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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Index
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Full event information follows the Index and notices of my latest writings.
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Monday, March 7
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11:30am Privacy in a Data-Driven World
12pm A Systems-Based Approach to Startups: Why They Fail and How They Can Succeed
12pm MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar (MASS) - Gerard Roe, UW
12pm Retail Choice in Electricity: What Have We Learned in 20 Years?
12:15pm Platformizing Higher Education: Computer Science and the Making of MOOC Infrastructures
3pm Imagining synthetic biology futures and making them real
4:30pm The Destruction of Syria and the Crisis of Universal Values
5pm Mind Control: Past, Present and Future
5:30pm Perspectives on rating funds on sustainability performance
6pm The Apple-FBI Standoff
6pm Future Island: Cuba / with Magdalena Campos-Pons, Jorge Fernandez Torres, Doris Sommer, Timothy Hyde
6:30pm Food + Tech Mystery Series
7pm Annals of the Anthropocene: The Science and Policy of Earth's Atmosphere
7pm Humanitarian Happy Hour, co-hosted with Harvard's Crisis Management Professional Interest Council
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Tuesday, March 8
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Building Energy Boston Conference + Trade Show
8:30am Local Specialty Crop & Local Food Trade Shows
9am MAPC Winter Council Meeting
12pm Philip Bennett – News and Democracy: The Missing Pieces
12;30pm Global Ordering and City-Making
4pm 2016 Norton Lecture 2 of 6: "Being and Becoming the Stranger" with Toni Morrison
4pm Randomized Control Trials and Policy Making in Developing Countries
4:30pm Knight Science Journalsim Seminar with Kevin Esvelt and Marc Lipsitch
4:30pm Newsweek's Janine di Giovanni: "The Morning They Came for Us" - Reporting Syria's humanitarian crisis
4:45pm Batteries: Current and Future
5pm Women in the Developing World: Women of Thrift, Men of Capital: Gender and Economy in Palestine
6pm Divided We Fall: When Police and Communities Collide
6pm Satellites at night tracking rural electrification: Tapping 20 years of data over 600.000 villages
6pm Measuring Social Impact
6pm Mass Innovation Nights #84
6pm A Climate of Change
6:30pm "Radical Practice," hosted by Women in Design with Julia King, Susan Surface, and Others
6:30pm Next Gen Mobility: Driving the Future
7pm Science by the Pint: Annals of the Anthropocene: The Science and Policy of Earth’s Atmosphere
7pm BostonTalks Investigates: Election Update
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Wednesday, March 9
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Building Energy Boston Conference + Trade Show
12pm Building an Educational Justice Movement: Organizing against the School to Prison Pipeline
12pm Aquatic Chemistry on a Computer
12pm The China Challenge: Shaping the Choices of a Rising Power
12:30pm Financing China’s Urbanization
2:45pm Labor Markets and Poverty in Village Economies
4pm Privacy in a Data-Driven World
4pm Cohesion without cooperation: a top-down perspective on community ecology
4pm 2016 Norton Lecture Three: The Color Fetish
4pm GEEKS AND GREEKS: THE MAKING OF AN EPIC GRAPHIC NOVEL ABOUT MIT HACKS
4:10pm Why Mass Incarceration Matters to Our Cities, Economy and Democracy
4:30pm Starr Forum: Cyber Security
5pm New Cuban Ecologies
6pm Boston New Technology March 2016 Product Showcase #BNT63
6:30pm Fashion Meets Function: Using Soft Materials in Wearable Robots
6:30pm Food+Tech Mystery Speaker Series
7pm Cambridge Forum: Rotten Reportage – Do We Have the Media We Deserve?
7pm The Myth of the Spoiled Child: Coddled Kids, Helicopter Parents, and Other Phony Crises
7pm Judaism and the Environment: Foundational Texts
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Thursday, March 10
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Building Energy Boston Conference + Trade Show
8:45am Geopolitics of Energy Seminar
11am Single Molecule Imagining of a Genome Structure and Gene Expression
12pm Communicating Science
12pm Sex, Lies, and Justice: A Conversation Between Catharine MacKinnon and Ron Suskind
12:30pm Merging Building Science with Health Science: The Impact of Buildings on Health, Comfort and Productivity
5pm How Did Salafism Become an Ideology?
5pm A Conversation with Guy Maddin
5:30pm 3/11: Five Years After the Triple Disaster in Northeastern Japan
6:30pm Cargo Drones in Africa: The Next Great Leap(frog)?
7pm Nation on the Take: How Big Money Corrupts Our Democracy and What We Can Do About It
7pm Boston Area Solar Energy Association Forum: Let's Cut the Crap! (i.e. Misinformation about Solar)
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Friday, March 11
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8:30am Accessing Democracy: How Law Shapes and Influences Our Elections
11am Efficient and market-based thermal energy storage of renewable energy
12pm Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) - status and potential science studies
12pm Sourcewater!
2pm Climate Solutions Summit
2:30pm Writing Environmental History for a Chinese Audience
5pm MIT Water Night 2016
5pm Apocalyptic Hope: Infrastructure, Speculation, and “Smartness”
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Saturday, March 12
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7:30am 4th Annual Massachusetts Urban Farming Conference
10am 2016 Maple Syrup Boil Down Festival!
1pm Climate Resilient Boston
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Sunday, March 13
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9am Local Environmental Action 2016
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Monday, March 14
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12pm Hearing Heat: Acoustemology meets the Anthropocene
2:30pm Effects of Copyrights on Science: Evidence from the WWII Book Replication Program
6pm Policy Podium: Panel Discussion on Energy with Legislators and Industry Pros
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Tuesday, March 15
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8am Finding Community-Based Solutions to Food Insecurity
9am An Overview of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
3pm MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar (MASS) - Steven Barrett, MIT
4:30pm Emile Bustani Middle East Seminar: "Saudi Arabia and the Politics of Islamic Militancy"
4:30pm Understanding the Impact of War and Displacement in Cities: an Information Approach for Urban Settings
5pm Tufts Innovation Spotlight
6:30pm CSR and Sustainability: From the Margins to the Mainstream Book Launch
6:30pm You Can Learn Anything: Online Learning with HarvardX 101
7pm From Flint to Our Backyard: Environmental Health + Justice in New England
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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
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Monday, March 7
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Privacy in a Data-Driven World
Monday, March 7
11:30am to 1:00pm
Harvard, Maxwell Dworkin 119, 33 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Roxana Geambasu, Columbia University
The concept of personal privacy as a precious and fragile commodity worthy of protection has come under siege in today's data-driven world.Users are eager to share their data online, and mobile applications and web services aggressively collect and monetize that information. This talk describes our vision for a new, privacy-preserving world; in it,users are more aware of the privacy implications of their online actions,and systems and applications are designed from the ground up with privacy in mind. In support of this vision, we describe our research agendato develop new transparency tools that increase society's oversight over how personal data is being used by applications, and programming tools that facilitate the construction of privacy-mindful applications. We provide two examples of such tools and abstractions. First, we describe Sunlight,a new web transparency tool that helps privacy watchdogs track how web services use individuals' personal data to target ads, personalize content,or adjust prices. Second, we describe Fair Test, a new testing toolkit that helps programmers test for unfair or discriminatory effects within their data-driven applications. Overall, our tools and abstractions aim to increase privacy by promoting a more responsible, fair, and accountable approach to user data management.
Speaker Bio: Roxana Geambasu is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University. She joined Columbia in Fall 2011 after finishing her Ph.D. at the University of Washington. For her work in cloud and mobile data privacy, she received an Early Career Award in Cyber security from the University of Washington Center for Academic Excellence, a Microsoft Research Faculty Fellowship,a 2014 "Brilliant 10'' Popular Science nomination, an NSF CAREER award,an Honorable Mention for the 2013 inaugural Dennis M. Ritchie Doctoral Dissertation Award, a William Chan Dissertation Award, two best paper awards at top systems conferences, and the first Google Ph.D.Fellowship in Cloud Computing.
Center for Research on Computation and Society
Contact: Carol Harlow
Email: harlow@seas.harvard.edu
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A Systems-Based Approach to Startups: Why They Fail and How They Can Succeed
Monday, March 7
12:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Webinar at https://sdm.mit.edu/a-systems-based-approach-to-startups-why-they-fail-and-how-they-can-succeed/
RSVP at https://sdm.mit.edu/a-systems-based-approach-to-startups-why-they-fail-and-how-they-can-succeed/
Speaker(s): Fady Saad, Strategy, Research, and Business Development Director, Vecna Technologies; MIT SDM alumnus
Any evaluation of the life cycle of established companies will reveal the importance of taking a holistic approach to fundamental business challenges such as product development, customer acquisition, financial growth, and employee and leadership recruitment. Making progress on all fronts simultaneously is critical for companies at all stages of development, but it is especially important for startups.
In this webinar, SDM alumnus Fady Saad, director of strategy, research, and business development at Vecna Technologies will:
explain why mature companies can afford delays in responding to a broad set of internal and external issues while startups cannot;
reveal how early business and policy decisions can help and/or hurt a startup during subsequent phases of its life cycle; and
explore how an understanding of these business dynamics can impact the formation and growth of companies in both the short and long term.
A Q&A will follow the presentation. We invite you to join us!
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT System Design & Management
Contact: Lois Slavin (sdm@mit.edu)
Web site: https://sdm.mit.edu/a-systems-based-approach-to-startups-why-they-fail-and-how-they-can-succeed/
More info: 617-253-0812
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MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar (MASS) - A Formal Attribution of Glacier Retreat to Climate Change
Monday, March 7
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)
Speaker: Gerard Roe (UW)
MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar [MASS] is a student-run weekly seminar series. Topics include research concerning atmospheric science, and climate. The seminars usually take place on Mondays in 54-915 from 12.00-1pm. 2015/2016 co-ordinators: Marianna Linz (mlinz@mit.edu) and John Agard (jvagard@mit.edu).
Web site: http://bit.ly/1P33yOq
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
For more information, contact: Marianna Linz
617-253-2127
mlinz@mit.edu
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Retail Choice in Electricity: What Have We Learned in 20 Years?
Monday, March 7
12:00PM TO 1:30PM
Harvard, Bell Hall, 5th Floor, Belfer Building, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
with Mathew Morey, Christensen Associates Energy Consulting, LLC.
This series is presented by the Energy Technology Innovation Policy/Consortium for Energy Policy Research at the Kennedy School of Government. Lunch will be provided.
HKS Energy Policy Seminar Series
http://www.hks.harvard.edu/m-rcbg/cepr/seminar.html
Contact Name: Louisa Lund
Louisa_Lund@hks.harvard.edu
More at: http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2016-03-07-170000-2016-03-07-183000/hks-energy-policy-seminar-series#sthash.5D5EKiSG.dpuf
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Platformizing Higher Education: Computer Science and the Making of MOOC Infrastructures
Monday, March 7
12:15PM TO 2:00PM
Harvard, HUCE Seminar Room, 24 Oxford Street, 3rd Floor, Cambridge
Sandwich lunches are provided. Please RSVP to sts@hks.harvard.edu by Wednesday at 5PM the week before.
Shreeharsh Kelkar, MIT
The STS Circle at Harvard is a group of doctoral students and recent PhDs who are interested in creating a space for interdisciplinary conversations about contemporary issues in science and technology that are relevant to people in fields such as anthropology, history of science, sociology, STS, law, government, public policy, and the natural sciences. We want to engage not only those who are working on intersections of science, politics, and public policy, but also those in the natural sciences, engineering, and architecture who have serious interest in exploring these areas together with social scientists and humanists.
STS Circle at Harvard
http://sts.hks.harvard.edu/events/sts_circle/
Contact Name: Shana Rabinowich
Shana_Rabinowich@hks.harvard.edu
More at: http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2016-03-07-171500-2016-03-07-190000/sts-circle-harvard#sthash.d9GmfvOG.dpuf
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Imagining synthetic biology futures and making them real
Monday, March 7
3 PM - 4:15 PM
Tufts, Eaton Hall 206, 5 The Green, Medford
Do you want a designer organism? How about energy from plants, or buildings that grow? This conversation brings together a set of people thinking about and building synthetic biology by engaging with the types of futures they might bring about.
Imagining the future, and convincing people it's a future they want, is a great way have that future vision guide people's current actions. Come see how it's being done by those are the forefront of work in this exciting field. The Speakers are:
Christina Agapakis: Creative Director at Gingko Bioworks connecting microbiology, technology, art, and popular culture
Kevin Esvelt: Assistant Professor at MIT Media Lab sculpting evolution through socially responsive practices
Rebecca Wilbanks: PhD Student at Stanford University researching the uses of speculative fiction in synthetic biology
Sam Weiss Evans: Science, Technology, and Society Lecturer teaching STS 50: Technoscience and the State
This event is part of STS 50: Technoscience and the State, a Core Course in the new undergraduate co-major in Science, Technology, and Society at Tufts University.
For more interesting events, visit the STS Program page: http://as.tufts.edu/sts/
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The Destruction of Syria and the Crisis of Universal Values
Monday, March 7
4:30 - 6 PM
Harvard Law School, Austin West 111, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Michael Ignatieff, Edward E. Murrow Professor of Practice, Kennedy School of Government
Free and open to the public
Organization/Sponsor: Herbert C. Kelman Seminar on International Conflict, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs (WCFIA)
Contact Info: Donna Hicks, Chair dhicks@wcfia.harvard.edu
Contact organization: Herbert C. Kelman Seminar on International Conflict, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs (WCFIA)
Contact email: dhicks@wcfia.harvard.edu
Source: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/harvard-events/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3devent%26eventid%3d118284721
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Mind Control: Past, Present and Future
Monday, March 7
5:00-6:45 PM
Harvard, CGIS Tsai Auditorium, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
Panelists: Ed Boyden (Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Gabriel Kreiman (Harvard Medical School)
Rebecca Lemov (Harvard University)
Alvaro Pascual-Leone (Harvard Medical School)
Seung-Schik Yoo (Harvard Medical School)
Moderator: Kerry Ressler (Harvard Medical School)
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Perspectives on rating funds on sustainability performance
Monday, March 7
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
District Hall, 75 Northern Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/perspectives-on-rating-funds-on-sustainability-performance-tickets-22138340372
BASIC, Morningstar, & Sustainalytics present....Perspectives on rating funds on sustainability performance
Tools are becoming increasingly available for investors to better understand the sustainability performance of the funds and portfolios in which they invest.
Please join Jon Hale, director of manager research at Morningstar, and Diederik Timmer, executive vice president at Sustainalytics, as they share their views on the changing market dynamics due to the availability of broad sustainability fund ratings by Morningstar. In response to questions from the investment community and BASIC members, Jon and Diederik will discuss the new tools available for asset owners, advisors and their clients, and what this means for fund managers.
Jon Hale, Ph.D., CFA, is director of manager research, North America, for Morningstar. He leads approximately 60 manager research analysts based in North America and oversees the teams operations, thought leadership, and manager research coverage across equity, fixed-income, multi-asset, and alternative asset classes. In addition, Jon heads up Morningstars ESG research initiative. Before assuming this role in 2014, Jon led the consulting team for the Investment Advisory unit of Morningstar Associates, a registered investment advisor and wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc., and he managed the ESG Managers portfolios for Pax World as part of Morningstars Investment Management group.
Diederik Timmeris the executive vice president of institutional relations at Sustainalytics. Over the past seven years Diederik has helped build Sustainalytics into the largest independent provider of ESG research and analysis for the global investment community. He acts as an advisor to senior executives, portfolio managers, and risk professionals on developing and implementing responsible investment strategies. Diederik directly manages the Institutional Relations team that scored 1st, 2nd and 3rd position in the 2012 and 2013 Thomson Reuters Extel and SRI-connect IRRI Survey for best client services person in ESG research. In 2013, Diederik transferred from Amsterdam to New York City. The move is in a response to the growing momentum of responsible investment/ESG in North America and reflects Sustainalytics' increased focus on client service and sales in this market. Thank you to our sponsors: District Hall:District Hall is Bostons home for innovation:adedicated gatheringspace for Bostons innovation community.Our mission? To create impact for Boston-area entrepreneurs through our spaces and programs.
Sustainalytics:A global leader in sustainability research & analysis, serving investors & financial institutions with responsible investment solutions.
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The Apple-FBI Standoff
Monday, March 7
6:00pm
Harvard, JFK Jr Forum, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
Jonathan Zittrain, John Deutch, Archon Fung
Moderator(s): Archon Fung
John Deutch
Emeritus Institute Professor, MIT
Director of Central Intelligence Agency (1995-1996)
Jonathan Zittrain
George Bemis Professor of International Law, Harvard Law School
Co-Founder, Director and Faculty Chair, Berkman Center for Internet and Society
Archon Fung (Moderator)
Ford Foundation Professor of Democracy and Citizenship
Academic Dean, Harvard Kennedy School
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Future Island: Cuba / with Magdalena Campos-Pons, Jorge Fernandez Torres, Doris Sommer, Timothy Hyde
Monday, March 7
6:00p–9:00p
MIT, Building E15-001, 20 Ames Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Magdalena Campos-Pons, Jorge Fernandez Torres, Doris Sommer, Timothy Hyde
Curation: Agencies + Urgencies
ACT's Spring 2016 lecture series Curation: Agencies + Urgencies addresses the contexts and forces shaping the practice of curation today. Bringing together a cast of influential curators, critics, and educators operating across institutional boundaries and political scales- from the book to the biennial- these lectures consider the curator- as diplomat, as researcher, as (para-)artist, as speculator, as provocateur, as censor- and the varying roles and forms curation itself: What defines spaces of curation today? What are the politics pressurizing the practice? What role does the emerging discipline of curatorial studies play in the institutionalization of art? What are the limits and possibilities of curation as a mode of publicity?
In many ways, these are timely questions for an evolving artistic research program such as ACT. Indeed, ACT is in the midst of its own curatorial moment: The program is currently reconceiving the accessibility and presentation of its archive, experimenting with new forms of publication, and developing lines of pedagogy and research that naturally overlap with the basic associative impulse of curatorial praxis- that is, the drive to find new forms and spaces of relief, to form new associations and ecologies of works, people, venues, and sites.
Web site: http://act.mit.edu/projects-and-events/lectures-series/2016-spring/fa
ll-2016-about-series/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free and Open to the Public
Sponsor(s): Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, MIT Program in Art, Culture and Technology, Department of Architecture, Arts at MIT, School of Architecture and Planning, Council for the Arts at MIT (CAMIT)
For more information, contact:
Marion Cunningham
617-253-5229
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Food + Tech Mystery Series
Wednesday, March 7
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
CIC Boston, 50 Milk Street, Floor 16, Einstein Conference, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/food-tech-mystery-speaker-series-tickets-21456670479
Cost: $10 - $30
Buy individual tickets or get a deal and buy tickets for all four events for just $30 (that's one free event!)
