanitarian assistance. HumTech2015 is being held on 12 – 14 May 2015 at the beautiful Le Méridien Cambridge-MIT. Anchoring the renowned University Park at MIT, the conference venue is conveniently located in Cambridge’s vibrant innovation district, home to high-tech firms and leading academic institutions.

HumTech2015 will provide a forum for scientists, engineers, field workers and policymakers to discuss current research and exchange technical ideas that advance global humanitarian action

Humanitarian Technology 2015 Tracks:
Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief
Health and Disease Management
Public Safety and Emergency Management
Emerging Technologies
International Development, Poverty Alleviation and Food Security
Water, Energy, Agriculture, Policy, Security, Education, …

Email:  info@humanitariantechnology.org
Website:  http://www.humanitariantechnology.org/

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

Technology State House Day 2015: The Internet of Things in Massachusetts
Tuesday, May 12 
10:00 AM to 1:00 PM (EDT)
Hall of Flags, Massachusetts State House, Boston

The Tech Hub Caucus, co-chaired by Senator Spilka and Representative Ferrante, will host the 3rd Technology State House Day on the subject of "Internet of Things in Massachusetts". Meet leaders from the local tech and startup community and learn about Massachusetts-based companies leading the Internet of Things (IoT) technology revolution.
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to technology that enables devices and applications ("things") to communicate seamlessly with one another to become part of a connected whole that transfers data through the cloud and transforms it into useful information for people, business and institutions. Examples of IoT in Massachusetts are biometric wearables for healthcare, smart traffic lights for cities, and connected thermostats for energy.

The event will feature live technology demonstrations running throughout from local tech firms and home-grown startups showcasing innovative IoT technologies and devices changing the way we live and work. During the second half of the event, "Table Talk"breakouts will be led by tech companies and key legislators to focus on specific IoT applications relevant in MA today.
Program Agenda
10:00 am  Technology Demos Begin
10:30 am  Welcoming remarks by Tech Caucus Co-Chairs Senator Spilka & Representative Ferrante
10:45 am  Keynote "Internet of Things 101"  Chris Rezendes, Founder & Partner, Inex Advisors
Remarks from Jay Ash, Secretary of Housing and Economic Development for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
11:45 am  Concurrent Table Talks 
Government Solutions: How IoT is introducing cost savings, efficiency, and data to policymakers, state and local government.
Connected Healthcare: How wearable devices and other IoT technologies are changing healthcare delivery, managing chronic diseases, and addressing rising costs in medicine.
12:25 pm  Concurrent Table Talks
Smarter Energy: How IoT technology is improving energy delivery and efficiency while reducing costs and risks through smarter, greener and sustainable infrastructure.
Transportation: How powerful IoT solutions can transform transportation delivery and management at the state and local level.
1:00 pm  Closing Remarks 

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

Economic Inequality and Technology: How Knowledge Sharing Helps
Tuesday, May 12
12:00 pm
Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, 23 Everett Street, Second Floor, Cambridge
RSVP required for those attending in person vat https://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2015/05/Bessen#RSVP
Event will be webcast live on https://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2015/05/Bessen at 12:00 pm.

with Jim Bessen in conversation with Karim Lakhani
Today we feel the impact of technology everywhere except in our paychecks. In the past, technological advancements dramatically increased wages, but during the last three decades, the median wage has remained stagnant. Machines have taken over much of the work of humans, destroying old jobs while increasing profits for business owners. The threat of ever-widening economic inequality looms, but in his new book, Learning by Doing: The Real Connection Between Innovation, Wages, and Wealth, James Bessen argues that it is not inevitable. Workers can benefit by acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to implement rapidly evolving technologies. Sharing knowledge is an important part of that process, including via open standards and employee job-hopping. At this event, Bessen will have a conversation with Berkman Faculty Associate Karim Lakhani about knowledge sharing, past and present, about government policies that discourage sharing, and about the broader issue of slow wage growth.

About Jim
James Bessen studies the economics of innovation and patents. He has also been a successful innovator and CEO of a software company. Currently, Mr. Bessen is Lecturer in Law at the Boston University School of Law.