On price-optimization software that has helped 60 farmers almost 10% more of post-harvest revenue in the last two years.
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Annals of the Anthropocene: The Science and Policy of Earth's Atmosphere
Monday, March 7
7pm
The Burren, 247 Elm Street, Davis Square, Somerville
Guest scientists David Keith and Steven Barrett
David is a Professor of Applied Physics in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University, and a Professor of Public Policy in the Harvard Kennedy School. His group works on climate science, energy technology, and public policy. He also helps lead Carbon Engineering, a company working on air capture of CO2.
Steven is an Associate Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a Professor of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the director of the Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment. His group works on the environmental impacts of aviation including atmospheric modeling and propulsion.
Science by the Pint is a monthly science cafe free and open to the public, run by the Harvard non-profit outreach group Science In The News (SITN). Read more here: http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/science-by-the-pint/
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Humanitarian Happy Hour, co-hosted with Harvard's Crisis Management Professional Interest Council
Monday, March 7
7-9pm
Tavern in the Square, 730 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
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Tuesday, March 8
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Building Energy Boston Conference + Trade Show
March 8-10
Seaport World Trade Center, Boston
Free Trade Show Admission to NESEA.org's Building Energy 16
Use the code "BE16FREETRADESHOW" for a free trade show pass.
More information at http://nesea.org/conference/buildingenergy-boston-2016
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Local Specialty Crop; Local Food Trade Shows
Tuesday, March 8
8:30 am – 2:00 pm
Buyers; Attendees – Register at http://sbnmass.formstack.com/forms/2016_lfts_buyer_application
Cost: $20-$30
*This event is intended for commercial buyers, not individual consumers.*
Editorial Comment: Although not intended for individual consumers, consumers interested in the local food network might want to attend.
The Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts (SBN) is offering our 5th Local Food Trade Shows. The 2016 Local Food Trade Shows are designed to facilitate connections and stimulate business relationships between producers and wholesale buyers of local food, with a focus on specialty crop food products in Massachusetts.
This event is ideal for restaurants and institutional buyers interested in trading with local food suppliers and who desire to buy more locally produced products from growers, fishermen, and value added producers from Massachusetts and New England.
Local Specialty Crop Trade Show
Exhibitors will include New England based farmers, produce distributors and local specialty crop producers (products made with 50% or more specialty crops also qualify). Please view the USDA definition of specialty crops here. This Trade Show is sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. Exhibition booths are free for specialty crop farmers and other specialty crop producers.
Local Food Trade Show
This trade show is open to all non-specialty crop food producers including meat and dairy farms, fisheries, baked goods and other added value producers. Exhibition booths are $125.00.
The Specialty Crop Trade Show is made possible by a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MassGrown).
Due to the expansion of our program, we are offer two trade shows, taking place the same time and in the same location. Each trade show will feature different types of exhibitors.
Who should attend?
Any wholesale buyers, who are interested in purchasing Massachusetts or New England-produced food items. These buyers can be supermarkets, co-ops, restaurants, hotels, institutions, schools, food processors in search of ingredients, distributors, or anyone else interested in local purchasing options.*This event is intended for commercial buyers, not individual consumers.*
Maddie Phadke 617-395-0250
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MAPC Winter Council Meeting
Tuesday March 8
9:00 AM to 11:30 AM EST
Marriott Courtyard Boston Downtown, 275 Tremont Street, Boston
RSVP at https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ec8jk9fxc139c784&oseq=&c=b77caa50-eace-11e3-83bf-d4ae529a7ac4&ch=b78312f0-eace-11e3-83bf-d4ae529a7ac4
This meeting is headlined by a panel of the newest mayors and managers in the MAPC region coming together to highlight regional challenges and speak about notable issues in their communities. The panel will take questions from attendees.
Speakers
City Manager of Chelsea: Tom Ambrosino
Mayor of Revere: Brian Arrigo
Mayor of Medford: Stephanie Muccini Burke
Mayor of Weymouth: Robert Hedlund
Mayor of Gloucester: Sefatia Romeo Theken
——————————
Philip Bennett – News and Democracy: The Missing Pieces
WHEN Tue., Mar. 8, 2016, 12 – 1 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Kennedy School, Taubman 275, 15 Eliot Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy
SPEAKER(S) Philip Bennett, former managing editor of The Washington Post, former managing editor of PBS’s FRONTLINE, Patterson Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy, Duke University
COST Free and open to the public
DETAILS Philip Bennett is the Eugene C. Patterson Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy at Duke Sanford School of Public Policy. Bennett was the managing editor of The Washington Post between 2005-2009, and has been an editor of international and national security coverage, a local news reporter and a foreign correspondent. He was the foreign editor of The Post for six years in which the paper’s international staff won many awards, including two Pulitzer prizes. As The Post’s managing editor, the paper’s second-ranking editor, Bennett helped supervise 800 journalists. The Post won ten Pulitzer Prizes during his tenure. Between 2011-13, while on the Duke faculty, he was the managing editor of FRONTLINE, the public affairs television series broadcast on PBS. Bennett’s journalism career started in 1982 at The Lima Times in Peru, where he became the paper’s editor. He was hired as a metropolitan reporter by The Boston Globe in 1984 and was named the newspaper’s Latin American correspondent, based in Mexico City. He covered wars in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala, the U.S. invasion of Panama, and wrote about Mexico, Cuba and Brazil. Bennett was later the Globe’s foreign editor. Bennett has worked on new media projects for The Washington Post Co. and has lectured on the future of journalism. He joined the Duke University faculty in 2009. He is director of the Rutherfurd Living History Program. He teaches about journalism and national security secrecy, the news media and Islam, narrative journalism and coverage of war.
LINK http://shorensteincenter.org/speaker-series-phil-bennett/
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Global Ordering and City-Making
Tuesday, March 8
12:30p–2:00p
Location: 9-450
Speaker: Luis Eslava
Bemis DUSP Speaker Series "Rethinking Law and Planning" n
Speaker: Luis Eslava "works in the areas of International Law, International Legal Theory and History, Anthropology of International Law, Public Law, Law and Development, Theory of Property, and Urban Law and Politics." from his webpage at the Kent Law School, University of Kent. His talk is titled "Global Ordering and City-Making: International Legality and Illegality in Bogota."
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Department of Urban Studies and Planning
For more information, contact: Phil Sunde
617-253-9315
psunde@mit.edu
——————————-
2016 Norton Lecture 2 of 6: "Being and Becoming the Stranger"
WHEN Tue., Mar. 8, 2016, 4 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Mahindra Humanities Center
SPEAKER(S) Toni Morrison
TICKET INFO Events are free, but tickets are required. Tickets will be available starting at noon on the day of each lecture. Tickets will be available in person at Sanders Theatre or online (handling fees apply). Limit of two tickets per person. Tickets valid until 3:45 p.m.
DETAILS 2016 Norton Lectures. "The Origin of Others: The Literature of Belonging"
Lecture One: Romancing Slavery Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Lecture Two: Being and Becoming the Stranger Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Lecture Three: The Color Fetish Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Lecture Four: Configurations of Blackness Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Lecture Five: Narrating the Other Monday, April 11, 2016
Lecture Six: The Foreigner's Home Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Events are free, but tickets are required. Tickets will be available starting at noon on the day of each lecture. Tickets will be available in person at Sanders Theatre or online (handling fees apply). Limit of two tickets per person. Tickets valid until 3:45 p.m.
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Randomized Control Trials and Policy Making in Developing Countries
Tuesday, March 8
4:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 32-155 , 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Esther Duflo (MIT)
IDSS Distinguished Seminar Series
A seminar sponsored by IDSS featuring distinguished speakers (held once per month) end series info begin event description
IDSS (Institute for Data, Systems, and Society) Distinguished Seminar Series
end event description Begin URL
Web site: https://idss.mit.edu/event/idss-distinguished-seminar-duflo/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for Statistics
For more information, contact: Jennifer Formichelli
617.324.2489
stat-events@mit.edu
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Knight Science Journalsim Seminar with Kevin Esvelt and Marc Lipsitch
Tuesday, March 8
4:30 pm
MIT, Building E19-623, 400 Main Street, Cambridge
Kevin Esvelt will pioneer a “Sculpting Evolution” research program at MIT’s Media Lab starting in fall 2016. Currently, he works at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute, where he co-developed the CRISPR/Cas9 system for targeted genome editing and described how we might use RNA-guided gene drives to spread genomic alterations through wild populations. Kevin’s current interests include building safeguards for the responsible development of gene drives, exploring methods of stably altering the composition of microbial communities, and researching new tools and strategies for evolutionary engineering.
Marc Lipstich is a professor at Harvard University’s Department of Epidemiology with a joint appointment in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease. He is director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics and associate director of the Interdiscplinary Concentratration in Infectious Disease Epidemiology Program. His research concerns the effect of naturally acquired host immunity, vaccine-induced immunity and other public health interventions on the population biology of pathogens and the consequences of changing pathogen populations for human health, such as the use of antimicrobial agents and the response of microbes to such exposures.
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Newsweek's Janine di Giovanni: "The Morning They Came for Us" - Reporting Syria's humanitarian crisis
WHEN Tue., Mar. 8, 2016, 4:30 – 6 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Nye B, Taubman Building, Fifth Floor, 15 Eliot Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture, Poetry/Prose, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR The Middle East Initiative
SPEAKER(S) In conversation with Future of Diplomacy Project's Executive Director, Cathryn Cluver, Janine di Giovanni, one of the most experienced conflict reporters in the world will discuss her new book, "Dispatches From Syria: The Morning They Came for Us," and reflect on her experiences covering some of the world's most harrowing conflicts, including the war in Bosnia. This event is part of the Future of Diplomacy Project's "Women in International Reporting" Series.
COST Free and open to the public
LINK http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/6936/newsweeks_janine_di_giovanni.html
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Batteries: Current and Future
Tuesday, March 8
4:45 PM - 5:45 PM
MIT, Building 66-110, 25 Ames Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Yi Cui, Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences; SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Increasing demand for batteries with applications in consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and the grid present opportunities and challenges for rechargeable batteries. This lecture will analyze the nature of energy storage and the existing technology, and present promising future batteries, which can have significantly higher energy density, lower cost, better safety, and longer life. Novel battery chemistries and materials are key for a revolutionary change.
Reception to follow.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Initiative
Web site: mitei.mit.edu
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Women in the Developing World: Women of Thrift, Men of Capital: Gender and Economy in Palestine
Tuesday, March 8
5:00p–6:30p
MIT, Building 3-133 , 33 Massachusetts Avenue (Rear), Cambridge
Speaker: Sherene Seikaly
McMillan-Stewart Lecture on Women in the Developing World
The McMillan-Stewart lectures are coordinated by the MIT Program in Gender and Women's Studies and are organized by the holder of the namesake chair, Lerna Ekmekcioglu, of the MIT History Faculty since 2011. Endowed by GeneviƩve McMillan, http://mcmillanstewart.org/, the lectures provide a space for scholars, artists, journalists, activists, and other experts to reflect on issues related to women in the developing world, specifically (but not exclusively) in the Middle East and North Africa. Lectures are free and open to the public. end series info begin event description
Web site: http://history.mit.edu/mcmillan-stewart-lecture-series-women-developing-world
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Women's and Gender Studies
For more information, contact: Emily Neill
617-253-2643
wgs@mit.edu
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Divided We Fall: When Police and Communities Collide
Tuesday, March 8
6:00pm
Harvard, JFK Jr Forum, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
Garry McCarthy, DeRay McKesson, Tom Jackman, Annise Parker, Candy Crowley (Moderator)
A conversation with
Garry McCarthy, Former Superintendent, Chicago Police Department
DeRay McKesson, Co-Founder, Campaign Zero
Tom Jackman, Reporter, The Washington Post
Annise Parker, Mayor of Houston (2010- Jan. 2016) IOP Fellow, Spring 2016
Candy Crowley (Moderator), Former Anchor and Journalist, CNN, IOP Fellow, Fall 2015
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Satellites at night tracking rural electrification: Tapping 20 years of data over 600.000 villages
Tuesday, March 8
6pm-7pm
MIT, Building E19-319, 400 Main Street, Cambridge
RSVP: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1vEcIsCAXzwjXYAJEAgbm9IGTdLNlaVeP-ROxaydtgbU/viewform (dinner included!)
Panelists:
Kwawu Mensan Gaba, Lead Energy Specialist and Global Lead, Power Systems Solutions Group, World Bank
Brian Min, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Michigan
Anand Thakker, Website Developer, Nightlights
Bruno Sanchez-Andrade Nuno, Data Scientist, World Bank Innovation Labs
Abstract: Nighttime lights satellite data have proven to be a useful proxy for human development in numerous contexts. In many data-poor regions of the world, the data derived from these satellite images are unparalleled in scope, accuracy, consistency across time and space; and coverage. However, accessing and processing the data could be a challenge or very time consuming at best. In this session we want to present our pipeline and results processing 20 years of DMSP satellite constellation at night over the entire India country, creating the corresponding light output for each of the 600.000 villages. We would also like to get feedback on use cases, applications and upgrades or integrations to the open sourced stack and website. Website will be formally launched in India next month, but the website is open for early access on http://india.nightlights.io/
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Measuring Social Impact
Tuesday, March 8
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Harvard innovation lab, 125 Western Avenue, Lobby Area, Allston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/measuring-social-impact-tickets-21568965356
The question of how to measure social impact is an elusive one. For the past 12 years Root Cause and its founder, Andrew Wolk, have been asking that question. In this workshop you will learn about that journey and includes: The different motivations for measuring social impact in nonprofit, government, and for profit entities The foundation for a solid performance measurement system for social impact Where to start if you want to begin measuring social impact
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Mass Innovation Nights #84
Tuesday, March 8
6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
District Hall, 75 Northern Avenue, Boston
We are looking forward to our second annual Civic Tech event on TUESDAY (yes note not our usual day) March 8th! Microsoft is our sponsor and #MIN84 will be held at District Hall. Check out our website (http://bit.ly/MIN84) fir 11 innovative products showcasing and offering solutions to continuously improve government infrastructure and enhance the lives of citizens. See you there!
Website: http://mass.innovationnights.com/
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A Climate of Change
Tuesday, March 8
6:00 PM to 8:30 PM (EST)
Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square Somerville
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-climate-of-change-boston-tickets-20261738405
Cost: $5 – $15
These four short films examine the effects on the fishing industry associated with climate change, including warming waters, lack of biodiversity, and ocean acidification. Across New England and the nation, fishermen and scientists are observing notable shifts in the ecosystem and dramatic changes on the water. This Island Institute screening will help introduce shellfish aquaculture as an example of economic diversification for fishing communities and will prove to be excellent opportunities for relationship building and dialogue exchange on climate change.
This event is presented in partnership with the Conservation Law Foundation, and we will be joined by CLF's Executive Vice President Sean Mahoney.
Program Overview
7 – 8:30 p.m.: Climate of Change film event at Somerville Theatre
Part I: Warming Waters in the Gulf of Maine (6 min)
Part II: Ocean Acidification in Alaska (9 min)
Part III: Collapse and Adaptation in Apalachicola, FL (9 min)
Part IV: The Future of Aquaculture (10 min)
8 - 8:30 p.m.: Facilitated Q&A
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"Radical Practice," hosted by Women in Design with Julia King, Susan Surface, and Others
WHEN Tue., Mar. 8, 2016, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Piper Auditorium, Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Women in Design, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO events@gsd.harvard.edu
DETAILS On March 8, 2016, Women in Design, a Harvard Graduate School of Design student group, will celebrate its third-annual International Women’s Day. Dedicated to empowering women designers, we propose an open dialogue on what it means to be a creative woman developing, challenging, and innovating her craft in the 21st century. In exploring conventional and potential modes of practice, we aim to cultivate radical alternatives to the dominant roles and methods of our fields. As we reflect on strides the design fields have made toward achieving gender equity, we see International Women’s Day 2016 as a catalytic platform to investigate how radical practice can re-situate—and revolutionize—our work.
Women in Design continues to challenge how women, as well as other underrepresented groups in the design disciplines, can work for equity across representation, compensation, and valuation. To mark this year’s International Women’s Day, we have invited pioneering women practitioners across the design disciplines to engage and share their backgrounds, experiences, and philosophies of radical practice—the what, how, and why (or why not). In this spirit, we invite you to join us in questioning and speculating how, both individually and collectively, we can radically transform the design field.
LINK www.gsd.harvard.edu/#/events/radical-practice-hosted-by-women-in-design-with-julia-king-susan.html
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Next Gen Mobility: Driving the Future
Tuesday, March 8
6:30 PM - 8:45 PM
MassChallenge, 23 Dry Dock Avenue, 6th Floor, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/next-gen-mobility-driving-the-future-tickets-21735130360
Attention Boston startup community investors, founders, journalists, and app developers: MassChallenge and Honda Silicon Valley Labare team up to host an event featuring early-stage companies with cool mobility tech. Join us to meet and mingle with others in the local startup scene. Meet innovators building tech for next generation vehicles. Check out the innovator showcase, and get inside tips from our panel on bringing your ideas to market. Leaders from Honda Silicon Valley Lab will also be on hand to talk about how Honda supports tech innovators.
Event Agenda:
6:30-7:00: Networking & Appetizers, Innovator Showcase
7:00-7:20: Introducing Honda Xcelerator & Honda Developer Studio
7:20-7:30: MassChallenge Info Session
7:30-8:10: Panel: Getting your tech into next-gen vehicles.
8:10-8:15: Closing Remarks
8:15-8:45: Networking
Food and drinks will be provided
Participating Startups: To be announced.
About Honda Silicon Valley Lab
Honda Silicon Valley Lab (HSVL) is an open innovation lab serving as the catalyst to accelerate Hondas global research and development. We partner with talented entrepreneurs, tech companies and app developers to create cutting edge products and services for a superior customer experience. Honda Silicon Valley Lab is home to two programs: Honda Xcelerator and Honda Developer Studio. Honda Developer Studio makes it easier for app developers to bring new ideas to cars through the Android Auto and Apple CarPlay platforms. The goal of the Developer Studio is to help developers refine their ideas by encouraging them to consider automotive grade engineering principles, as well as driver safety and privacy top Honda priorities. Beyond apps, Honda Xcelerator offers funding, engineering support and resources to mobility innovators to help them rapidly develop prototypes for game-changing technologies. It also provides entrepreneurs with access to Honda engineers, a work space in our Silicon Valley facility, and a pathway to commercialization across Hondas diverse portfolio of products and services.
Learn more at http://hondasvl.com
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Science by the Pint: Annals of the Anthropocene: The Science and Policy of Earth’s Atmosphere
Monday, March 7
7pm
The Burren, 247 Elm Street, Davis Square, Somerville
David Keith and Steven Barrett
David is a Professor of Applied Physics in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University, and a Professor of Public Policy in the Harvard Kennedy School. His group works on climate science, energy technology, and public policy. He also helps lead Carbon Engineering, a company working on air capture of CO2.
Steven is an Associate Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a Professor of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the director of the Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment. His group works on the environmental impacts of aviation including atmospheric modeling and propulsion.
More information at http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/science-by-the-pint/
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BostonTalks Investigates: Election Update
Tuesday, March 8
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
WGBH, 1 Guest Street, Allston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/bostontalks-investigates-election-update-tickets-22175245757
Cost: $10
Investigates: Election Update, Where do we Stand?
The 2016 presidential election is shaping up to be the most contentious in recent memory.
WGBH News Executive Producer Aaron Schachter leads a discussion, featuring WGBH News Political Reporter Adam Reilly and others, about the election and what it means locally and nationally. About WGBH's BostonTalks: Investigates event series WGBH journalists investigate stories that matter to our region. Now, youre invited to join the conversation at our BostonTalks: Investigates series, featuring in-depth panel discussions with major players, followed by a reception.
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Wednesday, March 9
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Building Energy Boston Conference + Trade Show
March 8-10
Seaport World Trade Center, Boston
Free Trade Show Admission to NESEA.org's Building Energy 16
Use the code "BE16FREETRADESHOW" for a free trade show pass.
More information at http://nesea.org/conference/buildingenergy-boston-2016
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Building an Educational Justice Movement: Organizing against the School to Prison Pipeline
Wednesday, March 9
12 PM
Harvard, Thompson Room, Barker Center, 12 Quincy Street, Cambridge
A Q+A will follow the lecture.
Organization/Sponsor: W. E. B. Du Bois Research Institute at the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research
Speaker(s): Mark Warren, associate professor of public policy and public affairs, University of Massachusetts, Boston
Cost: Free & open to the public
Contact Info: hutchevents@fas.harvard.edu
More info: http://hutchinscenter.fas.harvard.edu/events-lectures/events/march-9-2016-1200pm/spring-colloquium-mark-warren
Contact organization: W. E. B. Du Bois Research Institute at the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research
Contact email: hutchevents@fas.harvard.edu
Source: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/harvard-events/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3devent%26eventid%3d117886474
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Aquatic Chemistry on a Computer
Wednesday, march 9
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 1-131 , 33 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker: Professor J. Samuel Arey
Abstract: Aquatic chemistry is driven largely by experimental science. However, existing experimental techniques are far outpaced by the increasing number of chemicals of concern, the profound complexity of aquatic chemical processes, and an expanding domain of space and time that must be sampled. I will discuss how we can address these problems using advanced computational approaches, including quantum chemistry simulations, theoretical concepts from physical chemistry, coupled models of transport, phase transfers, and reactions, and opportunities to leverage big data. In selected examples that I present, computational methods are used: (i) to determine the elusive chemical properties and complex chemical mechanisms that control the formation and degradation of toxic chemicals in the urban water cycle; (ii) to simulate the unusual physical-chemical behaviors and trajectories of petroleum fluids released into the deep sea during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster; and (iii) to resolve the molecular processes that emit potentially massive quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere from sunlight-exposed dissolved organic matter in freshwaters and oceans. The presented flexible computational toolkit continues to advance at a rapid pace and is expected to revolutionize engineering problem-solving and scientific understanding of aquatic chemical processes.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Civil and Environmental Engineering
For more information, contact: Marygrace Aboudou
617-253-7101
Maboudou@mit.edu
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The China Challenge: Shaping the Choices of a Rising Power
Wednesday, March 9
12:00p–1:30p
MIT, Building E40-496, 1 Ames Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Thomas Christensen (Princeton University)
SSP Wednesday Seminar Series
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/ssp/seminars/index.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
For more information, contact: Elina Hamilton
617-253-7529
elinah@mit.edu
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Financing China’s Urbanization
Wednesday, March 9
12:30p–2:00p
MIT, Building 9-450, 105 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker: Professor WU Weiping
China Talk Series
In collaboration with the China Planning, Real Estate, and Architecture (China PRA) student organization, DUSP, CRE, and the STL Lab are organizing 2016 spring semester China Talk Series.
The China Talk Series will bring a selection of experts on China's urbanization to SA+P to present their research on planning, real estate, and architecture. This semester, the theme of the Talk Series is socially responsible real estate entrepreneurship in China. We look forward to lively lunch discussions on opportunities and challenges facing China as it urbanizes. end series info begin event description
Behind the spectacular growth of China's cities lies a potential fiscal crisis. It is unlikely that municipal governments can count on revenues from land leasing as a major, lasting source of finance. Many are under pressure to find alternative sources to finance urban development and infrastructure. This presentation will discuss a confluence of factors underlying the crisis, and explore alternatives.
Weiping Wu is a professor and chair of the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University. She holds a Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Policy Development from Rutgers University, and a MA degree in Urban Planning and a BA degree in Architecture from Tsinghua University (China). She is a former editor of the Journal of Planning Education and Research, and a visiting Zijiang Chair Professor at East China Normal University in Shanghai. At Tufts, she also is a senior fellow in the Council for Emerging Market Enterprises at The Fletcher School, and the coordinator of the undergraduate Minor in Urban Studies program.
Web site: https://stl.mit.edu/event/china-talk-series
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Department of Urban Studies and Planning
For more information, contact: Heather Mooney
617-715-2352
hmooney@mit.edu
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Labor Markets and Poverty in Village Economies
Wednesday, March 9
2:45 PM - 4:00 PM
MIT, Building E51-395, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Oriana Bandiera (LSE)
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Development Economics Seminar
Contact: economics calendar (econ-cal@mit.edu)
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Privacy in a Data-Driven World
Wednesday, March 9
4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
MIT, Building 32-G882, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Roxana Geambasu , Columbia University
Abstract
The concept of personal privacy as a precious and fragile commodity worthy of protection has come under siege in today's data-driven world. Users are eager to share their data online, and mobile applications and web services aggressively collect and monetize that information. This talk describes our vision for a new, privacy-preserving world; in it, users are more aware of the privacy implications of their online actions, and systems and applications are designed from the ground up with privacy in mind. In support of this vision, we describe our research agenda to develop new transparency tools that increase users' visibility into how personal data is being used by applications, and programming tools that facilitate the construction of privacy-mindful applications. We provide two examples of such tools and abstractions. First, we describe Sunlight, a new web transparency tool that helps privacy watchdogs track how web services use individuals' personal data to target ads, personalize content, or adjust prices. Second, we describe FairTest, a new testing toolkit that helps programmers test for unfair or discriminatory effects within their data-driven applications. Overall, our tools and abstractions aim to increase privacy by promoting a more responsible, fair, and accountable approach to user data management.
Bio
Roxana Geambasu is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University. She joined Columbia in Fall 2011 after finishing her Ph.D. at the University of Washington. For her work in cloud and mobile data privacy, she received an Early Career Award in Cybersecurity from the University of Washington Center for Academic Excellence, a Microsoft Research Faculty Fellowship, a 2014 "Brilliant 10" Popular Science nomination, an NSF CAREER award, an Honorable Mention for the 2013 inaugural Dennis M. Ritchie Doctoral Dissertation Award, a William Chan Dissertation Award, two best paper awards at top systems conferences, and the first Google Ph.D. Fellowship in Cloud Computing.
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Cohesion without cooperation: a top-down perspective on community ecology
Wednesday, March 9
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
MIT, Parsons, Building 48-316, 15 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Michael Tikhonov, Harvard
Microbial Systems Seminar
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Civil and Environmental Engineering
Contact: Kathryn Kauffman (k6logc@mit.edu)
Web site: https://microbialsystems.wordpress.com
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2016 Norton Lecture Three: The Color Fetish
WHEN Wed., Mar. 9, 2016, 4 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Mahindra Humanities Center
SPEAKER(S) Toni Morrison
TICKET INFO Events are free, but tickets are required. Tickets will be available starting at noon on the day of each lecture. Tickets will be available in person at Sanders Theatre or online (handling fees apply). Limit of two tickets per person. Tickets valid until 3:45 p.m.
DETAILS 2016 Norton Lectures. "The Origin of Others: The Literature of Belonging"
Lecture One: Romancing Slavery Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Lecture Two: Being and Becoming the Stranger Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Lecture Three: The Color Fetish Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Lecture Four: Configurations of Blackness Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Lecture Five: Narrating the Other Monday, April 11, 2016
Lecture Six: The Foreigner's Home Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Events are free, but tickets are required. Tickets will be available starting at noon on the day of each lecture. Tickets will be available in person at Sanders Theatre or online (handling fees apply). Limit of two tickets per person. Tickets valid until 3:45 p.m.
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GEEKS AND GREEKS: THE MAKING OF AN EPIC GRAPHIC NOVEL ABOUT MIT HACKS
Wednesday, March 9
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
MIT, Building 10-250, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Steve Altes and Andy Fish
The Technology and Policy Program and the de Florez Fund for Humor present an evening with Steve Altes and Andy Fish, creators of the MIT-themed humorous graphic novel, Geeks and Greeks, a story of student life at MIT, told through the prism of high-tech hacks. Altes, a 1984 MIT grad (TPP 86) whose career has spanned engineering and entertainment, based his story on many actual events and hacks. The evening will feature humorous stories from Altes's thirty-year odyssey to get this story told as well as behind-the-scenes looks at pitching a story to Hollywood, crowdfunding, and the graphic novel creation process.
Sponsored by the Technology and Policy Program and the de Florez Fund for Humor
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Contact: Barbara Delabarre (barbarad@MIT.EDU)
Web site: https://idss.mit.edu/event/geeks-and-greeks-the-making-of-an-epic-graphic-novel-about-mit-hacks-steve-altes-84-and-andy-fish/
More info: (617) 452-3187
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Why Mass Incarceration Matters to Our Cities, Economy and Democracy
WHEN Wed., Mar. 9, 2016, 4:10 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, 124 Mount Auburn Street, Suite 200-North, Cambridge, MA
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Education, Humanities, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation
SPEAKER(S) Heather Ann Thompson, professor of Afroamerican and African Studies and history, University of Michigan
Moderator: Leah Wright Rigueur, assistant professor of public policy, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
DETAILS Part of the Race and American Politics Seminar Series
LINK http://ash.harvard.edu/event/why-mass-incarceration-matters-our-cities-economy-and-democracy
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Starr Forum: Cyber Security
Wednesday, March 9
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
MIT, Building 66-110, 25 Ames Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): James Mulvenon, Joel F Brenner
Seminar lecture/panel discussion touching on military-to-military relations and perceptions as well as real and potential cyber conflict.
Speakers include:
James Mulvenon (Vice President of Intelligence at Defense Group Inc.)
Dr. Mulvenon is an expert on the Chinese military and Chinese cyber issues, and has published widely on Chinese military affairs, party-army relations, C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, and reconnaissance), and nuclear weapons doctrine and organizations
Joel F Brenner, Ph.D., J.D. (CIS Robert E. Wilhelm Fellow)
Brenner specializes in cyber and physical security, data protection and privacy, intelligence law, the administration of classified information and facilities, and the regulation of sensitive cross-border transactions.
Please contact us at starrforum@mit.edu if you need accessibility accommodations
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
Contact: starrforum@mit.edu
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/cis/
More info: 617-253-8306
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New Cuban Ecologies
Wednesday, March 9
5:00p–6:30p
MIT, Building 14E-304, 20 Ames Street, Cambridge
Latin American Studies Forum
NEW CUBAN ECOLOGIES: Visual arts, environment, and new media in contemporary Cuba
Wednesday, March 9
5:00p–6:30p
MIT, Building E14-304, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Rachel Price is Associate Professor of Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Cultures at Princeton University, and the author of Planet/Cuba: Art, Culture, and the Future of the Island (2015 Verso).
end event description Begin URL
Web site: http://mitgsl.mit.edu/news-events/new-cuban-ecologies
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Global Studies and Languages
For more information, contact: Lisa Hickler
617-452-2676
lhickler@mit.edu
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Boston New Technology March 2016 Product Showcase #BNT63
Wednesday, March 9
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Foley Hoag, 155 Seaport Blvd, Boston
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Boston_New_Technology/events/228897036/
Foley Hoag is in the Seaport West building (entrance on B Street). Please bring identification and check in at our desk in the lobby. Then, take an elevator to the 13th floor. Enter the glass doors and walk down the hall to your right.
Free event! Come learn about 7 innovative and exciting technology products and network with the Boston/Cambridge startup community!
Please click here to share/tweet our event with your network.
Each presenter gets 5 minutes for product demonstration and 5 minutes for Q&A.
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Fashion Meets Function: Using Soft Materials in Wearable Robots
Wednesday, March 9
6:30pm - 7:30pm
Honeycomb, Le Laboratoire Cambridge, 650 East Kendall Street, Cambridge
Conor Walsh, Core Faculty member, Wyss Institute at Harvard University, Associate Professor of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
All lectures will take place at Le Laboratoire Cambridge from 6:30 - 7:30 PM. Seating is limited and reservations are encouraged. Please contact Ankica Koldzic at programs@lelabcambridge.com.
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Food+Tech Mystery Speaker Series
Wednesday, March 9
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
CIC Boston, 50 Milk Street, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/food-tech-mystery-speaker-series-tickets-21456670479
Cost: $10
Every Wednesday in March, Branchfood will host an entrepreneur to tell the story of how they launched a successful food tech enterprise.
Our lineup of cutting-edge entrepreneurs will dive deep into the challenges and lessons learned of launching a food tech company. We’ll be covering early pitfalls of starting a biz, obtaining partners and funding, and reaching buyers and users.
Do not miss the opportunity to learn from these savvy founders! Hear their #BOSFoodStory, network with them, and soak in some of their #hustle.
Mystery speakers will be announced the Friday before each event. In the meantime, can you guess these innovators?
Tickets are sold on Eventbrite. Buy individual event tickets ($10 each) or buy the ALL ACCESS PASS – $30 for all four events (that’s one free!). Bonus: attendees will get to munch on samples from local food companies and drink Sam Adam craft beers.
Intrigued? See you there!
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Cambridge Forum: Rotten Reportage – Do We Have the Media We Deserve?
Wednesday, March 9
7pm
3 Church Street, Cambridge
The bulk of mainstream media in the U.S. is now owned by a handful of corporations that continue to gobble up smaller outlets and independent presses. Some say that we have created a perfect echo chamber and that the plurality of a free press is just a sad joke. Turning on the TV or scrolling through the headlines offers only the illusion of choice.
So is the media monopoly almost complete? Is there any cause for optimism in the new journalistic market place? In its pre-election coverage, does the national press corps reveal its true colors?
Cambridge Forum has invited a panel of journalists and experts drawn from the Internet, academia, and NPR to discuss the state of journalism in America today.
Our speakers include Lonnie Isabel. Isabel teaches at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. Isabel spent 25 years in the newspaper business, covering or directing the coverage of several presidential campaigns including the fabled 2000 election. He also ran the coverage of Hillary Clinton’s run for Senate, the impeachment of Bill Clinton, and just about every major national and international story of his generation. He has covered each national political convention since 1984.
Isabel has worked for Newsday, the Boston Globe, Boston Herald and Oakland Tribune. After leaving Newsday as deputy managing editor in 2005, Isabel joined the newly-created CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, where he started the International Reporting Program that has trained more than 75 journalists to cover international issues, and the International Journalist-in-Residence program that brings an endangered, targeted or threatened journalist each year to study and work at the school. He started at Columbia last year. He is co-author of a book to be released this summer, “Think/Point/Shoot: Media Ethics, Technology and Global Change”.
Peter S. Goodman is the Global Editor-In-Chief of the International Business Times, where he supervises more than 200 journalists across worldwide editions. goodman1He was previously Executive Business and Global News Editor for the Huffington Post, where he oversaw business, technology and international reporting while writing a column that earned a Loeb award for commentary. Goodman was the National Economic Correspondent for the New York Times during the Great Recession. There, he played a central role in “The Reckoning,” a series of stories on the roots of the 2008 financial crisis, which won a Loeb and was a finalist for the Pulitzer prize. Goodman is the author of Past Due: The End of Easy Money and the Renewal of the American Economy.
Sam Fleming is Director of News and Programming at WBUR. He’s responsible for supervising a staff of 75, including news managers, producers, reporters, writers, editors, hosts and production staff. flemming1Under his direction, WBUR’s News Department has garnered more than 50 national and local awards recognizing the quality and depth of its news coverage. Fleming first worked at the station in 1981 as a general assignment reporter. In 1992, he became WBUR’s News Director, a position he held until 2004. In that role he oversaw the breadth, depth and daily workings of the news produced at WBUR and helped to manage the content of daily broadcasts in their diverse forms.
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The Myth of the Spoiled Child: Coddled Kids, Helicopter Parents, and Other Phony Crises
Wednesday, March 9
7:00pm
Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard Street, Coolidge Corner, Brookline
Alfie Kohn
Somehow a set of deeply conservative assumptions about children—what they’re like and how they should be raised—has congealed into the conventional wisdom in our society. Parents are accused of being both permissive and overprotective, unwilling to set limits and afraid to let their kids fail. Alfie Kohn systematically debunks these beliefs, not only challenging erroneous factual claims but also exposing the troubling ideology that underlies them.
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Judaism and the Environment: Foundational Texts
Wednesdays, March 9, 16, and 30
7pm - 8:30pm
Synagogue Council Office, 1320 Centre Street, #306, Newton Center
RSVP to jewishclimateaction@gmail.com
Cost: $54 for all three lectures, $18 per lecture
Rabbi Judith Kummer, Executive Director of the Jewish Chaplaincy Council of MA
The environment is a Jewish issue, who knew?
We may think of the environmental movement as a product of 20th and 21st century American sensibilities. However, Judaism has teaching dating back to Biblical times that encourage gratitude for and preservation of our natural environment. Please join others to study Biblical and Rabbinic texts and discuss the Jewish environmental principles derived from them.
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Thursday, March 10
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Building Energy Boston Conference + Trade Show
March 8-10
Seaport World Trade Center, Boston
Free Trade Show Admission to NESEA.org's Building Energy 16
Use the code "BE16FREETRADESHOW" for a free trade show pass.
More information at http://nesea.org/conference/buildingenergy-boston-2016
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Geopolitics of Energy Seminar
Thursday March 10
8:45AM TO 10:00AM
Harvard, Allison Dining Room, 5th Floor, Taubman Building, 15 Eliot Street, Cambridge
http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/6944/conversation_with_lord_browne.ht...