Bessen has done research on whether patents promote innovation, why innovators share new knowledge, and how technology affected worker skills historically. His research first documented the large economic damage caused by patent trolls. His work on software patents with Eric Maskin (Nobel Laureate in Economics) and Robert Hunt has influenced policymakers in the US, Europe, and Australia. With Michael J. Meurer, Bessen wrote Patent Failure (Princeton 2008), highlighting the problems caused by poorly defined property rights. His new book, Learning by Doing: The Real Connection Between Innovation, Wages, and Wealth (Yale 2015), looks at history to understand how new technologies affect wages and skills today. Bessen’s work has been widely cited in the press as well as by the White House, the U.S. Supreme Court, judges at the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the Federal Trade Commission.

In 1983, Bessen developed the first commercially successful “what-you-see-is-what-you-get” PC publishing program, founding a company that delivered PC-based publishing systems to high-end commercial publishers. Intergraph Corporation acquired the company in 1993.

About Karim
Karim R. Lakhani is an Associate Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School and the Principal Investigator of the Crowd Innovation Lab and NASA Tournament Lab at the Institute for Quantitative Social Science. He specializes in the management of technological innovation in firms and communities. His research is on distributed innovation systems and the movement of innovative activity to the edges of organizations and into communities. He has extensively studied the emergence of open source software communities and their unique innovation and product development strategies. He has also investigated how critical knowledge from outside of the organization can be accessed through innovation contests. Currently Professor Lakhani is investigating incentives and behavior in contests and the mechanisms behind scientific team formation through field experiments on the TopCoder platform and the Harvard Medical School.

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

Japan’s Search for Security
WHEN  Tue., May 12, 2015, 12:30 – 2 p.m.
WHERE  Harvard, Bowie-Vernon Room (K262), CGIS Knafel Building, 1737 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Program on U.S.-Japan Relations
SPEAKER(S)  Haruo Iguchi
Nagoya University
Miri Iizuka, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
Ken Usui, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Thomas Berger, associate professor of International Relations, Boston University
Susan Pharr, Edwin O. Reischauer Professor of Japanese Politics and Director, Program on U.S.-Japan Relations, Harvard University
COST  Free and open to the public
LINK http://programs.wcfia.harvard.edu/us-japan/calendar/upcoming

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

The Truth About Trust: A Scientific Perspective on Determining if We Can Trust Others (or Even Ourselves) 
Tuesday, May 12
4:00 p.m.
Northeastern, Cabral Center, 40 Leon Street, Boston

Dr. David DeSteno, Professor, Psychology 

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

Mr. Robot
Tuesday, May 12
7:00p
MIT, Building 26-100, 60 Vassar Street, Cambridge

This is a FREE advance screening of a TV show pilot!
Winner of the Audience Award at SXSW!

Mr. Robot follows Elliot (Rami Malek), a brilliant computer expert with a fondness for hoodies, recreational heroin use and using his internet skills for vigilante justice. Facing the world with an awkward, Zuckerberg-esque affect, Elliot hates the world in front of him and wants to change it, one asshole at a time. But when he meets the leader of "fsociety" (played by Christian Slater) ??? a hacker even more anarchic and skilled than him, who's interested in truly tearing down the whole system ??? that point of view is put to the test.

Web site: http://lsc.mit.edu/schedule/current/desc-mrrobot.shtml
Open to: the general public
Cost: FREE
Sponsor(s): LSC
For more information, contact:  MIT Lecture Series Committee
617-253-3791
lsc@mit.edu 

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Upcoming Events
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Wednesday, May 13
--------------------------

Polymer Mechanochemistry and Self-Healing Materials
Wednesday, May 13
3:30p–4:45p
MIT, Building 54-100 (the tallest building on campus)

Speaker: Prof. Jeffrey S. Moore, Dept. of Chemistry, University of Illinois
MIT Program in Polymers and Soft Matter (PPSM)
PPSM sponsors a series of seminars covering a broad range of topics of general interest to the polymer community, featuring speakers from both on and off campus. We invite the polymer community at MIT and elsewhere to participate. For further information, contact Professor Jeremiah Johnson at jaj2109@mit.edu. All talks take place on Wednesdays.