Please join us for a breakfast conversation between Lord Browne, Executive Chairman of L1 Energy and former CEO of BP, and Meghan O'Sullivan, Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs and Director of the Geopolitics of Energy Project. Lord Browne will discuss the consequences of the new energy environment for society, as well as his new book, Connect. This event is open to the public and a light breakfast will be served.
Contact Name: Nika Sremac
nikoleta_sremac@hks.harvard.edu
617-496-8238
More at: http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2016-03-10-134500-2016-03-10-150000/geopolitics-energy-seminar#sthash.l6BSqjeB.dpuf
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Single Molecule Imagining of a Genome Structure and Gene Expression
Thursday, March 10
11:00a–12:00p
MIT, Building 4-331, 182 Memorial Drive (Rear), Cambridge
Speaker: Dr. Alistair Boettiger
Physics provides a predictive understanding of the natural world. Despite the elegant simplicity in which all living matter uses the same chemical code (in DNA) to determine behavior (by expressing genes), we have yet little ability to predict how changes in the former result in changes in the latter. This talk will present two methods to visualize with unprecedented detail, the statistical structure of the genome and of gene expression. The first approach uses super-resolution microscopy to image fluorescently labeled portions of the genome and visualize their 3D structure. With this method, we've found that distinct portions of the genome, each decorated by different chemical modifications, exhibit distinct scaling laws which describe their packaging behavior. A predictive understanding of how genome structural organization effects cell behavior requires also the ability to study gene expression. I will also describe our new MERFISH technology, capable of imaging the statistical distribution over a heterogeneous cell population of as many as 1000 distinct gene-products.
Web site: http://imes.mit.edu/imes-special-seminar-3102016-alistair-boettiger/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): IMES
For more information, contact: IMES
617-253-2386
imes@mit.edu
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Communicating Science
Thursday, March 10
12pm
Tufts, Rabb room, Lincoln Filene Center, 10 Upper Campus Road, Medford
Most talks will be streamed lived at Bit.ly/TuftsLunchLearn
Erin Allweiss
Science and environmental issues are in the news every day, yet only a small fraction of the global audience consuming news is comprised of scientists. So how do professional communicators tell science-based stories? And how can we use public relations (PR) and communications to impact public opinion on climate change and other key environmental policies? Erin Allweiss ’05 will discuss the role and importance of science-based PR.
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Sex, Lies, and Justice: A Conversation Between Catharine MacKinnon and Ron Suskind
WHEN Thu., Mar. 10, 2016, 12 – 1 p.m.
WHERE Ames Courtroom, Austin Hall, Harvard Law School
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Law, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Law School
SPEAKER(S) Catharine MacKinnon
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO akanter@ronsuskind.com
DETAILS Ron Suskind, Pulitzer-winning journalist and lecturer on law, will interview Catharine MacKinnon, a noted legal scholar and activist who has led the fight for women's equality since the 1970s. The two will discuss the intersection of law with public narratives of justice and equality, including MacKinnon's past work and current debates surrounding sex trafficking, prostitution and the what the current political landscape bodes for women's rights.
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Merging Building Science with Health Science: The Impact of Buildings on Health, Comfort and Productivity
Thursday, March 10
12:30–1:30 pm
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, FXB G-12, 651 Huntington Avenue, Boston
Join Dr. Joseph Allen and Dr. Memo Cedeno for this Director's Lecture Series installment.
What does the future of sustainability and human health look like?
This spring, the Center for Health and the Global Environment will be hosting a Director's Lecture Series showcasing how its latest research is re-envisioning health and sustainability. This series will offer deep insight into many of the research programs and initiatives at the Center which are tackling some of the biggest sustainability challenges of the 21st century.
More at: http://green.harvard.edu/events/merging-building-science-health-science-impact-buildings-health-comfort-and-productivity#sthash.8RZ8xnfT.dpuf
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How Did Salafism Become an Ideology?
Thursday, March 10
5 - 6:30 PM
Harvard, CMES, Room 102, 38 Kirkland St, Cambridge
Henri LauziĆØre's research interests lie at the intersection of Islamic intellectual history and the modern political history of the Arab world, including North Africa. His recent book, The "Making of Salafism: Islamic Reform in the Twentieth Century," was published in 2016 by Columbia University Press.
Unless otherwise noted in the event description, CMES events are open to the public (no registration required), and off the record. Please note that events may be filmed and photographed by CMES for record-keeping and for use on the CMES website and publications.
Organization/Sponsor: Center for Middle Eastern Studies, the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, the Islamic Legal Studies Program (Harvard Law School), the Prince Alwaleed Islamic Studies Program, and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs
Speaker(s): Henri LauziĆØre, assistant professor, Department of History, Northwestern University
More info: http://cmes.fas.harvard.edu/event/how-did-salafism-become-ideology
Contact organization: Center for Middle Eastern Studies, the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, the Islamic Legal Studies Program (Harvard Law School), the Prince Alwaleed Islamic Studies Program, and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs
Source: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/harvard-events/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3devent%26eventid%3d117882835
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A Conversation with Guy Maddin
Thursday, March 10
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
MIT, Building 56-14, 21 Ames Street, Cambridge
Guy Maddin and his partners are communing with the spirits of long-lost movies. In a conversation with William Uricchio, Maddin will discuss why we should bother digging up filmic and narrative memories from oblivion, how we can take advantage of the Internet to involve new publics, and how the act of doing so might help to create a new web-based art form.
Maddin is an installation artist, writer and filmmaker, the director of eleven feature-length movies, including The Forbidden Room (2015) and My Winnipeg (2007).
In the winter of 2015/16 he and Evan Johnson will launch their major internet interactive work, Seances, which will enable anyone online to "hold seances with" movies fashioned out of fragments of long-lost films.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Andrew Whitacre (cmsw@mit.edu)
Web site: http://cmsw.mit.edu/event/conversation-with-guy-maddin/
More info: 617-324-0490
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3/11: Five Years After the Triple Disaster in Northeastern Japan
Thursday, March 10
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
MIT, Building 32-123, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Panelists Richard Samuels (MIT, Political Science), Tatsujiro Suzuki (Former Vice Chairman of Japan Atomic Energy Commission of the Cabinet Office), Kenneth Oye (MIT, Political Science & ESD), Miho Mazereeuw (MIT, Architecture) and Akinobu Murakami (University of Tsukuba) will speak on the current state of Northeastern Japan five years after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown. STARR Forum.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT-Japan Program, Center for International Studies
Contact: Christine Pilcavage (csp18@mit.edu)
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/cis/eventposter_031016-FiveYearsDisasterJapan.html
More info: 258-8208
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Cargo Drones in Africa: The Next Great Leap(frog)?
Thursday, March 10
6:30 PM to 9:00 PM (EST)
swissnex Boston, Consulate of Switzerland, 420 Broadway, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cargo-drones-in-africa-the-next-great-leapfrog-tickets-21790029565
How cargo drones can change the way emerging economies think about transportation networks
On February 11th, 2016 the Rwandan government signed a deal to carry human blood across Rwanda – by using cargo drones. Previously, in September 2015, Lord Norman Foster announced his plans for the world's first drone ports to be built in Kigali, Rwanda.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, are a rapidly maturing technology. And it is not only tech giants, like Google and Amazon, that are working on spearheading UAVs to take over the last mile delivery of goods.
Afrotech at the Ćcole polytechnique fĆ©dĆ©rale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland seeks to pioneer high intensity cargo drone routes flying the middle mile in the lower sky in Africa and other emerging economies, thereby improving health and economic outcomes. It has created the Redline: a medium-sized payload cargo drone route for medical and emergency use in remote locations. Next to the Redline, the project is working on a Blueline for larger commercial cargo drone routes.
Join Afrotech founder Jonathan Ledgard for a presentation on the Redline drone project, its plans for a pilot to be launched in Rwanda in 2016, and the broader implications of cargo drones for distribution in Africa.
Following Jonathan Ledgard’s presentation, panelists will discuss the potential of cargo drones as a competitiveness strategy for emerging economies, the regulatory environment for civilian and commercial drones, and the technological challenges of moving cargo in the sky.
Light refreshments will be provided.
Event Agenda
6:00 PM: Doors Open
6:30 PM: Red Line Presentation
7:00 PM: Panel Discussion
8:00 PM: Networking Reception
9:00 PM: Doors Close
Speaker Bios
Jonathan Ledgard is director of Afrotech. He is a leading thinker on risk, nature, and technology in near future Africa. A British citizen, he spent the last decade as Africa correspondent for The Economist and reported Africa's mobile phone revolution. A founder of The Economist's Baobab blog, he continues to contribute to leading journals.
Helen Greiner, CEO of CyPhy Works, commands a presence in the field of robotics. Co-founding iRobot in 1990, Ms. Greiner served as President until 2004 and Chairman until 2008. During her tenure, Ms. Greiner guided iRobot into its position as a global leader with the release of the Roomba™, the PackBot™ and SUGV military robots. She built a culture of practical innovation and delivery that led to the deployment of 6,000 PackBots with American troops. In addition, Ms. Greiner headed up iRobot’s financing projects, raising $35M in venture capital for a $75M initial public offering. Greiner holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in computer science, both from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Konstantin Kakaes is a program fellow with the International Security Program at New America. He is working on a project analyzing the evolving uses of drones. He is the author of "The Pioneer Detectives", an e-book about space exploration. Before coming to New America, Mr Kakaes was a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT. Mr Kakaes was The Economist's bureau chief in Mexico City from 2005 to 2009, and before that covered science and technology for The Economist from London. He has a B.A. in Physics from Harvard. You can read more about Konstantin's work on drones here.
Clare Akamanzi is currently a Mason Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She is the former Chief Operating Officer of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) a Government institution in charge of accelerating economic growth and development of the country. Prior to this, she was the Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of Business Operations and Services at RDB where she was in charge of investment promotion, export promotion, enterprise development as well as business facilitation through, inter alia, investment climate reform, company registration and environmental clearances. Prior to this Ms Akamanzi was the Deputy Director General at the Rwanda Investment and Export Promotion Agency (RIEPA), a position she held from 2006-2008. She was also Rwanda’s commercial Diplomat in London and a Trade Negotiator in Geneva for the Government of Rwanda at the World Trade Organization.
Jason Pontin – Moderator
Since 2004, Jason Pontin has been editor in chief of MIT Technology Review, and publisher since 2005. With dual titles, Jason oversees everything from editorial direction to business strategy. Under his guidance, the more than 100-year-old publication has grown into an international digital media company.
This event is supported by swissnex Boston, EPFL, Afrotech – EPFL, and the Business & Government Professional Interest Council at Harvard Kennedy School.
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Nation on the Take: How Big Money Corrupts Our Democracy and What We Can Do About It
Thursday, March 10
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
This event is free; no tickets are required.
Harvard Book Store welcomes senior analyst at the Center for Public Integrity WENDELL POTTER and executive director of the organization Issue One NICK PENNIMAN for a discussion of their book Nation on the Take: How Big Money Corrupts Our Democracy and What We Can Do About It.
About Nation on the Take
American democracy has become coin operated. Special interest groups increasingly control every level of government. The necessity of raising huge sums of campaign cash has completely changed the character of politics and policy making, determining what elected representatives stand for and how they spend their time. The marriage of great wealth and intense political influence has rendered our country unable to address our most pressing problems, from runaway government spending to climate change to the wealth gap. It also defines our daily lives: from the cars we drive to the air we breathe to the debt we owe.
In this powerful work of reportage, Wendell Potter and Nick Penniman, two vigilant watchdogs, expose legalized corruption and link it to the kitchen-table issues citizens face every day. Inciting our outrage, the authors then inspire us by introducing us to the army of reformers laying the groundwork for change, ready to be called into action. The battle plan for reform presented is practical, realistic, and concrete. No one-except some lobbyists and major political donors-likes business as usual, and this book intends to help forge a new army of reformers who are compelled by a patriotic duty to fight for a better democracy.
An impassioned, infuriating, yet ultimately hopeful call to arms, Nation on the Take lays bare the reach of moneyed interests and charts a way forward, toward the recovery of America's original promise.
Praise
"There could be no more important or timely book than Nation on the Take. Potter and Penniman make a compelling case that moneyed interests have seized control of the levers of power in ways we haven’t seen since the Gilded Age. This is a stirring guide for how we can work together to reclaim our democracy and reunify our country." —Doris Kearns Goodwin
"Nation on the Take is a timely and inspired book about a uniquely American problem. But Penniman and Potter don’t merely draw our attention to the ways money dominates politics--they expertly show how the crisis connects with our daily lives and offer a path forward that includes people from all walks of life and all political persuasions." —Arianna Huffington
More at http://www.harvard.com/event/wendell_potter_nick_penniman/
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Boston Area Solar Energy Association Forum: Let's Cut the Crap! (i.e. Misinformation about Solar)
Thursday, March 10
Doors open at 7:00 p.m.; Presentation begins at 7:30 p.m
First Parish in Cambridge Unitarian Universalist; 3 Church Street, Harvard Square
Did you read that right? Yes. Crap!
B.S., distortion, deception, exaggeration, spin, lies.
There is a concerted effort going on to squash solar across the nation, and Massachusetts is one front in this battle. As the state legislature gears up to consider an omnibus energy bill, we are seeing more rhetoric spewing from the anti-solar lobbyists.
At our March BASEA Forum, we will take aim at the pro-fossil fuels campaign that is spreading this misleading 'stuff' locally. Mark Sandeen of Mass Solar will be our guide as we dissect, inspect and learn effective ways to reject the questionable messaging they are putting out.
Get informed on Thursday, March 10th, to better arm yourself for the battle ahead. Here are two links that give examples on how our solar community is pushing back against those who are blowing smoke!
Solar Action Update
The Solar Energy Business Association of New England and others have planned a Solar Lobby Day for Tues., March 8th, at the Governor's Office. See SEBANE.org for a schedule.
Mark Sandeen serves as the President of Mass Solar (www.solarisworking.org) and is the founder of RePower Partners, LLC, responsible for managing and developing their portfolio of solar energy projects. Mark has built and led high-growth, high-tech teams at Avidyne, Object Design and Intel. He is Chair of the Sustainable Lexington Committee and a member of Lexington's Better Buildings, Community Choice and Solar Energy Task Forces. Mark also writes the monthly column, "All Things Sustainable," for Colonial Times Magazine.
Please Join Us! Donations, membership and ClimateRide.org support BASEA.
The Boston Area Solar Energy Association - www.BASEA.org
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Friday, March 11
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Accessing Democracy: How Law Shapes and Influences Our Elections
Friday, March 11
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Northeastern University School of Law, 416 Huntington Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/accessing-democracy-how-law-shapes-and-influences-our-elections-tickets-22172715188
Join us on March 11, 2016, for our annual symposium. The title of this year's symposium is "Accessing Democracy: How Law Shapes and Influences Our Elections." We'll be discussing topics related to election law, such as redistricting and how this process is used to shape the electorate, voter identification laws and their effect on voter access, and the increasing role of money in politics following the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United. We are also planning to discuss the ongoing litigation efforts surrounding these topics and how the law surrounding our political system may look in the future.
Breakfast & Registration: 8:30 9:30 am
Welcome & Introduction:9:30 10:00 am
An Introduction to Redistricting and The Supreme Court:10:00 10:30 am
Redistricting Within the Realm of Election Law:10:30 11:15 am
Keynote Address:11:30 am 12:15 pm
The Influence of Wealth and Lobbying on Elections:1:20 2:30 pm T
he Impact of Voter Access and Voter Identification Laws on the Electorate:2:40 3:30 pm
The Use of Litigation to Influence Campaign Finance and Voter Access:3:45 4:30 pm
Closing Remarks:4:40 5:00 pm
Reception: 5:00 6:30 pm
*Titles are subject to change.
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Efficient and market-based thermal energy storage of renewable energy
Friday, March 11
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
MIT, Building NW17-218, 175 Albany Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): David Baldwin, SunLight Power, Inc.
To penetrate the electric power market more than the 10-15% range, all renewable power generation sources require storage to match temporal supply with demand. In addition, as for nearly all high-power generation sources today, the issue of the competing demands for fresh water makes their cooling-water requirements a paramount issue. SLPI has developed a new approach to high temperature thermal energy storage, utilizing latent heat principles in common NaCl, vapor heat transport, a cooling-water-free Brayton-cycle turbine, and a modular approach that can be flexibly applied to customer needs - all at attractive cost. The primary power source can be Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), for which the SLPI system is described, or wind/PV, which are discussed in less detail.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Plasma Science and Fusion Center
Contact: Paul Rivenberg (rivenberg@psfc.mit.edu)
More info: 253-8101
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Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) - status and potential science studies
Friday, March 11
12:00PM TO 1:00PM
Harvard, 100F Pierce Hall, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Kelly Chance, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Atmospheric Sciences Seminar
https://www.seas.harvard.edu/calendar/event/86106
Contact Name: Chris Miller
cmiller@fas.harvard.edu
More at: http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2016-03-11-170000-2016-03-11-180000/atmospheric-sciences-seminar#sthash.Gen6vTii.dpuf
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Sourcewater!
Friday, March 11
12-1 PM
MIT, Building 3-333, 33 Massachusetts Avenue (Rear), Cambridge
RSVP at http://goo.gl/forms/7TnUFYJUdz
Sourcewater- an online marketplace which enables energy companies to minimize their single-largest operating cost, water management; ensure a reliable mission-critical supply chain; and reduce the environmental and community impacts of energy production through market-based incentives.
Joshua Adler is the founding CEO of Sourcewater, the water exchange for the energy ecosystem, which he conceived while was a Sloan Fellow in Innovation and Global Leadership at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the Energy Ventures program. Mr. Adler is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, and world-class communicator who has founded energy, real estate, medical technology, and internet companies and was the Chief Speech Writer to the US Treasury Department. Mr. Adler’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Economist. He holds degrees from Yale University and MIT.
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Climate Solutions Summit
Friday, March 11
2:00 PM - 7:00 PM
The Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/climate-solutions-summit-registration-19556223190
Cost: $0 - $300
With the White House and U.S. Department of Energy's recent announcement of the Clean Energy Investment Initiative, and specifically the Clean Energy Impact Investment Center, Confluence is providing an afternoon convening dedicated to building climate solutions through public-private partnerships at our 6th Annual Practitioners Gathering in Cambridge, MA on Friday, March 11, 2016 at The Charles Hotel. The Climate Summit will convene philanthropists, family offices, foundation grantmaking staff, impact investment professionals and public agencies in a series of discussions that will explore the landscape for investment in climate solutions post-COP 21 Paris.
A keynote and plenary themed around The Role of Private Finance in Building Climate Solutions,will be followed by two small session tracks with multiple workshop choices. Track One will focus on catalyzing mission-oriented investment in collaboration with U.S. Department Of Energy's Clean Energy Impact Investment Center and will engage invited participants in strategic discussion. Track Two is offered to the general assembly in workshops related to The Role of Subnational Governments in Climate Financing; Resilience; Energy Access; and the Role of Philanthropy in Financing Climate Solutions.