SEMINAR 3:30 PM - REFRESHMENTS 3:00 PM NOTE: 54-100 is our location for this week and April 1st only. All other Spring 2015 PPSM seminars will take place in 56-114.

Web site: http://polymerscience.mit.edu/?page_id=2425
Open to: the general public
Cost: FREE
Sponsor(s): MIT Program in Polymers and Soft Matter (PPSM)
For more information, contact:
Gregory Sands
(617) 253-0949
ppsm-www@mit.edu

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

Re-thinking Psychology Research with Jerome Kagan - A Complex Systems Problem?
Wednesday, May 13
4:00-6:00 PM
NECSI 210 Broadway, Suite 101, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.necsi.edu/events/upcomingevents.html

Psychology research is haunted by the “ghosts" of unfounded assumptions and flawed methodologies. After a half century career as a pre-eminent researcher and author, Prof. Jerome Kagan, challenges us to free our thinking from these unnecessary ghosts, and re-evaluate the way we move forward in understanding the mind.

“Psychology’s Ghosts” presents us with a few controversial questions, but also invites us to think of psychology as a complex problem. The root cause of a psychological state lies at the intersection of multiple causal forces and observational signatures: biological, social, cultural, educational, medical, and behavioral. New data, paired with a sensitivity for identifying emergent patterns can help psychologists escape the "one-size treatment fits-all” trap. As new data collection technologies become more powerful and accessible, psychologists can learn to combine multiple methodologies and concepts and apply more advanced systems thinking and analysis to progress toward solving the "mind puzzle."

Fundamentally, understanding the mind is a complex systems problem.

We welcome you to join us for the presentation of Prof. Kagan at our Complexity Salon on Wednesday, the 13th of May. Do you have questions for one of the greatest figures of Developmental Psychology?

Get ready for one of the most exciting discussions of research, complexity science and psychology. The venue will be NECSI's offices at 210 Broadway, Cambridge, however depending on the number of attendees we may relocate to MIT's Media Lab. The event will also be streamed online.
----------------------------

Smart Cities through Resiliency and Sustainability
Wednesday, May 13
5:30p–8:30p
UK Trade & Investment, One Broadway, 7th Floor, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.mitforumcambridge.org/events/smartcities/
Cost:  0 - $30

Join us to learn:
What are the critical challenges to resolve: political, technological, and behavioral?
Where are the opportunities for entrepreneurs and what are the new innovations in microgrid, cloud technologies, sensors and analytics?
How can we best leverage our substantial ecosystem?
How to aggregate data, connect the city, provide actionable information and, of course, bring down the cost?
About exciting new technologies from intelligent trash cans to connected cars to nano-grids.
Moderator:
Ruthbea Yesner Clarke, Research Director Smart City Strategies at IDC

Panel:
Ryan Chin, Managing Director, City Science Initiative, MIT Media Lab
Jascha Franklin-Hodge, CIO, City of Boston and MIT Alumni
Brian Phillips, EVP Strategic Planning and Marketing, Bigbelly
Bic Stevens, Principal, Stevens Capital Advisors

Web site: http://www.mitforumcambridge.org/events/smartcities/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free for Students
Sponsor(s): MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge
For more information, contact:  Amy Goggins
617-253-3937
entforumcambridge@mit.edu

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Strategic Partners in Cleantech Panel Discussion #5:  Partnerships with Municipalities
May 14, 2015
5:30 – 8:30PM
Greentown Labs, 28 Dane St, Somerville
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/strategic-partners-in-cleantech-panel-discussion-5-partnerships-with-municipalities-tickets-16802754491

Learn how to work with cities, towns, and local government to pilot test your technologies!
Networking: 5:30 – 6:30PM
Panel Discussion: 6:30 – 7:30PM
Networking to follow

Confirmed panelists include:
Paul McManus, Sr Lecturer of Strategy & Innovation, Boston University, Moderator
Oliver Sellers-Garcia, Director of Sustainability & Environment, City of Somerville
Jeremy McDiarmid, Sr Director for Innovation & Industry Support, Massachusetts Clean Energy CenterCammy Peterson, Clean Energy Manager, Metropolitan Area Planning Council

The panel discussion will shed light on how startups can work with municipalities to test and demonstrate their early-stage technologies. Startups will explore the role of the municipality as a potential early adopter. Representatives from local municipalities and local agencies will share models for collaboration that have succeeded or are currently being shaped.

This is the LAST installment of a five-part speaker series sponsored by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. Our previous panels featured a discussion on Corporate Strategic Partners versus Venture Capitalists, IP and Legal Considerations in Dealmaking with Strategic Partners, How to Pitch to Strategic Partners, and How to Raise Mission-Driven Capital.
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Boston Talks: The Bicycle Revolution
Thursday, May 14
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM (EDT)
WGBH, 1 Guest Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/boston-talks-the-bicycle-revolution-tickets-15813185664
Cost:  $11.54

Grab your friends and join us for WGBH’s take on happy hour—inspiring conversation plus wine and local craft brews for $5 a glass. Hear from and connect with local experts in a variety of fields while enjoying the great company of your neighbors from Boston and beyond.

BostonTalks: The Bicycle Revolution
Now bigger than ever in Boston — where the "Car is no longer the king" — bicycling is a hot topic in and outside the city, and we're going to explore it from a variety of perspectives. Join the founder of the bike tourism company Bikabout, Megan Ramey and others to discuss the bicycle revolution.

Meet the Host
Edgar Herwick is the guy behind WGBH's Curiosity Desk, where the quest is to dig a little deeper into (and sometimes look a little askew at) topics in the news, and search for answers to questions posed by the world around us. His features can be seen on WGBH's Greater Boston and heard on 89.7 WGBH's Morning Edition and All Things Considered. He also appears regularly with Jim Braude and Margery Eagan on Boston Public Radio. Follow him on Twitter @ebherwick3.

More About the Series
BostonTalks is throwing the formal panel discussion out the window. Each event combines short speaking programs, drinks, and a chance for you to join the conversation. Think happy hour, but smarter.

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Nerd Nite Returns
Thursday, May 14
8:00pm
Trident Booksellers and Cafe, 338 Newbury Street, Boston

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Friday, May 15
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Social Policy Lab: a systemic approach
Friday, May 15
8:30a–1:00p
MIT, Building E25-111

Speaker: Various speakers mostly from MIT
Social security currently faces a variety of emerging risks. To date, the solutions proposed by social scientists to address these risks have failed to employ a truly multi-entity and interdisciplinary approach.

Additionally, said approaches often failed to take into account key fields of knowledge such as medicine and the biological sciences. In an effort to achieve a cross-functional approach, leading scientists in the fields of healthcare, biology, aging, economics and education will meet to discuss and evaluate the main risks currently faced by social protection. The goal is to generate innovative policies that promote societal well being

Registration required by May 12th:
http://tinyurl.com/pwnjmh4
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT-Mexico Program, Center for International Studies, CISS, US Social Security Administration
For more information, contact:  Griselda Gomez
252-1483
gomezg@mit.edu 

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Design, Diversity and Digital Learning - Reframing 21st Century Education
Thursday, May 14
3:00p–4:00p
MIT, Building 3-270, 33 Massachusetts Ave (Rear), Cambridge
http://odl.mit.edu/news-and-events/events/design-diversity-and-digital-learning-reframing-21st-century-education

Speaker: Leigh Abts
ODL xTalks: Digital Discourses
The xTalks series provides a forum to facilitate awareness, deep understanding and transference of educational innovations at MIT and elsewhere. We hope to foster a community of educators, researchers, and technologists engaged in developing and supporting effective learning experiences through online learning environments and other digital technologies.

Design is a verb and a noun. Design is a process and a product. Design is best served as inclusive. Design can be taught and practiced in the classroom or a remote setting using technology. Design can potentially reframe education and transform the 21st century workforce, starting with a universally accepted ???credit??? for design, such as an Advanced Placement (AP).