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Writing Environmental History for a Chinese Audience
Friday, March 11
2:30 PM - 4:30 PM
MIT, Building E51-095, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Peter C. Perdue, Yale University
Seminar on Environmental and Agricultural History
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): History Office
Contact: Margo Collett (history-info@mit.edu)
Web site: https://history.mit.edu/lectures-and-seminars/seminar-environmental-and-agricultural-history
More info: 253-4965
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MIT Water Night 2016
Friday, March 11
5pm-7pm
MIT, Building 50, 142 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
The MIT Water Night is our annual flagship research showcase that aims to provide a friendly and exciting venue for individuals and research groups at MIT to present their latest achievements and work in water-related fields. It is the perfect opportunity to network with water researchers and professionals around refreshments.
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Apocalyptic Hope: Infrastructure, Speculation, and “Smartness”
Friday, March 11
5:00p–7:00p
MIT, Building 7-429, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker: Orit Halpern
MIT Architecture Lecture Series
Part of the Spring 2016 Architecture and Computation Group Lecture Series.
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Sponsor(s): Department of Architecture
For more information, contact:
Irina Chernyakova
617-324-4416
ich@mit.edu
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Saturday, March 12
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4th Annual Massachusetts Urban Farming Conference
Saturday, March 12
7:30 am – 5:30 pm
Northeastern University, Curry Student Center, 346 Huntington Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-annual-massachusetts-urban-farming-conference-tickets-19937468505
Cost: $50
The 4th Annual Massachusetts Urban Farming Conference is designed to advance urban farming issues ranging from farming techniques and business models to climate change adaptation and food security. Network with Massachusetts' diverse, multi-sector stakeholders in this dynamic event that looks at current issues, emerging practices and programs, and markets that can contribute to Massachusetts' urban farming sector.
For more information, contact Rose Arruda at MDAR; Rose.Arruda@state.ma.us
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2016 Maple Syrup Boil Down Festival!
Saturday, March 12
10am-2pm
The Growing Center, 22 Vinal Avenue, Somerville
On March 12th, we celebrate Somerville’s annual Maple Syrup Boil Down Festival! Community members of all ages are invited to the Community Growing Center at 22 Vinal Avenue between 10am and 2pm to watch and learn for free as sap from local sugar maple trees is boiled down into pure maple syrup over a warm fire. Attendees can expect syrup-tasting, kids’ activities, demonstrations, and more! Waffles, hot drinks, and Maple Syrup Project T-shirts and posters will be on sale! Please join us at this unique outdoor festival as we celebrate the dawn of spring and our local urban resources. Use #mmmsyrup to follow the maple syrup news or to post about the event!
For more information about The Maple Syrup Boil Down 2016, the education series, or syrup production contact Sarah Lindsay ~ sarah@groundworksomerville.org ~ or call 617-628-9988.
More at http://www.groundworksomerville.org/event/2016-maple-syrup-boil-down-festival/
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Climate Resilient Boston
Saturday, March 12
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM (EST)
The English High School, 144 McBride Street, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climate-resilient-boston-tickets-20484946025
Remember last February’s blizzards? Last summer’s heatwave? Morrissey Blvd. flooding yet again? As our climate heats up, extreme weather is becoming more common. Last year, Mayor Walsh launched several planning processes that support strategies for addressing the vulnerabilities and impacts from climate change including: Imagine Boston 2030, the first city-wide plan since 1965, Boston's Resilience Strategy through 100 Resilience Cities pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation, and Climate Ready Boston.
As part of these efforts, they want to make sure Boston’s vulnerable people and places are well-prepared and fully supported during storms, coastal flooding and extreme heat and cold temperatures.
Come learn about current scientific projections for climate change in the City of Boston and share how recent weather events have impacted your lives, neighborhoods and businesses. We need you to help inform Boston’s long-term planning efforts! We're also giving away five $100 door prizes, so be sure to invite your friends!
Co-Sponsored by the City of Boston’s Chief Resilience Officer and The Boston Harbor Association in partnership with City of Boston Office of Environment, Energy and Open Space, BSA Foundation, Engagement Lab @Emerson College and World Wildlife Foundation.
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Sunday, March 13
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Local Environmental Action 2016
Sunday, March 13
9am - 5:30pm
Northeastern University, Curry Center, 346 Huntington Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://www.localenvironmentalaction.org
Cost: $40 - $60
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Monday, March 14
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Hearing Heat: Acoustemology meets the Anthropocene
Monday, March 14
12pm
Tufts, Varis Lecture Hall, Granoff Music Center, 20 Talbot Avenue, Medford
Steven Feld
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Effects of Copyrights on Science: Evidence from the WWII Book Replication Program
Monday, March 14
2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
MIT, Building E52-432, 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Petra Moser, NYU, Stern School of Business
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): IO Workshop
Contact: economics calendar (econ-cal@mit.edu)
Web site: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2542879
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Policy Podium: Panel Discussion on Energy with Legislators and Industry Pros
Monday, March 14
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
50 Milk Street, 17th floor, "Milky Way" conference room, Boston
RSVP at http://usgbcma.org/civicrm/event/register?id=1013&reset=1
Cost: $0 - $25
Want to connect with one of the core legislators on the future of renewable energy and green buildings? Then you won't want to miss this event! We will be hosting an evening with Senator Benjamin Downing, the Senate chair of the committee overseeing clean energy and green building policy. He will be discussing his role and impact on the legislation, and bringing green jobs to the Commonwealth.
We are also joined by Betsy Glynn from the Center for Sustainable Energy, Steve Cowel from E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs), and Peter Shattuck from Acadia Center.
Topics of discussion will include:
Strategies to transform residential or commercial (or both) building stock.
How to bring jobs to Massachusetts through a "green transformation."
Legislation that preserves Massachusetts's #1 national rank in energy efficiency.
Balancing public utilities, legislators and the public as we move forward with energy policy.
Q&A session will follow.
PANELISTS:
Senator Benjamin B. Downing
Senator Benjamin B. Downing, hailing from Pittsfield, MA, is in his fifth term in the Massachusetts Senate. The Senator serves as the Senate chairman of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, which is tasked with reviewing all matters concerning renewable and non-renewable energy sources. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Providence College in 2003. In May 2008 he received a M.A. from Tufts University’s Department of Urban and Environment Policy & Planning.
Betsy Glynn, EEAC
Elizabeth (Betsy) Glynn works to identify opportunities for partnerships and collaborations to advance energy efficiency and renewable and clean energy generation to contribute to a more sustainable future.
The Massachusetts Energy Efficiency Advisory Council (EEAC) was created with the Green Communities Act of 2008, a comprehensive energy reform law. EEAC members guide the development of state- and nation-leading energy efficiency plans by the Commonwealth’s investor-owned gas and electric utilities and energy providers. The Council’s priorities are to develop, implement, evaluate, and monitor the implementation of these plans.
Glynn is the Northeast Regional Manager at the Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE). Based in Boston, she serves as the organization’s regional lead as well as the primary relationship manager for CSE’s northeast clients and strategic partners.
Steve Cowell, E2
Under Steve Cowell’s leadership, CSG designed and implemented conservation and renewable energy programs for utilities, state agencies, and other groups throughout the U.S., providing services to more than 3.2 million businesses and households. Steve successfully advocated for energy efficiency as a least-cost power supply option. He helped to create and build the residential energy efficiency industry through sound public policy, legislation, and establishment of trade ally networks as well as the delivery of cost-effective programs.
Steve is a graduate of Brown University and has been honored with several major industry awards.
Peter Shattuck, Acadia Center
Peter's work at Acadia Center focuses on cleaning up the energy supply across all sectors of the economy. Driving market-based emissions reductions is at the core of this work, using cap and trade policies such as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which Acadia Center has tracked since the program’s early development in the 2000s and which Acadia Center is now promoting beyond the region. Peter also leads parallel efforts to price carbon emissions in the transportation, building, and industrial sectors, and to provide incentives to boost clean energy supply in the electric and thermal sectors. As Massachusetts Director, Peter oversees Acadia Center’s work on grid modernization, electric vehicles, energy efficiency, and renewables in the Commonwealth. Peter received a B.A. in History from Yale, and an M.S. in Environmental Science from Trinity College, Dublin, where he focused on the impact of carbon markets on development in Mexico.
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Tuesday, March 15
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Finding Community-Based Solutions to Food Insecurity
Tuesday, March 15
8:00 AM to 9:30 AM (EDT)
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP, 155 Seaport Boulevard, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sif-social-issue-talk-series-finding-community-based-solutions-to-food-insecurity-registration-21122927244
Guest speaker: Anne McHugh, Director of the Chronic Disease Prevention and Control Division at the Boston Public Health Commission
Featured Innovator: Dorchester Community Food Co-op
Anne McHugh is the Director of the Chronic Disease Prevention and Control Division at the Boston Public Health Commission – the city health department for Boston. She oversees multiple initiatives that address obesity, hypertension, and other chronic diseases, particularly through supporting community-based approaches to increasing access to healthy eating and active living opportunities. A particular focus of Commission efforts is to address the health inequities that lead to Black and Latino residents experiencing a disproportionate burden of these health conditions. She has been the Principal Investigator for several major community chronic disease prevention programs funded by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including Communities Putting Prevention to Work, REACH Obesity and Hypertension Demonstration Project, and Let’s Get Healthy, Boston!. Anne holds a Masters degree in Health Policy and Management from Harvard School of Public Health and a BA from Harvard College. She has more than 25 years experience in public health and health care program development and management.
The Dorchester Community Food Coop is an initiative to build a cooperatively owned grocery store that provides access to nutritious food at a fair price, creates economic opportunity, and nurtures community engagement.
Social Innovation Forum 2016 Social Issue Talk Series
More Information on SIF's 2016 Social Issue Talk Series
This March, the Social Innovation Forum (SIF) will hold eight free, educational events as a part of our annual March Social Issue Talk Series where funders and community leaders can hear from leading experts and our 2016 Social Innovators about the latest trends, best practices, and exciting innovations across a variety of fields. For a full list of events in the series, please visit www.socialinnovationforum.org/blog/social-issue-talk-series
If you have any questions or if you would like to learn more about SIF, please contact us at team@socialinnovationforum.org or 617.492.2305.
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An Overview of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
Tuesday, March 15
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
BU, Trustee Lounge 1 Silber Way, 9th Floor, Boston
The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) advances high-potential, high-impact energy technologies that are too early for private-sector investment and have the potential to radically improve U.S. economic prosperity, national security, and environmental well-being. The agency funds technology-focused, applied research and development aimed at creating real-world solutions to important problems in energy creation, distribution, and use. This presentation is an opportunity to learn about ARPA-E, its programs and projects, and how it solicits and manages research awards to advance potentially disruptive energy technologies.
More info: http://www.bu.edu/research/news-events/featured-events-2/arpa-e/
Source: http://www.bu.edu/calendar/?uid=178930@17.calendar.bu.edu
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MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar (MASS) - Steven Barrett, MIT
Tuesday, March 15
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
MIT, Building 54-517, 21 Ames Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Steven Barrett (MIT)
The MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar Series [MASS] is a student-run weekly seminar series. Topics include all research concerning the atmosphere and climate, but also talks about e.g. societal impacts of climatic processes. The seminars usually take place on Mondays in 54-915 from 12.00-1pm unless otherwise noted (term-time only). Talks are generally followed by a lunch with graduate students. Besides the seminar, individual meetings with professors, postdocs, and students are arranged. The seminar series is run by graduate students and is intended mainly for students to interact with individuals outside the department, but faculty and postdocs certainly participate. 2015/2016 co-ordinators: Marianna Linz (mlinz@mit.edu) and John Agard (jvagard@mit.edu). mass@mit.edu reaches the list.
https://eapsweb.mit.edu/mit-atmospheric-science-seminar-mass-steven-barrett-mit
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
Contact: Marianna Linz (mlinz@mit.edu)
Web site: http://bit.ly/1P33yOq
More info: 617-253-2127
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Emile Bustani Middle East Seminar: "Saudi Arabia and the Politics of Islamic Militancy"
Tuesday, March 15
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
MIT, Building E51-395, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Prof. Bernard A. Haykel
It has become axiomatic in the media and even in academic writings to associate Saudi Arabia with terrorism and militancy. The formal interpretation of Islam in the Kingdom - commonly known as Salafism or Wahhabism - is often the credo of many Sunni militants. And the Kingdom has since the 1960s promoted the spread of Salafism throughout the world through various forms of missionary activity. It therefore appears that a correlation must exist between Riyadh's efforts and Islamic militancy. This lecture will explore this relationship and show that while there is certainly an elective affinity between Salafism and militancy - for reasons primarily to do with the nature of religious authority - the Saudi government's role in fostering this relationship is neither obvious nor established.
Bernard A. Haykel is professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University.
The Bustani Middle East Seminar is organized under the auspices of the MIT Center for International Studies, which conducts research on contemporary international issues and provides an opportunity for faculty and students to share perspectives and exchange views. Each year the Bustani Seminar invites scholars, journalists, consultants, and other experts from the Middle East, Europe, and the United States to MIT to present recent research findings on contemporary politics, society and culture, and economic and technological development in the Middle East.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies, Radius/T&C
Contact: Dain Goding (dain@mit.edu)
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/cis/bustani/
More info: 617-252-1888
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Understanding the Impact of War and Displacement in Cities: an Information Approach for Urban Settings
Tuesday, March 15
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
MIT, Building E40-496, 1 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Karen Jacobsen, Acting Director, Feinstein International Center, Tufts University
A session of the Myron Weiner Seminar Series on International Migration.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
Contact: Phiona Lovett (phiona@mit.edu)
More info: 253-3848
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Tufts Innovation Spotlight
Tuesday, March 15
5:00 PM to 8:00 PM (EDT)
Abby Lane - 253 Tremont Street, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tufts-innovation-spotlight-tickets-20972431106
Guests
Qiaobing Xu, PhD (Assistant Professor, Tufts University Department of Biomedical Engineering)
Richard Lee, MD (Professor, Harvard Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology)
Arnout Schepers, PhD (Post-Doctoral Researcher, MIT Laboratory for Multiscale Regenerative Technologies)
Retsina Meyer, PhD (Senior Scientist, Resilience Therapeutics)
Luhan Yang, PhD (Co-Founder, eGenesis)
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CSR and Sustainability: From the Margins to the Mainstream Book Launch
Tuesday, March 15
6:30 PM
Impact Hub Boston, 50 Milk Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Corporate-Social-Responsibility-Sustainability-Meetup/events/225650708/
Cost: $15
Michael Hopkins will be launching in Boston what will become the definitive reference on Corporate Social Responsibility!
Covering almost every key topic, it looks at how CSR has gone from the margins to the mainstream. Reflecting on over 30 years in the field, as an academic and practitioner, Michael will look at the future of CSR and sustainability, the lessons learned, and he will offer advice to practitioners and newcomers to CSR.
CSR and Sustainability - From the Margins to the Mainstream is a one-stop reference book for professionals and students of CSR and includes contributions from experts in the application of CSR which translates well-established theories into practical tools.
Refreshments will be served
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You Can Learn Anything: Online Learning with HarvardX 101
WHEN Tue., Mar. 15, 2016, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
WHERE The Harvard Ed Portal, 224 Western Avenue, Allston
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Classes/Workshops, Education, Support/Social
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Ed Portal
COST Free and open to the public; RSVP required
TICKET WEB LINK https://www.eventbrite.com/e/you-can-learn-anything-online-learning-with-harvardx-101-registration-21357010393
DETAILS Do you want to enhance your career opportunities? Explore an interest you've always had but never had the opportunity to pursue? Learn something new?
Join us at the Harvard Ed Portal on March 15 at 6:30pm as we examine how online learning provides access to limitless opportunities to expand your world. We’ll explore the possibilities for online learning, understand the process of signing up for an online course, and make a plan for successful online learning.
The workshop is free and open to the public, but we ask that you please RSVP on EVENTBRITE.
LINK edportal.harvard.edu
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From Flint to Our Backyard: Environmental Health + Justice in New England
Tuesday, March 15
7:00 PM to 8:00 PM (EDT)
Le Laboratoire Cambridge, 650 East Kendall Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/from-flint-to-our-backyard-environmental-health-justice-in-new-england-tickets-22583980293
The lead contaminated water crisis in Flint, Michigan has highlighted the issue of environmental injustice and who bears the burden of toxic chemical exposures in the U.S. Childhood lead poisoning has been a problem for decades, including in Massachusetts, and occurs more frequently in low income communities and communities of color. Other New England communities, such as New Bedford and Pittsfield, MA are also the locations of contaminated industrial waste dumping that has put them on the Federal Superfund list. Dr. Richard Clapp will discuss local issues of environmental justice and answer your questions.
Richard Clapp is a Professor Emeritus of Environmental Health at Boston University School of Public Health. He was formerly the Director of the Massachusetts Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program and the Massachusetts Cancer Registry in the Department of Public Health. He has taught public health and given numerous community presentations over the past four decades.
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Upcoming Events
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Wednesday, March 16
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March Boston Sustainability Breakfast
Wednesday, March 16
7:30 AM to 8:30 AM (EDT)
Pret A Manger, 185 Franklin Street Post Office Square, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/march-boston-sustainability-breakfast-tickets-22047866763
Join us for the third Sustainability Breakfast of 2016 - Net Impact Boston's informal breakfast meetup of sustainability professionals together for networking, discussion and moral support. It's important to remind ourselves that we are not the only ones out there in the business world trying to do good! Feel free to drop by any time any time between 7:30 and 830 am.
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MEMS Are Becoming 3D and Atomically Precise
Wednesday, March 16
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 34-401, 50 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Andrei M. Shkel, University of California, Irvine
Microtechnology comes of age. Clearly, some significant advances have been made, and we see a footprint of the technology in an ever-growing consumer electronics market full of interactive products enabled by microtechnology. These products include, for example, accelerometers for gaming applications, gyros for auto safety, resonators for clocks, and more. The questions remain, however: Is the technology really on the level of what we consider to be precision sensing? Is making sensors small necessarily result in degradation of performance? These questions led us to development of glassblowing technology for precision sensing and origami-like assembly techniques for classical and atomic MEMS; all to be discussed in this talk.
MTL Seminar Series
MTL seminar speakers for the series are selected on the basis of their knowledge and competence in the areas of microelectronics research, manufacturing, or policy. This series is held during the academic year on Wednesdays at noon. The seminars are open to the public. Lunch is served at 11:30am end series info begin event description
Web site: https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mtlseminar/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Microsystems Technology Laboratories
For more information, contact: Valerie DiNardo
617-253-9328
valeried@mit.edu
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Sack Lunch Seminar (SLS) - Deepak Cherian, MIT/WHOI
Wednesday, March 16
12pm - 1pm
MIT, Building 54 (the tallest building on campus)
Speaker: Deepak Cherian
Thesis - Currently, I'm studying the interaction of eddies with continental slopes using continuously stratified, primitive equation model experiments using ROMS. The motivation is to understand the behaviour of eddies like Gulf Stream Warm Core Rings when they encounter the shelfbreak at the Mid-Atlantic Bight.
Future - In general, I am interested in the physics of stratified, rotating fluids over sloping topography. Some physics I want to think about are: 1) The interaction of strong flows with topography in stratified systems. Dense, bottom water plumes seem like a good place to start. 2) Flows on the equatorial Ī² plane. This and (1) are basically about stratified flows on strong PV gradients, one being bottom intensified and the other being barotropic. 3) Using residual mean theory to understand the baroclinic instability of shelfbreak fronts. 4) Exploring the relative importance of various proposed mechanisms for shelfbreak upwelling. Specifically, given a set of initial conditions, which mechanisms contribute most to upwelling. 5) Consequences of randomly forced waves interacting with organized topography: what happens when continental slopes are continuously irradiated by Rossby waves?
About this Series
The MIT Oceanography and Climate Sack Lunch Seminar Series [SLS] is a student-run weekly seminar series. Topics include research relating to climate (especially where it concerns interactions with the ocean or sea-ice), geophysical fluid dynamics, biogeochemistry, paleo-oceanography/climatology and physical oceanography. The seminars usually take place on Wednesdays in 54-915 from 12:10-1:00 pm unless otherwise noted (term-time only). Students are encouraged to lunch with the speaker. Besides the seminar, individual meetings with professors, postdocs, and students are arranged. 2015/2016 co-ordinator: Ali Mashayek (ali-mash@mit.edu).
Web site: http://bit.ly/1RQpuuO
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
For more information, contact: Darius Collazo
617-253-2127
dcollazo@mit.edu
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MIT Clean Energy Prize Mentor Dinner
Wednesday, March 16
5:30 PM to 7:45 PM (EDT)
MIT, Building E52 - 7th Floor, 2 Ames Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mit-clean-energy-prize-mentor-dinner-tickets-22460419720
Meet the 2016 Clean Energy Prize mentors, semifinalists, and Staff for an evening in the all new MIT Sloan Building E52!
Schedule:
5:30-6:00pm: Networking mixer
6:00-6:15pm: Welcome remarks from CEP managing and mentorship directors
6:15-6:45pm: Leadership activity
6:45-7:30pm: Dinner
7:30-7:45pm: Closing remarks
Best view of the sunset over the Charles in all of MIT's campus.
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Audibility and Verification of Elections
Wednesday, March 16
7pm - 9pm
MIT, Building NE 30, Broad Institute Auditorium, 7 Cambridge Center (corner of Vassar & Main Streets), Cambridge
Speaker: Professor Ron Rivest
Democracy requires that elections have credible results---otherwise the winner lacks a political mandate and the supporters of losing candidates react with anything from protests to revolution. Yet (U.S.) elections have become larger and increasingly complex, and politics seems more polarized. Software-based voting systems inspire little trust. Voting systems purchased with funds allocated after the 2000 U.S. presidential election fiasco are rapidly becoming obsolete.
How can good definitions, statistics, and cryptography help?
We present the notion of software independence, describe several methods for effective auditing of paper ballots, and give an overview of ``end-to-end'' cryptographic voting systems that allow voters to confirm that their votes were counted exactly as intended, without violating voter privacy or enabling vote-selling. We close with a (pessimistic) assessment of the prospects for "voting over the internet".
Professor Rivest is an Institute Professor at MIT, a member of its Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, a member of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), a member of that lab's Theory of Computation Group and a leader of its Cryptography and Information Security Group.
Rivest is a co-inventor of the RSA public-key cryptosystem, has extensive experience in cryptographic design and cryptanalysis. He is also a founder of RSA Data Security and of Verisign.
IEEE/ACM Joint Seminar Series
Exploring the edge of computing technology. end series info begin event description
Web site: http://ewh.ieee.org/r1/boston/computer/rivest2016.html
Open to: the general public
Tickets: N/A Sponsor(s): ACM & IEEE/CS
For more information, contact: Dorothy Curtis
617-253-0541
dcurtis@mit.edu
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Thursday, March 17
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Universal Laws and Architectures: Theory and Lessons from Brains, Nets, Hearts, Bugs, Grids, Flows, and Zombies
Thursday, March 17
1:00p–2:00p
MIT, Building 32-144, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker: John Doyle (Caltech)
IDSS Distinguished Seminar Series
Monthly series featuring distinguished speakers. All are welcome.
Web site: https://idss.mit.edu/event/idss-distinguished-seminar-doyle/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for Statistics, idss
For more information, contact: Jennifer Formichelli
617.324.2489
jlf24@mit.edu
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Working toward a complete functional atlas of the human brain
Thursday, March 17
4:00pm - 5:30pm
MIT, Building 46-3002, Singleton Auditorium, 43 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Jack Gallant, PhD
The structure and function of the human brain are very closely linked. Neuroanatomists have made much progress in obtaining good anatomical parcellations of the human brain and recent technical advances might make it possible to recover detailed structural topography and structural connectivity from living individuals. In contrast, cognitive neuroscientists have made much less progress in obtaining a detailed functional parcellation of the human brain, and most of the studies that have attempted to do this have been based on passive resting state correlations that have no clear functional assignment. My laboratory is engaged in a broad effort to obtain systematic functional parcellations across a wide variety of sensory and cognitive domains. The broad goals of this program is to obtain a detailed functional parcellation of the human brain that reveals how sensory and cognitive features are represented across the cortical mantle; to understand how these representations are modulated by top-down processes such as attention, learning and memory; and to determine the correspondence between functional and structural neuroanatomy. In this talk I will discuss our approach to this problem and provide several examples of how our approach can be used to obtain detailed functional parcellations of sensory and cognitive systems in individual human brains.
More at: http://bcs.mit.edu/news-events/events/tbd-9#sthash.mPXv4nf8.dpuf
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Media Archaeology as Symptom
Thursday, March 17
5:00p–7:00p
MIT, Building 56-114, 21 Ames Street, Cambridge
Thomas Elsaesser
For nearly one hundred years, the moving image has been discussed primarily from the perspective of photography: organizing our questions and theories around cinema as an ocular dispositif, based on light, projection and transparency, or as a recording dispositif, based on index, imprint and trace. In the age of digital imaging technologies, some of which have little to do with optics, such a history of the moving image seems too narrowly conceived. The broadly based, if loosely defined research field calling itself "media archaeology" not only locates the cinema within more comprehensive media histories, it also investigates apparently obsolete, overlooked, or poorly understood past media practices. The expectation is that by once more "opening up" these pasts, one can enable or envisage a different future. The question then arises: is media archaeology a (viable) disciplinary subject or a (valuable) symptom also of changes in our ideas of history, causality and contingency?
Thomas Elsaesser is Professor Emeritus at the University of Amsterdam and since 2013 has been teaching at Columbia University. Among his most recent books are: The Persistence of Hollywood (New York: Routledge, 2012) and Film Theory: An Introduction through the Senses (New York: Routledge, 2nd edition 2015, with Malte Hagener). Forthcoming is Film History as Media Archaeology -- Tracking Digital Cinema (Amsterdam University Press, 2016).
Web site: http://cmsw.mit.edu/event/thomas-elsaesser-media-archaeology-as-symptom/
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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Sunday, March 20
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The Split Brain and Eco-restoration
Sunday, March 20
5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
One Fayette Park, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Biodiversity-for-a-Livable-Climate/events/229074979/
Architect and teacher Christopher Haines has focused on sustainable design, environmental awareness, energy efficiency and green building, and has a background in agriculture and permaculture going back to Sir Albert Howard, Bill Mollison and others. From a college degree in psychology, he has developed an avid interest in brain science and the light it sheds on our thinking and behavior with respect to the natural world - our sole life-support system. Christopher will discuss split brain science as it impacts our work towards regenerating this damaged planet. In a fascinating presentation he will cover:
The two hemispheres of the brain and what they do
The relationship the hemispheres have with the natural world
The split brain and the worlds we live in
Asymmetries between the brain hemispheres
Exiting the ‘Hall of Mirrors’
Towards biodiversity
What promises to be a lively group discussion will ensue.
Potluck starts at 5, presentation at 6.
We're a small non-profit so a $10 donation is requested, but no one will be turned away based on ability to pay.
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Tuesday, March 22
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4th Annual Massachusetts Water Forum: Water on My Mind
Tuesday, March 22
1:00 PM
BSA Space, 290 Congress Street #200, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-annual-massachusetts-water-forum-tickets-20708791553
The 4th Annual Massachusetts Water Forum, hosted by the Foundation for a Green Future, Inc. in honor of World Water Day, will rethink water management as the Commonwealth prepares for a changing climate.
The Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA) will present a game-changing plan to transform the way we manage water in our urban and suburban spaces. The forum will encourage all participants to pose questions, add their insights, and think about new designs, systems and resource uses.
Participants may join us for one or more segment of this program.
4th Annual Massachusetts Water Forum Program
1:00 pm Secretary Matthew Beaton will open the 4th Annual Water Forum
1:10 pm Brief greeting by Youth Representatives from the morning's Youth Summit led by Green Schools
1:15 pm Panel Discussion: Transforming Our Water and Energy Systems
3:00 pm Panel Discussion ends. Short coffee break.
3:15 pm Breakout Sessions
Breakout Session 1: Infrastructure for a Livable Future
Breakout Session 2: Design and Legislation
Breakout Session 3: Resilient Water Systems
5:00 pm Breakout Sessions end.
5:30 pm Keynote speaker, Wenonah Hauter and Cocktail Reception.
The 4th Annual Massachusetts Water Forum is brought to you thanks to our partners:
The Office of Representative Chris Walsh
Boston Society of Architects
Charles River Watershed Association
City of Boston
MWRA (Massachusetts Water Resources Authority)
Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC)
Massachusetts Rivers Alliance
Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC)
Green Schools
FORUM PARTICIPANTS:
We have the privilege of welcoming the Commonwealth's Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Matthew Beaton.
Matthew BEawton
Representative Chris Walsh of the 6th Middlesex District will serve as Moderator.
Chris Walsh
Panelists include:
Bob Zimmerman, Executive Director of Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA)
Bob will present a game changing way of treating water in our cities and towns which will be set up through CWERCs - Community Water and Energy Resource Centers. The Forum continues into two breakout sessions. The first will delve more deeply into the establishment of CWERCs and the second will look at ways our legislators and designers can support this transformative process.
Austin Blackmon, City of Boston's Chief of Energy,Environment and Open Space
Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director, Food & Water Watch
Bradley Campbell, Executive Director, Conservation Law Foundation
Carter Craft, Sr Economic Officer|Water and Resilience, Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York
Breakout Session 1: Infrastructure for a Livable Future
Led by Julie Wood, Director of Projects, Charles River Watershed Association
Julie Wood
Charlie Jewell, Director of Planning and Sustainability, Boston Water and Sewer Commission
Charlie Jewell
Kenneth Moraff, Director of the Office of Ecosystem Protection for EPA New England
Ken Moraff
Travis Sheehan, Policy and Strategy Fellow, Boston Redevelopment Authority
Travis Sheehan
Breakout Session 2: Design and Legislation
Led by Senator Jamie Eldridge of the 5th Middleesex and Worcester District and
Jamie Eldridge
Representative Carolyn Dykema of the 8th MIddlesex District
Carolyn Dykema
Breakout Session 3: Resilient Water Systems
Led by Julie Conroy, Senior Environmental Planner, Metropolitan Area Planning Council
Julie Conroy
GUEST KEYNOTE SPEAKER from Washington,DC: "Water and Energy"
Wenonah Hauter,Executive Director of Food & Water Watch, author of Frackopoly
Wenonah Hauter
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World Water Day
Tuesday, March 22
3:30–5 pm
Harvard Business School, Aldrich 110, Allston
How will water impact your career?
Join the Harvard Business School Business and Environment Initiative for a World Water Day Panel with:
Kate Clopek, Executive Director of Saha Global, an NGO that provides access to clean water and electricity to rural communities in West Africa;
Reese Tisdale, President of Bluefield Research, an insight firm focused on strategic analysis of water markets and strategies;
Earl Jones, Partner at Liberation Capital, with an investment strategy focused on clean water, and Chairman of NEWIN, a non-profit committed to helping solve global water resource challenges;
moderated by:
John Macomber, HBS Senior Lecturer in the Finance unit
Co-sponsors: Agribusiness Club, Africa Business Club, Energy & Environment Club, VCPE Club, Food and Beverage Club
More at: http://green.harvard.edu/events/world-water-day-panel#sthash.yUrexeK5.dpuf
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Opportunity
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This Summer there will be a special issue of the journal Socialism and Democracy (http://sdonline.org/) on Energy Transition, with an emphasis on renewable energy, including wind, solar, and biomass.
We are looking for reviewers of one or more articles. We are also seeking people who could send us reviews of relevant books, for this issue.
Weimin Tchen
weimintchen@gmail.com
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Solarize Somerville is a go!
Hello neighbors--
On this cold winter day, I'm delighted to share the sunny news that Somerville MA has been chosen by the MassCEC (Clean Energy Center) to be a Solarize Mass community! You can see the announcement here:
http://www.masscec.com/about-masscec/news/state-energy-officials-announce-five-new-communities-participate-solar-program
State energy officials today announced the selection of the first five communities to participate in Solarize Mass for 2016. The new municipalities participating in the community-based solar energy group-buying program that lowers overall costs of installing solar electric systems include Somerville and Natick, as well as Shelburne, Colrain and Conway, which have joined as a trio of partner communities....
You can learn more about the MassCEC and the SolarizeMass program at: www.solarizemass.com .
As the announcement has just been made, we don't have a lot of additional information at this time. But this selection means that we can now work with the city and the state to help residents of Somerville to decide if solar is a suitable option for them and their homes or businesses. We'll be developing and sharing educational materials, we'll have events to help people learn more and get questions answered, and we will help people to understand the processes associated with generating local, artisanal electrons.
Officially I'm the "Solar Coach" for Somerville. I am a point of contact to help people with basic solar PV issues and incentives. I'm working with folks from the city who will manage the overall project. This is a joint effort by the Office of Sustainability and Environment, with director Oliver Sellers-Garcia, and the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development with Russell Koty.
As a Coach, I am a volunteer organizer and am not authorized to speak as a spokesperson on behalf of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or MassCEC. My job is to help people to understand the program once it's in place, and to answer questions that my neighbors may have as they consider the options. Things outside of my wheelhouse will be directed to the folks who can answer them.
You can contact me here with questions, or soon we'll have some information resources with more details. If you might want to volunteer to be on the outreach team. let me know.
Mary Mangan
Solar Coach Volunteer
somervillesolarcoach@gmail.com
[vendors should not contact me, I'm not supposed to have contact with them prior to the proposal process]
-----------------------
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).
---------------------
Free solar electricity analysis for MA residents
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHhwM202dDYxdUZJVGFscnY1VGZ3aXc6MQ
-----------------------
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.)
*********
---------
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
---------------------------------
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
----------------------
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!
---------------------
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
------------------------
Bostonsmart.com's Guide to Boston http://www.bostonsmarts.com/BostonGuide/
****************************************
----------------------------------------
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
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 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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Index
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Full event information follows the Index and notices of my latest writings.
----------------
Monday, March 7
----------------
11:30am Privacy in a Data-Driven World
12pm A Systems-Based Approach to Startups: Why They Fail and How They Can Succeed
12pm MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar (MASS) - Gerard Roe, UW
12pm Retail Choice in Electricity: What Have We Learned in 20 Years?
12:15pm Platformizing Higher Education: Computer Science and the Making of MOOC Infrastructures
3pm Imagining synthetic biology futures and making them real
4:30pm The Destruction of Syria and the Crisis of Universal Values
5pm Mind Control: Past, Present and Future
5:30pm Perspectives on rating funds on sustainability performance
6pm The Apple-FBI Standoff
6pm Future Island: Cuba / with Magdalena Campos-Pons, Jorge Fernandez Torres, Doris Sommer, Timothy Hyde
6:30pm Food + Tech Mystery Series
7pm Annals of the Anthropocene: The Science and Policy of Earth's Atmosphere
7pm Humanitarian Happy Hour, co-hosted with Harvard's Crisis Management Professional Interest Council
----------------
Tuesday, March 8
----------------
Building Energy Boston Conference + Trade Show
8:30am Local Specialty Crop & Local Food Trade Shows
9am MAPC Winter Council Meeting
12pm Philip Bennett – News and Democracy: The Missing Pieces
12;30pm Global Ordering and City-Making
4pm 2016 Norton Lecture 2 of 6: "Being and Becoming the Stranger" with Toni Morrison
4pm Randomized Control Trials and Policy Making in Developing Countries
4:30pm Knight Science Journalsim Seminar with Kevin Esvelt and Marc Lipsitch
4:30pm Newsweek's Janine di Giovanni: "The Morning They Came for Us" - Reporting Syria's humanitarian crisis
4:45pm Batteries: Current and Future
5pm Women in the Developing World: Women of Thrift, Men of Capital: Gender and Economy in Palestine
6pm Divided We Fall: When Police and Communities Collide
6pm Satellites at night tracking rural electrification: Tapping 20 years of data over 600.000 villages
6pm Measuring Social Impact
6pm Mass Innovation Nights #84
6pm A Climate of Change
6:30pm "Radical Practice," hosted by Women in Design with Julia King, Susan Surface, and Others
6:30pm Next Gen Mobility: Driving the Future
7pm Science by the Pint: Annals of the Anthropocene: The Science and Policy of Earth’s Atmosphere
7pm BostonTalks Investigates: Election Update
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Wednesday, March 9
-------------------
Building Energy Boston Conference + Trade Show
12pm Building an Educational Justice Movement: Organizing against the School to Prison Pipeline
12pm Aquatic Chemistry on a Computer
12pm The China Challenge: Shaping the Choices of a Rising Power
12:30pm Financing China’s Urbanization
2:45pm Labor Markets and Poverty in Village Economies
4pm Privacy in a Data-Driven World
4pm Cohesion without cooperation: a top-down perspective on community ecology
4pm 2016 Norton Lecture Three: The Color Fetish
4pm GEEKS AND GREEKS: THE MAKING OF AN EPIC GRAPHIC NOVEL ABOUT MIT HACKS
4:10pm Why Mass Incarceration Matters to Our Cities, Economy and Democracy
4:30pm Starr Forum: Cyber Security
5pm New Cuban Ecologies
6pm Boston New Technology March 2016 Product Showcase #BNT63
6:30pm Fashion Meets Function: Using Soft Materials in Wearable Robots
6:30pm Food+Tech Mystery Speaker Series
7pm Cambridge Forum: Rotten Reportage – Do We Have the Media We Deserve?