Web site: http://odl.mit.edu/news-and-events/events/design-diversity-and-digital-learning-reframing-21st-century-education
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): OEIT- Office of Educational Innovation and Technology, Office of Digital Learning
For more information, contact:  Molly Ruggles
(617) 594-4698
ruggles@mit.edu 

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Friday, May 15
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Social Policy Lab: a systemic approach
Friday, May 15
8:30a–1:00p
MIT, Building E25-111, 45 Carleton Street, Cambridge
RSVP at by May 12th:  http://tinyurl.com/pwnjmh4

Speaker: Various speakers mostly from MIT
Social security currently faces a variety of emerging risks. To date, the solutions proposed by social scientists to address these risks have failed to employ a truly multi-entity and interdisciplinary approach.

Additionally, said approaches often failed to take into account key fields of knowledge such as medicine and the biological sciences. In an effort to achieve a cross-functional approach, leading scientists in the fields of healthcare, biology, aging, economics and education will meet to discuss and evaluate the main risks currently faced by social protection. The goal is to generate innovative policies that promote societal well being

Registration required by May 12th:  http://tinyurl.com/pwnjmh4
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT-Mexico Program, Center for International Studies, CISS, US Social Security Administration
For more information, contact:  Griselda Gomez
252-1483
gomezg@mit.edu 

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Saturday, May 16
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Kite and Bike Festival
Saturday, May, 16
11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Franklin Park Playstead, Playstead & Pierpont Roads,  Dorchester

The Annual Franklin Park Kite & Bike Festival – always the Saturday after Mother’s Day. Bring a kite or buy one in the park. Ride to the festival or rent a bike for free from Boston Bikes and join a bike tour of the park. Bikes for all ages available, even for little ones with training wheels. Food trucks, craft vendors, the Boston tap water truck, and more. Barbecues welcome. It’s a family day in Franklin Park!

The Franklin Park Kite & Bike Festival is co-organized by Discover Roxbury and the Franklin Park Coalition with participation from Boston Bikes, Sparc! the art mobile, Future Boston Alliance, and Boston Parks & Recreation.

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2014/08/05/dominican-festival-boston-2014/
Franklin Park Coalition
Phone:  617-442-4141
Email:  mail@franklinparkcoalition.org
Website:  www.franklinparkcoalition.org

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Team Bike Union Climate Ride Throw Down
Saturday, May 16
8:00 PM
Hub Bicycle Company, 1036 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/team-bike-union-climate-ride-throw-down-tickets-16756505158
Cost:  $9.43

Bike Shop Partaaaaaay!
We're having a throw-down party at Hub Bicycle Co & fueld by Aeronaut Brewing Co. to raise the roof and some money to send Team Bike Union on their epic Climate Ride journey from Maine to Boston. Bring your dancing shoes because the Boston Bike Party music trailer will be rockin' the house. (Remember the January Bike Party?... yeah, pretty much THAT).  We're doing Eventbrite to manage attendance because this will sell out quick.

Your $8 entry ticket gets you 1 drink OR 5 raffle tickets. Choice is yours to make at the door.

Bring extra cash to purchase raffle tickets.

Raffle items (so far)
- Bern helmets
- Custom clothing items
- Restaurant gifters
- Custom made bike holders
- Aquarium passes
- Autographed swag
- Theater tickets
- More to come... mOAr!

See you at HUB!

XOXOXO,
Team Bike Union

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Sunday, May 17
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TEDxSomerville: REINVENT
Sunday, May 17
12:00 PM to 6:00 PM EDT
Assembly Row, 450 Artisan Way, Somerville
RSVP at https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07eakh0t1gef472011&oseq=&c=&ch=
Cost:  $43.00, $49.00 after Friday April 3, 2015, $100.00ticket upgrade

TEDxSomerville is an event celebrating the exciting ideas, art, initiatives, inventions, and other creativity that surrounds Somerville. This year, the theme is "Reinvent." Speakers, artists and musicians from around the community will share their passions, talents and ideas with diverse group of attendees.