7pm The Myth of the Spoiled Child: Coddled Kids, Helicopter Parents, and Other Phony Crises
7pm Judaism and the Environment: Foundational Texts
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Thursday, March 10
-------------------
Building Energy Boston Conference + Trade Show
8:45am Geopolitics of Energy Seminar
11am Single Molecule Imagining of a Genome Structure and Gene Expression
12pm Communicating Science
12pm Sex, Lies, and Justice: A Conversation Between Catharine MacKinnon and Ron Suskind
12:30pm Merging Building Science with Health Science: The Impact of Buildings on Health, Comfort and Productivity
5pm How Did Salafism Become an Ideology?
5pm A Conversation with Guy Maddin
5:30pm 3/11: Five Years After the Triple Disaster in Northeastern Japan
6:30pm Cargo Drones in Africa: The Next Great Leap(frog)?
7pm Nation on the Take: How Big Money Corrupts Our Democracy and What We Can Do About It
7pm Boston Area Solar Energy Association Forum: Let's Cut the Crap! (i.e. Misinformation about Solar)
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Friday, March 11
-----------------
8:30am Accessing Democracy: How Law Shapes and Influences Our Elections
11am Efficient and market-based thermal energy storage of renewable energy
12pm Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) - status and potential science studies
12pm Sourcewater!
2pm Climate Solutions Summit
2:30pm Writing Environmental History for a Chinese Audience
5pm MIT Water Night 2016
5pm Apocalyptic Hope: Infrastructure, Speculation, and “Smartness”
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Saturday, March 12
------------------
7:30am 4th Annual Massachusetts Urban Farming Conference
10am 2016 Maple Syrup Boil Down Festival!
1pm Climate Resilient Boston
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Sunday, March 13
-----------------
9am Local Environmental Action 2016
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Monday, March 14
-----------------
12pm Hearing Heat: Acoustemology meets the Anthropocene
2:30pm Effects of Copyrights on Science: Evidence from the WWII Book Replication Program
6pm Policy Podium: Panel Discussion on Energy with Legislators and Industry Pros
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Tuesday, March 15
-----------------
8am Finding Community-Based Solutions to Food Insecurity
9am An Overview of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
3pm MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar (MASS) - Steven Barrett, MIT
4:30pm Emile Bustani Middle East Seminar: "Saudi Arabia and the Politics of Islamic Militancy"
4:30pm Understanding the Impact of War and Displacement in Cities: an Information Approach for Urban Settings
5pm Tufts Innovation Spotlight
6:30pm CSR and Sustainability: From the Margins to the Mainstream Book Launch
6:30pm You Can Learn Anything: Online Learning with HarvardX 101
7pm From Flint to Our Backyard: Environmental Health + Justice in New England
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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
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*******************************************
----------------
Monday, March 7
----------------
Privacy in a Data-Driven World
Monday, March 7
11:30am to 1:00pm
Harvard, Maxwell Dworkin 119, 33 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Roxana Geambasu, Columbia University
The concept of personal privacy as a precious and fragile commodity worthy of protection has come under siege in today's data-driven world.Users are eager to share their data online, and mobile applications and web services aggressively collect and monetize that information. This talk describes our vision for a new, privacy-preserving world; in it,users are more aware of the privacy implications of their online actions,and systems and applications are designed from the ground up with privacy in mind. In support of this vision, we describe our research agendato develop new transparency tools that increase society's oversight over how personal data is being used by applications, and programming tools that facilitate the construction of privacy-mindful applications. We provide two examples of such tools and abstractions. First, we describe Sunlight,a new web transparency tool that helps privacy watchdogs track how web services use individuals' personal data to target ads, personalize content,or adjust prices. Second, we describe Fair Test, a new testing toolkit that helps programmers test for unfair or discriminatory effects within their data-driven applications. Overall, our tools and abstractions aim to increase privacy by promoting a more responsible, fair, and accountable approach to user data management.
Speaker Bio: Roxana Geambasu is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University. She joined Columbia in Fall 2011 after finishing her Ph.D. at the University of Washington. For her work in cloud and mobile data privacy, she received an Early Career Award in Cyber security from the University of Washington Center for Academic Excellence, a Microsoft Research Faculty Fellowship,a 2014 "Brilliant 10'' Popular Science nomination, an NSF CAREER award,an Honorable Mention for the 2013 inaugural Dennis M. Ritchie Doctoral Dissertation Award, a William Chan Dissertation Award, two best paper awards at top systems conferences, and the first Google Ph.D.Fellowship in Cloud Computing.
Center for Research on Computation and Society
Contact: Carol Harlow
Email: harlow@seas.harvard.edu
-----------------------------
A Systems-Based Approach to Startups: Why They Fail and How They Can Succeed
Monday, March 7
12:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Webinar at https://sdm.mit.edu/a-systems-based-approach-to-startups-why-they-fail-and-how-they-can-succeed/
RSVP at https://sdm.mit.edu/a-systems-based-approach-to-startups-why-they-fail-and-how-they-can-succeed/
Speaker(s): Fady Saad, Strategy, Research, and Business Development Director, Vecna Technologies; MIT SDM alumnus
Any evaluation of the life cycle of established companies will reveal the importance of taking a holistic approach to fundamental business challenges such as product development, customer acquisition, financial growth, and employee and leadership recruitment. Making progress on all fronts simultaneously is critical for companies at all stages of development, but it is especially important for startups.
In this webinar, SDM alumnus Fady Saad, director of strategy, research, and business development at Vecna Technologies will:
explain why mature companies can afford delays in responding to a broad set of internal and external issues while startups cannot;
reveal how early business and policy decisions can help and/or hurt a startup during subsequent phases of its life cycle; and
explore how an understanding of these business dynamics can impact the formation and growth of companies in both the short and long term.
A Q&A will follow the presentation. We invite you to join us!
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT System Design & Management
Contact: Lois Slavin (sdm@mit.edu)
Web site: https://sdm.mit.edu/a-systems-based-approach-to-startups-why-they-fail-and-how-they-can-succeed/
More info: 617-253-0812
--------------------------
MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar (MASS) - A Formal Attribution of Glacier Retreat to Climate Change
Monday, March 7
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus)
Speaker: Gerard Roe (UW)
MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar [MASS] is a student-run weekly seminar series. Topics include research concerning atmospheric science, and climate. The seminars usually take place on Mondays in 54-915 from 12.00-1pm. 2015/2016 co-ordinators: Marianna Linz (mlinz@mit.edu) and John Agard (jvagard@mit.edu).
Web site: http://bit.ly/1P33yOq
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
For more information, contact: Marianna Linz
617-253-2127
mlinz@mit.edu
------------------------------
Retail Choice in Electricity: What Have We Learned in 20 Years?
Monday, March 7
12:00PM TO 1:30PM
Harvard, Bell Hall, 5th Floor, Belfer Building, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
with Mathew Morey, Christensen Associates Energy Consulting, LLC.
This series is presented by the Energy Technology Innovation Policy/Consortium for Energy Policy Research at the Kennedy School of Government. Lunch will be provided.
HKS Energy Policy Seminar Series
http://www.hks.harvard.edu/m-rcbg/cepr/seminar.html
Contact Name: Louisa Lund
Louisa_Lund@hks.harvard.edu
More at: http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2016-03-07-170000-2016-03-07-183000/hks-energy-policy-seminar-series#sthash.5D5EKiSG.dpuf
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Platformizing Higher Education: Computer Science and the Making of MOOC Infrastructures
Monday, March 7
12:15PM TO 2:00PM
Harvard, HUCE Seminar Room, 24 Oxford Street, 3rd Floor, Cambridge
Sandwich lunches are provided. Please RSVP to sts@hks.harvard.edu by Wednesday at 5PM the week before.
Shreeharsh Kelkar, MIT
The STS Circle at Harvard is a group of doctoral students and recent PhDs who are interested in creating a space for interdisciplinary conversations about contemporary issues in science and technology that are relevant to people in fields such as anthropology, history of science, sociology, STS, law, government, public policy, and the natural sciences. We want to engage not only those who are working on intersections of science, politics, and public policy, but also those in the natural sciences, engineering, and architecture who have serious interest in exploring these areas together with social scientists and humanists.
STS Circle at Harvard
http://sts.hks.harvard.edu/events/sts_circle/
Contact Name: Shana Rabinowich
Shana_Rabinowich@hks.harvard.edu
More at: http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2016-03-07-171500-2016-03-07-190000/sts-circle-harvard#sthash.d9GmfvOG.dpuf
------------------------------
Imagining synthetic biology futures and making them real
Monday, March 7
3 PM - 4:15 PM
Tufts, Eaton Hall 206, 5 The Green, Medford
Do you want a designer organism? How about energy from plants, or buildings that grow? This conversation brings together a set of people thinking about and building synthetic biology by engaging with the types of futures they might bring about.
Imagining the future, and convincing people it's a future they want, is a great way have that future vision guide people's current actions. Come see how it's being done by those are the forefront of work in this exciting field. The Speakers are:
Christina Agapakis: Creative Director at Gingko Bioworks connecting microbiology, technology, art, and popular culture
Kevin Esvelt: Assistant Professor at MIT Media Lab sculpting evolution through socially responsive practices
Rebecca Wilbanks: PhD Student at Stanford University researching the uses of speculative fiction in synthetic biology
Sam Weiss Evans: Science, Technology, and Society Lecturer teaching STS 50: Technoscience and the State
This event is part of STS 50: Technoscience and the State, a Core Course in the new undergraduate co-major in Science, Technology, and Society at Tufts University.
For more interesting events, visit the STS Program page: http://as.tufts.edu/sts/
------------------------------
The Destruction of Syria and the Crisis of Universal Values
Monday, March 7
4:30 - 6 PM
Harvard Law School, Austin West 111, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Michael Ignatieff, Edward E. Murrow Professor of Practice, Kennedy School of Government
Free and open to the public
Organization/Sponsor: Herbert C. Kelman Seminar on International Conflict, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs (WCFIA)
Contact Info: Donna Hicks, Chair dhicks@wcfia.harvard.edu
Contact organization: Herbert C. Kelman Seminar on International Conflict, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs (WCFIA)
Contact email: dhicks@wcfia.harvard.edu
Source: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/harvard-events/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3devent%26eventid%3d118284721
----------------------------------
Mind Control: Past, Present and Future
Monday, March 7
5:00-6:45 PM
Harvard, CGIS Tsai Auditorium, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
Panelists: Ed Boyden (Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Gabriel Kreiman (Harvard Medical School)
Rebecca Lemov (Harvard University)
Alvaro Pascual-Leone (Harvard Medical School)
Seung-Schik Yoo (Harvard Medical School)
Moderator: Kerry Ressler (Harvard Medical School)
----------------------------------
Perspectives on rating funds on sustainability performance
Monday, March 7
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
District Hall, 75 Northern Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/perspectives-on-rating-funds-on-sustainability-performance-tickets-22138340372
BASIC, Morningstar, & Sustainalytics present....Perspectives on rating funds on sustainability performance
Tools are becoming increasingly available for investors to better understand the sustainability performance of the funds and portfolios in which they invest.
Please join Jon Hale, director of manager research at Morningstar, and Diederik Timmer, executive vice president at Sustainalytics, as they share their views on the changing market dynamics due to the availability of broad sustainability fund ratings by Morningstar. In response to questions from the investment community and BASIC members, Jon and Diederik will discuss the new tools available for asset owners, advisors and their clients, and what this means for fund managers.
Jon Hale, Ph.D., CFA, is director of manager research, North America, for Morningstar. He leads approximately 60 manager research analysts based in North America and oversees the teams operations, thought leadership, and manager research coverage across equity, fixed-income, multi-asset, and alternative asset classes. In addition, Jon heads up Morningstars ESG research initiative. Before assuming this role in 2014, Jon led the consulting team for the Investment Advisory unit of Morningstar Associates, a registered investment advisor and wholly owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc., and he managed the ESG Managers portfolios for Pax World as part of Morningstars Investment Management group.
Diederik Timmeris the executive vice president of institutional relations at Sustainalytics. Over the past seven years Diederik has helped build Sustainalytics into the largest independent provider of ESG research and analysis for the global investment community. He acts as an advisor to senior executives, portfolio managers, and risk professionals on developing and implementing responsible investment strategies. Diederik directly manages the Institutional Relations team that scored 1st, 2nd and 3rd position in the 2012 and 2013 Thomson Reuters Extel and SRI-connect IRRI Survey for best client services person in ESG research. In 2013, Diederik transferred from Amsterdam to New York City. The move is in a response to the growing momentum of responsible investment/ESG in North America and reflects Sustainalytics' increased focus on client service and sales in this market. Thank you to our sponsors: District Hall:District Hall is Bostons home for innovation:adedicated gatheringspace for Bostons innovation community.Our mission? To create impact for Boston-area entrepreneurs through our spaces and programs.
Sustainalytics:A global leader in sustainability research & analysis, serving investors & financial institutions with responsible investment solutions.
-------------------------
The Apple-FBI Standoff
Monday, March 7
6:00pm
Harvard, JFK Jr Forum, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
Jonathan Zittrain, John Deutch, Archon Fung
Moderator(s): Archon Fung
John Deutch
Emeritus Institute Professor, MIT
Director of Central Intelligence Agency (1995-1996)
Jonathan Zittrain
George Bemis Professor of International Law, Harvard Law School
Co-Founder, Director and Faculty Chair, Berkman Center for Internet and Society
Archon Fung (Moderator)
Ford Foundation Professor of Democracy and Citizenship
Academic Dean, Harvard Kennedy School
------------------------
Future Island: Cuba / with Magdalena Campos-Pons, Jorge Fernandez Torres, Doris Sommer, Timothy Hyde
Monday, March 7
6:00p–9:00p
MIT, Building E15-001, 20 Ames Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Magdalena Campos-Pons, Jorge Fernandez Torres, Doris Sommer, Timothy Hyde
Curation: Agencies + Urgencies
ACT's Spring 2016 lecture series Curation: Agencies + Urgencies addresses the contexts and forces shaping the practice of curation today. Bringing together a cast of influential curators, critics, and educators operating across institutional boundaries and political scales- from the book to the biennial- these lectures consider the curator- as diplomat, as researcher, as (para-)artist, as speculator, as provocateur, as censor- and the varying roles and forms curation itself: What defines spaces of curation today? What are the politics pressurizing the practice? What role does the emerging discipline of curatorial studies play in the institutionalization of art? What are the limits and possibilities of curation as a mode of publicity?
In many ways, these are timely questions for an evolving artistic research program such as ACT. Indeed, ACT is in the midst of its own curatorial moment: The program is currently reconceiving the accessibility and presentation of its archive, experimenting with new forms of publication, and developing lines of pedagogy and research that naturally overlap with the basic associative impulse of curatorial praxis- that is, the drive to find new forms and spaces of relief, to form new associations and ecologies of works, people, venues, and sites.
Web site: http://act.mit.edu/projects-and-events/lectures-series/2016-spring/fa
ll-2016-about-series/
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free and Open to the Public
Sponsor(s): Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, MIT Program in Art, Culture and Technology, Department of Architecture, Arts at MIT, School of Architecture and Planning, Council for the Arts at MIT (CAMIT)
For more information, contact:
Marion Cunningham
617-253-5229
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Food + Tech Mystery Series
Wednesday, March 7
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
CIC Boston, 50 Milk Street, Floor 16, Einstein Conference, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/food-tech-mystery-speaker-series-tickets-21456670479
Cost: $10 - $30
Buy individual tickets or get a deal and buy tickets for all four events for just $30 (that's one free event!)
On price-optimization software that has helped 60 farmers almost 10% more of post-harvest revenue in the last two years.
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Annals of the Anthropocene: The Science and Policy of Earth's Atmosphere
Monday, March 7
7pm
The Burren, 247 Elm Street, Davis Square, Somerville
Guest scientists David Keith and Steven Barrett
David is a Professor of Applied Physics in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University, and a Professor of Public Policy in the Harvard Kennedy School. His group works on climate science, energy technology, and public policy. He also helps lead Carbon Engineering, a company working on air capture of CO2.
Steven is an Associate Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a Professor of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the director of the Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment. His group works on the environmental impacts of aviation including atmospheric modeling and propulsion.
Science by the Pint is a monthly science cafe free and open to the public, run by the Harvard non-profit outreach group Science In The News (SITN). Read more here: http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/science-by-the-pint/
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Humanitarian Happy Hour, co-hosted with Harvard's Crisis Management Professional Interest Council
Monday, March 7
7-9pm
Tavern in the Square, 730 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
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Tuesday, March 8
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Building Energy Boston Conference + Trade Show
March 8-10
Seaport World Trade Center, Boston
Free Trade Show Admission to NESEA.org's Building Energy 16
Use the code "BE16FREETRADESHOW" for a free trade show pass.
More information at http://nesea.org/conference/buildingenergy-boston-2016
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Local Specialty Crop; Local Food Trade Shows
Tuesday, March 8
8:30 am – 2:00 pm
Buyers; Attendees – Register at http://sbnmass.formstack.com/forms/2016_lfts_buyer_application
Cost: $20-$30
*This event is intended for commercial buyers, not individual consumers.*
Editorial Comment: Although not intended for individual consumers, consumers interested in the local food network might want to attend.
The Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts (SBN) is offering our 5th Local Food Trade Shows. The 2016 Local Food Trade Shows are designed to facilitate connections and stimulate business relationships between producers and wholesale buyers of local food, with a focus on specialty crop food products in Massachusetts.
This event is ideal for restaurants and institutional buyers interested in trading with local food suppliers and who desire to buy more locally produced products from growers, fishermen, and value added producers from Massachusetts and New England.
Local Specialty Crop Trade Show
Exhibitors will include New England based farmers, produce distributors and local specialty crop producers (products made with 50% or more specialty crops also qualify). Please view the USDA definition of specialty crops here. This Trade Show is sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. Exhibition booths are free for specialty crop farmers and other specialty crop producers.
Local Food Trade Show
This trade show is open to all non-specialty crop food producers including meat and dairy farms, fisheries, baked goods and other added value producers. Exhibition booths are $125.00.
The Specialty Crop Trade Show is made possible by a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MassGrown).
Due to the expansion of our program, we are offer two trade shows, taking place the same time and in the same location. Each trade show will feature different types of exhibitors.
Who should attend?