Speakers
We'll be announcing our full list of speakers soon, but in the meantime here's a sneak peak at four TEDxSomerville REINVENT presenters:
David Delmar, the founder and executive director of  Resilient Coders.
Hannah Chung, co-founder and chief creative officer of Sproutel, the creator of Jerry the Bear - an interactive learning companion for kids with chronic illnesses.
Jay Acunzo, head of platform and community at Boston's leading seed-stage VC firm, NextView Ventures.
Katie Martell, co-founder and CMO of customer intelligence platform Cintell.
Call for Artists Closes on April 15

First off, we'd like to thank all of the artists who have already contacted us. For any other visual artists, dancers, musicians and performers who are interested in learning more about the TEDxSomerville call for artists, visit our Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/events/1579905525607307/

tickets@tedxsomerville.org

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From Uncertainty to Action:  What You Can Do About Climate Change
Sunday, May 17
3-7 PM
Hebrew College, 160 Herrick Road, Newton
RSVP at https://secure.hebrewcollege.edu/form/uncertainty-action-what-you-can-do-about-climate-change
Cost:  $18 (suggested donation)

A Jewish response to climate change
Diverse workshops led by climate activists
Climate change as a social justice issue
Special workshop for youth
Deep networking
Environmental organizations and businesses

More information at http://www.jewishclimate.org

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Monday, May 18
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Fighting Diseases in the Age of Big Data 
Monday, May 18
4pm    
Northeastern, Raytheon Amphitheater, Egan Center, 120 Forsyth Street, Boston

Alex Vespignani

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Storytelling in the Digital Age: On the Road to Immersive Journalism
Monday, May 18
6:00p–8:30p
MIT, Building E51-315, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.mitforumcambridge.org/events/immersive-journalism/
Cost:  free for students and members, $30 others

Multimedia, new graphic tools, visual storylines, interactive content, automated story-writing software, hyperlinks and emerging virtual reality are just some of the new capabilities that journalists use today to tell a story.
Register

Journalism is being digitally disrupted just as the music, movie, publishing and television industries were. How will the legacy industry respond to these digital challenges? What are the tools in use today that help journalists take advantage of digital storytelling? When an event occurs and citizens are telling the story in real time, how do journalists shift from being in control of the story to being part of the conversation? Where is innovation in the digital journalism curriculum?

Is all this a precursor to Immersive Journalism? Why read about it when you can put yourself into the story? Will Virtual Reality fundamentally change journalism?

We'll explore the world of digital journalism during our May event. What's here now? What's on the horizon? What are the opportunities for entrepreneurs to impact digital journalism? Join us to explore journalism in the digital age and the road to Immersive Journalism.

Speakers:
Tiffany Campbell, Managing Editor, Digital for WBUR
Patrick Garvin, designer and graphic artist, The Boston Globe

Web site: http://www.mitforumcambridge.org/events/immersive-journalism/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free for Students
Tickets: online
Sponsor(s): MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge
For more information, contact:  Amy Goggins
617-253-3937
entforumcambridge@mit.edu

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Tuesday, May 19
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TEDxFenway: Agitate/Innovate/Evolve
Tuesday, May 19
11:00 AM to 5:00 PM (EDT)
Berklee College of Music, 160 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/tedxfenway-agitateinnovateevolve-tickets-5737210150

Supported by The Fenway Alliance and FA-Member Berklee College of Music, TEDxFenway: Agitate/Innovate/Evolve will be held in Berklee’s newest building on 160 Massachusetts Avenue in the Fenway Cultural District. This year, TEDxFenway is focusing on the process, versus the product, of navigating the oftentimes complex task of addressing the necessary changes needed to promote progress. TEDxFenway: Agitate/Innovate/Evolve will take a deep dive into the behind-the-scenes actions of problem-solving, consensus-building, back-tracking, loss of ground, and reassessment of history that leads to true evolution in a variety of social movements, arts and technological disciplines.

The event will feature nine distinguished speakers, including three speakers from our unique audition event PreXFenway. Speakers will share their experience as an “agitator,” stepping in to introduce ideas that did not confirm to established practices; or, as someone who redirected an idea back to its source to evaluate the foundation and applicability of an obsolete solution. Topics will include gender wage inequality, working as an emerging playwright in Boston’s theatre community, policy-making and setting the design context for the City of Boston, and the influence of a STEAM-based curriculum in promoting outside-the-box thinking.
Speakers for TEDxFenway include the following:

Michael Dukakis
Former Governor of Massachusetts, US Presidential Candidate
David Hacin
Founding Principal and President, Hacin + Associates
Ted Landsmark
Board Member, Boston Redevelopment Authority; President Emeritus, Boston Architectural College
Debby Irving
Racial Justice Educator & Writer; Author of Waking Up White
Erika Ebbel Angle, PhD
Founder, Chairman and Executive Director, Science from Scientists; Co-Founder and CEO, CounterPoint Health Solutions
Ruth Jacobs Malloy, PhD
Global Managing Director, Leadership and Talent, Hay Group
Obehi Janice
Writer/Actress/Comedian, Creator and Performer of FUFU & OREOS
Dr. Nettrice Gaskins
STEAM Education Lab Director, Boston Arts Academy
Jimmy Tingle
Comedian, Commentator, Activist and Entrepreneur

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Guide to U.S. Government Practice on Global Information Sharing, Second Edition
Tuesday, May 19
12:00 pm
Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, 23 Everett Street, Second Floor, Cambridge
RSVP required for those attending in person at https://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2015/05/KropfandCohen#RSVP
Event will be webcast live on https://cyber.law.harvard.edu/events/luncheon/2015/05/KropfandCohen at 12:00 pm.

with authors John Kropf and Neal Cohen
The recently published, “Guide to U.S. Government Practice on Global Sharing of Personal Information, Second Edition”, provides an introduction to the principles, practices, and agreements behind how the U.S. government shares personal information with foreign governments - for purposes ranging from tax to counter terrorism and cyber-crime.  This information sharing is not only necessary to strengthen relations with foreign governments but to protect the country from threats, foreign and domestic.  In the past year, these issues have been most readily visible in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations and the renegotiation of the Safe Harbor Framework.

About John
John Kropf has worked in privacy and information law and policy since 1995. He serves as the Corporate Privacy Executive for Northrop Grumman. Previously, Kropf worked as deputy chief counsel for Privacy and Information Governance for Reed Elsevier and as a career member of the Senior Executive Service working as Deputy Chief Privacy Officer and Senior Adviser on International Privacy Policy for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Before joining DHS, Kropf worked for 10 years as an international lawyer with the U.S. Department of State in the Office of Legal Adviser.

About Neal
Neal Cohen is a New York and English qualified lawyer in the Privacy & Security practice group at Perkins Coie LLP and a research fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. His law practice and academic research focus on the global harmonization of data protection and privacy law. Prior to joining Perkins Coie LLP, Neal spent several years practicing data protection and privacy law in London at another multinational law firm and before that, Neal clerked in the Privacy Office at the Department of Homeland Security.

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Japanese Noh Theatre Workshop
Tuesday, May 19
3:30p–5:00p
MIT, Building W20-491, 84 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Speaker: Kanji Shimizu
Come take a break from your finals and immerse yourself in Japanese theatre. Master Kanji Shimizu will be giving a workshop on Noh: The art of traditional Japanese theatre by the Tessen-kai Noh group.

Web site: https://misti.mit.edu/about-misti/events
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Sponsor(s): MIT-Japan Program
For more information, contact:  Christine Pilcavage
258-8208
csp18@mit.edu 

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Citizens' Climate Lobby Faith Leaders and New Members Meeting
Tuesday, May 19
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM (EDT)
Congregation Kehillath Israel, 384 Harvard Street, Novakoff Hall (right side entrance, follow path), Brookline

On May 19th, the Boston chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby will be holding a special new members meeting for faith leaders and other new and potential members of CCL.

Gary Rucinski, the founder of CCL Boston and now the NE region coordinator, will be leading the orientation session, the first such local event since the group started in 2011. 

The orientation program covers CCL’s origins, its emphasis on shared values, its philosophy of bipartisanship grounded in gratitude and respect for public service, its focus on citizen lobbying for carbon fee and dividend legislation (along with the mechanics and economic basis of the legislation), its methodologies of active listening, learning and sharing information, all in order to develop relationships with members of Congress, relationships with the media and with the public (and the public includes farm associations, rotary clubs, oil/gas companies, unions, you name it) — because we’re certain that by building relationships we will help get this legislation passed.
Multiple faith leaders and other new members have already signed up for the event. Veteran CCL members will also be on hand to introduce you to the group and explain how you can participate.
If you're aware of any others who would like to participate, please share the invite with them and/or send them our way.
Looking forward to seeing you there.

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Opportunity
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The Boston Network for International Development (BNID) maintains a website (BNID.org) that serves as a clearing-house for information on organizations, events, and jobs related to international development in the Boston area. BNID has played an important auxiliary role in fostering international development activities in the Boston area, as witnessed by the expanding content of the site and a significant growth in the number of users.

The website contains:

A calendar of Boston area events and volunteer opportunities related to International Development
- http://www.bnid.org/events
A jobs board that includes both internships and full time positions related to International Development that is updated daily - http://www.bnid.org/jobs
A directory and descriptions of more than 250 Boston-area organizations - http://www.bnid.org/organizations

Also, please sign up for our weekly newsletter (we promise only one email per week) to get the most up-to-date information on new job and internship opportunities -www.bnid.org/sign-up

The website is completely free for students and our goal is to help connect students who are interested in international development with many of the worthwhile organizations in the area.

Please feel free to email our organization at info@bnid.org if you have any questions!

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Intern with Biodiversity for a Livable Climate!
Biodiversity for a Livable Climate (BLC) is a nonprofit based in the Cambridge, MA area. Our mission is to mobilize the biosphere to restore ecosystems and reverse global warming.
Education, public information campaigns, organizing, scientific investigation, collaboration with like-minded organizations, research and policy development are all elements of our strategy.

Background: Soils are the largest terrestrial carbon sink on the planet. Restoring the complex ecology of soils is the only way to safely and quickly remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the ground, where it’s desperately needed to regenerate the health of billions of acres of degraded lands. Restoring carbon to soils and regenerating ecosystems are how we can restore a healthy hydrologic cycle and cool local and planetary climates safely, naturally, and in time to ensure a livable climate now and in the future.

Our Work: immediate plans include
Organizing the First International Biodiversity, Soil Carbon and Climate Week, October 31-November 9, 2014, and a kick-off conference in the Boston area, “Mobilizing the Biosphere to Reverse Global Warming: A Biodiversity, Water, Soil Carbon and Climate Conference – and Call to Action” to expand the mainstream climate conversation to include the power of biology, and to help initiate intensive worldwide efforts to return atmospheric carbon to the soils.
Coordination of a global fund to directly assist local farmers and herders in learning and applying carbon farming approaches that not only benefit the climate, but improve the health and productivity of the land and the people who depend on it.
Collaboration with individuals and organizations on addressing eco-restoration and the regeneration of water and carbon cycles; such projects may include application of practices such as Holistic Management for restoration of billions of acres of degraded grasslands, reforestation of exploited forest areas, and restoring ocean food chains.

Please contact Helen D. Silver, helen.silver@bio4climate.org for further information.
781-316-1710
Bio4climate.org
SharedHarvestCSA.com

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Climate Stories Project
http://www.climatestoriesproject.org

What's your Climate Story?
Climate Stories Project is a forum that gives a voice to the emotional and personal impacts that climate change is having on our lives. Often, we only discuss climate change from the impersonal perspective of science or the contentious realm of politics. Today, more and more of us are feeling the effects of climate change on an personal level. Climate Stories Project allows people from around the world to share their stories and to engage with climate change in a personal, direct way.

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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://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/

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

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

Cambridge Happenings:  http://cambridgehappenings.org

Cambridge Community Calendar:  https://www.cctvcambridge.org/calendar

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/

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