Any wholesale buyers, who are interested in purchasing Massachusetts or New England-produced food items. These buyers can be supermarkets, co-ops, restaurants, hotels, institutions, schools, food processors in search of ingredients, distributors, or anyone else interested in local purchasing options.*This event is intended for commercial buyers, not individual consumers.*
Maddie Phadke 617-395-0250
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MAPC Winter Council Meeting
Tuesday March 8
9:00 AM to 11:30 AM EST
Marriott Courtyard Boston Downtown, 275 Tremont Street, Boston
RSVP at https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ec8jk9fxc139c784&oseq=&c=b77caa50-eace-11e3-83bf-d4ae529a7ac4&ch=b78312f0-eace-11e3-83bf-d4ae529a7ac4
This meeting is headlined by a panel of the newest mayors and managers in the MAPC region coming together to highlight regional challenges and speak about notable issues in their communities. The panel will take questions from attendees.
Speakers
City Manager of Chelsea: Tom Ambrosino
Mayor of Revere: Brian Arrigo
Mayor of Medford: Stephanie Muccini Burke
Mayor of Weymouth: Robert Hedlund
Mayor of Gloucester: Sefatia Romeo Theken
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Philip Bennett – News and Democracy: The Missing Pieces
WHEN Tue., Mar. 8, 2016, 12 – 1 p.m.
WHERE Harvard Kennedy School, Taubman 275, 15 Eliot Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy
SPEAKER(S) Philip Bennett, former managing editor of The Washington Post, former managing editor of PBS’s FRONTLINE, Patterson Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy, Duke University
COST Free and open to the public
DETAILS Philip Bennett is the Eugene C. Patterson Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy at Duke Sanford School of Public Policy. Bennett was the managing editor of The Washington Post between 2005-2009, and has been an editor of international and national security coverage, a local news reporter and a foreign correspondent. He was the foreign editor of The Post for six years in which the paper’s international staff won many awards, including two Pulitzer prizes. As The Post’s managing editor, the paper’s second-ranking editor, Bennett helped supervise 800 journalists. The Post won ten Pulitzer Prizes during his tenure. Between 2011-13, while on the Duke faculty, he was the managing editor of FRONTLINE, the public affairs television series broadcast on PBS. Bennett’s journalism career started in 1982 at The Lima Times in Peru, where he became the paper’s editor. He was hired as a metropolitan reporter by The Boston Globe in 1984 and was named the newspaper’s Latin American correspondent, based in Mexico City. He covered wars in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala, the U.S. invasion of Panama, and wrote about Mexico, Cuba and Brazil. Bennett was later the Globe’s foreign editor. Bennett has worked on new media projects for The Washington Post Co. and has lectured on the future of journalism. He joined the Duke University faculty in 2009. He is director of the Rutherfurd Living History Program. He teaches about journalism and national security secrecy, the news media and Islam, narrative journalism and coverage of war.
LINK http://shorensteincenter.org/speaker-series-phil-bennett/
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Global Ordering and City-Making
Tuesday, March 8
12:30p–2:00p
Location: 9-450
Speaker: Luis Eslava
Bemis DUSP Speaker Series "Rethinking Law and Planning" n
Speaker: Luis Eslava "works in the areas of International Law, International Legal Theory and History, Anthropology of International Law, Public Law, Law and Development, Theory of Property, and Urban Law and Politics." from his webpage at the Kent Law School, University of Kent. His talk is titled "Global Ordering and City-Making: International Legality and Illegality in Bogota."
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Department of Urban Studies and Planning
For more information, contact: Phil Sunde
617-253-9315
psunde@mit.edu
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2016 Norton Lecture 2 of 6: "Being and Becoming the Stranger"
WHEN Tue., Mar. 8, 2016, 4 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Mahindra Humanities Center
SPEAKER(S) Toni Morrison
TICKET INFO Events are free, but tickets are required. Tickets will be available starting at noon on the day of each lecture. Tickets will be available in person at Sanders Theatre or online (handling fees apply). Limit of two tickets per person. Tickets valid until 3:45 p.m.
DETAILS 2016 Norton Lectures. "The Origin of Others: The Literature of Belonging"
Lecture One: Romancing Slavery Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Lecture Two: Being and Becoming the Stranger Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Lecture Three: The Color Fetish Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Lecture Four: Configurations of Blackness Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Lecture Five: Narrating the Other Monday, April 11, 2016
Lecture Six: The Foreigner's Home Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Events are free, but tickets are required. Tickets will be available starting at noon on the day of each lecture. Tickets will be available in person at Sanders Theatre or online (handling fees apply). Limit of two tickets per person. Tickets valid until 3:45 p.m.
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Randomized Control Trials and Policy Making in Developing Countries
Tuesday, March 8
4:00p–5:00p
MIT, Building 32-155 , 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Esther Duflo (MIT)
IDSS Distinguished Seminar Series
A seminar sponsored by IDSS featuring distinguished speakers (held once per month) end series info begin event description
IDSS (Institute for Data, Systems, and Society) Distinguished Seminar Series
end event description Begin URL
Web site: https://idss.mit.edu/event/idss-distinguished-seminar-duflo/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for Statistics
For more information, contact: Jennifer Formichelli
617.324.2489
stat-events@mit.edu
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Knight Science Journalsim Seminar with Kevin Esvelt and Marc Lipsitch
Tuesday, March 8
4:30 pm
MIT, Building E19-623, 400 Main Street, Cambridge
Kevin Esvelt will pioneer a “Sculpting Evolution” research program at MIT’s Media Lab starting in fall 2016. Currently, he works at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute, where he co-developed the CRISPR/Cas9 system for targeted genome editing and described how we might use RNA-guided gene drives to spread genomic alterations through wild populations. Kevin’s current interests include building safeguards for the responsible development of gene drives, exploring methods of stably altering the composition of microbial communities, and researching new tools and strategies for evolutionary engineering.
Marc Lipstich is a professor at Harvard University’s Department of Epidemiology with a joint appointment in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease. He is director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics and associate director of the Interdiscplinary Concentratration in Infectious Disease Epidemiology Program. His research concerns the effect of naturally acquired host immunity, vaccine-induced immunity and other public health interventions on the population biology of pathogens and the consequences of changing pathogen populations for human health, such as the use of antimicrobial agents and the response of microbes to such exposures.
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Newsweek's Janine di Giovanni: "The Morning They Came for Us" - Reporting Syria's humanitarian crisis
WHEN Tue., Mar. 8, 2016, 4:30 – 6 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Nye B, Taubman Building, Fifth Floor, 15 Eliot Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture, Poetry/Prose, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR The Middle East Initiative
SPEAKER(S) In conversation with Future of Diplomacy Project's Executive Director, Cathryn Cluver, Janine di Giovanni, one of the most experienced conflict reporters in the world will discuss her new book, "Dispatches From Syria: The Morning They Came for Us," and reflect on her experiences covering some of the world's most harrowing conflicts, including the war in Bosnia. This event is part of the Future of Diplomacy Project's "Women in International Reporting" Series.
COST Free and open to the public
LINK http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/6936/newsweeks_janine_di_giovanni.html
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Batteries: Current and Future
Tuesday, March 8
4:45 PM - 5:45 PM
MIT, Building 66-110, 25 Ames Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Yi Cui, Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences; SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Increasing demand for batteries with applications in consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and the grid present opportunities and challenges for rechargeable batteries. This lecture will analyze the nature of energy storage and the existing technology, and present promising future batteries, which can have significantly higher energy density, lower cost, better safety, and longer life. Novel battery chemistries and materials are key for a revolutionary change.
Reception to follow.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Energy Initiative
Web site: mitei.mit.edu
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Women in the Developing World: Women of Thrift, Men of Capital: Gender and Economy in Palestine
Tuesday, March 8
5:00p–6:30p
MIT, Building 3-133 , 33 Massachusetts Avenue (Rear), Cambridge
Speaker: Sherene Seikaly
McMillan-Stewart Lecture on Women in the Developing World
The McMillan-Stewart lectures are coordinated by the MIT Program in Gender and Women's Studies and are organized by the holder of the namesake chair, Lerna Ekmekcioglu, of the MIT History Faculty since 2011. Endowed by GeneviƩve McMillan, http://mcmillanstewart.org/, the lectures provide a space for scholars, artists, journalists, activists, and other experts to reflect on issues related to women in the developing world, specifically (but not exclusively) in the Middle East and North Africa. Lectures are free and open to the public. end series info begin event description
Web site: http://history.mit.edu/mcmillan-stewart-lecture-series-women-developing-world
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Women's and Gender Studies
For more information, contact: Emily Neill
617-253-2643
wgs@mit.edu
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Divided We Fall: When Police and Communities Collide
Tuesday, March 8
6:00pm
Harvard, JFK Jr Forum, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge
Garry McCarthy, DeRay McKesson, Tom Jackman, Annise Parker, Candy Crowley (Moderator)
A conversation with
Garry McCarthy, Former Superintendent, Chicago Police Department
DeRay McKesson, Co-Founder, Campaign Zero
Tom Jackman, Reporter, The Washington Post
Annise Parker, Mayor of Houston (2010- Jan. 2016) IOP Fellow, Spring 2016
Candy Crowley (Moderator), Former Anchor and Journalist, CNN, IOP Fellow, Fall 2015
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Satellites at night tracking rural electrification: Tapping 20 years of data over 600.000 villages
Tuesday, March 8
6pm-7pm
MIT, Building E19-319, 400 Main Street, Cambridge
RSVP: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1vEcIsCAXzwjXYAJEAgbm9IGTdLNlaVeP-ROxaydtgbU/viewform (dinner included!)
Panelists:
Kwawu Mensan Gaba, Lead Energy Specialist and Global Lead, Power Systems Solutions Group, World Bank
Brian Min, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Michigan
Anand Thakker, Website Developer, Nightlights
Bruno Sanchez-Andrade Nuno, Data Scientist, World Bank Innovation Labs
Abstract: Nighttime lights satellite data have proven to be a useful proxy for human development in numerous contexts. In many data-poor regions of the world, the data derived from these satellite images are unparalleled in scope, accuracy, consistency across time and space; and coverage. However, accessing and processing the data could be a challenge or very time consuming at best. In this session we want to present our pipeline and results processing 20 years of DMSP satellite constellation at night over the entire India country, creating the corresponding light output for each of the 600.000 villages. We would also like to get feedback on use cases, applications and upgrades or integrations to the open sourced stack and website. Website will be formally launched in India next month, but the website is open for early access on http://india.nightlights.io/
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Measuring Social Impact
Tuesday, March 8
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Harvard innovation lab, 125 Western Avenue, Lobby Area, Allston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/measuring-social-impact-tickets-21568965356
The question of how to measure social impact is an elusive one. For the past 12 years Root Cause and its founder, Andrew Wolk, have been asking that question. In this workshop you will learn about that journey and includes: The different motivations for measuring social impact in nonprofit, government, and for profit entities The foundation for a solid performance measurement system for social impact Where to start if you want to begin measuring social impact
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Mass Innovation Nights #84
Tuesday, March 8
6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
District Hall, 75 Northern Avenue, Boston
We are looking forward to our second annual Civic Tech event on TUESDAY (yes note not our usual day) March 8th! Microsoft is our sponsor and #MIN84 will be held at District Hall. Check out our website (http://bit.ly/MIN84) fir 11 innovative products showcasing and offering solutions to continuously improve government infrastructure and enhance the lives of citizens. See you there!
Website: http://mass.innovationnights.com/
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A Climate of Change
Tuesday, March 8
6:00 PM to 8:30 PM (EST)
Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square Somerville
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-climate-of-change-boston-tickets-20261738405
Cost: $5 – $15
These four short films examine the effects on the fishing industry associated with climate change, including warming waters, lack of biodiversity, and ocean acidification. Across New England and the nation, fishermen and scientists are observing notable shifts in the ecosystem and dramatic changes on the water. This Island Institute screening will help introduce shellfish aquaculture as an example of economic diversification for fishing communities and will prove to be excellent opportunities for relationship building and dialogue exchange on climate change.
This event is presented in partnership with the Conservation Law Foundation, and we will be joined by CLF's Executive Vice President Sean Mahoney.
Program Overview
7 – 8:30 p.m.: Climate of Change film event at Somerville Theatre
Part I: Warming Waters in the Gulf of Maine (6 min)
Part II: Ocean Acidification in Alaska (9 min)
Part III: Collapse and Adaptation in Apalachicola, FL (9 min)
Part IV: The Future of Aquaculture (10 min)
8 - 8:30 p.m.: Facilitated Q&A
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"Radical Practice," hosted by Women in Design with Julia King, Susan Surface, and Others
WHEN Tue., Mar. 8, 2016, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Piper Auditorium, Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Art/Design, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Women in Design, Harvard University Graduate School of Design
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO events@gsd.harvard.edu
DETAILS On March 8, 2016, Women in Design, a Harvard Graduate School of Design student group, will celebrate its third-annual International Women’s Day. Dedicated to empowering women designers, we propose an open dialogue on what it means to be a creative woman developing, challenging, and innovating her craft in the 21st century. In exploring conventional and potential modes of practice, we aim to cultivate radical alternatives to the dominant roles and methods of our fields. As we reflect on strides the design fields have made toward achieving gender equity, we see International Women’s Day 2016 as a catalytic platform to investigate how radical practice can re-situate—and revolutionize—our work.
Women in Design continues to challenge how women, as well as other underrepresented groups in the design disciplines, can work for equity across representation, compensation, and valuation. To mark this year’s International Women’s Day, we have invited pioneering women practitioners across the design disciplines to engage and share their backgrounds, experiences, and philosophies of radical practice—the what, how, and why (or why not). In this spirit, we invite you to join us in questioning and speculating how, both individually and collectively, we can radically transform the design field.
LINK www.gsd.harvard.edu/#/events/radical-practice-hosted-by-women-in-design-with-julia-king-susan.html
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Next Gen Mobility: Driving the Future
Tuesday, March 8
6:30 PM - 8:45 PM
MassChallenge, 23 Dry Dock Avenue, 6th Floor, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/next-gen-mobility-driving-the-future-tickets-21735130360
Attention Boston startup community investors, founders, journalists, and app developers: MassChallenge and Honda Silicon Valley Labare team up to host an event featuring early-stage companies with cool mobility tech. Join us to meet and mingle with others in the local startup scene. Meet innovators building tech for next generation vehicles. Check out the innovator showcase, and get inside tips from our panel on bringing your ideas to market. Leaders from Honda Silicon Valley Lab will also be on hand to talk about how Honda supports tech innovators.
Event Agenda:
6:30-7:00: Networking & Appetizers, Innovator Showcase
7:00-7:20: Introducing Honda Xcelerator & Honda Developer Studio
7:20-7:30: MassChallenge Info Session
7:30-8:10: Panel: Getting your tech into next-gen vehicles.
8:10-8:15: Closing Remarks
8:15-8:45: Networking
Food and drinks will be provided
Participating Startups: To be announced.
About Honda Silicon Valley Lab
Honda Silicon Valley Lab (HSVL) is an open innovation lab serving as the catalyst to accelerate Hondas global research and development. We partner with talented entrepreneurs, tech companies and app developers to create cutting edge products and services for a superior customer experience. Honda Silicon Valley Lab is home to two programs: Honda Xcelerator and Honda Developer Studio. Honda Developer Studio makes it easier for app developers to bring new ideas to cars through the Android Auto and Apple CarPlay platforms. The goal of the Developer Studio is to help developers refine their ideas by encouraging them to consider automotive grade engineering principles, as well as driver safety and privacy top Honda priorities. Beyond apps, Honda Xcelerator offers funding, engineering support and resources to mobility innovators to help them rapidly develop prototypes for game-changing technologies. It also provides entrepreneurs with access to Honda engineers, a work space in our Silicon Valley facility, and a pathway to commercialization across Hondas diverse portfolio of products and services.
Learn more at http://hondasvl.com
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Science by the Pint: Annals of the Anthropocene: The Science and Policy of Earth’s Atmosphere
Monday, March 7
7pm
The Burren, 247 Elm Street, Davis Square, Somerville
David Keith and Steven Barrett
David is a Professor of Applied Physics in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University, and a Professor of Public Policy in the Harvard Kennedy School. His group works on climate science, energy technology, and public policy. He also helps lead Carbon Engineering, a company working on air capture of CO2.
Steven is an Associate Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a Professor of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the director of the Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment. His group works on the environmental impacts of aviation including atmospheric modeling and propulsion.
More information at http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/science-by-the-pint/
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BostonTalks Investigates: Election Update
Tuesday, March 8
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
WGBH, 1 Guest Street, Allston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/bostontalks-investigates-election-update-tickets-22175245757
Cost: $10
Investigates: Election Update, Where do we Stand?
The 2016 presidential election is shaping up to be the most contentious in recent memory.
WGBH News Executive Producer Aaron Schachter leads a discussion, featuring WGBH News Political Reporter Adam Reilly and others, about the election and what it means locally and nationally. About WGBH's BostonTalks: Investigates event series WGBH journalists investigate stories that matter to our region. Now, youre invited to join the conversation at our BostonTalks: Investigates series, featuring in-depth panel discussions with major players, followed by a reception.
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Wednesday, March 9
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Building Energy Boston Conference + Trade Show
March 8-10
Seaport World Trade Center, Boston
Free Trade Show Admission to NESEA.org's Building Energy 16
Use the code "BE16FREETRADESHOW" for a free trade show pass.
More information at http://nesea.org/conference/buildingenergy-boston-2016
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Building an Educational Justice Movement: Organizing against the School to Prison Pipeline
Wednesday, March 9
12 PM
Harvard, Thompson Room, Barker Center, 12 Quincy Street, Cambridge
A Q+A will follow the lecture.
Organization/Sponsor: W. E. B. Du Bois Research Institute at the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research
Speaker(s): Mark Warren, associate professor of public policy and public affairs, University of Massachusetts, Boston
Cost: Free & open to the public
Contact Info: hutchevents@fas.harvard.edu
More info: http://hutchinscenter.fas.harvard.edu/events-lectures/events/march-9-2016-1200pm/spring-colloquium-mark-warren
Contact organization: W. E. B. Du Bois Research Institute at the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research
Contact email: hutchevents@fas.harvard.edu
Source: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/harvard-events/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3devent%26eventid%3d117886474
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Aquatic Chemistry on a Computer
Wednesday, march 9
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 1-131 , 33 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker: Professor J. Samuel Arey
Abstract: Aquatic chemistry is driven largely by experimental science. However, existing experimental techniques are far outpaced by the increasing number of chemicals of concern, the profound complexity of aquatic chemical processes, and an expanding domain of space and time that must be sampled. I will discuss how we can address these problems using advanced computational approaches, including quantum chemistry simulations, theoretical concepts from physical chemistry, coupled models of transport, phase transfers, and reactions, and opportunities to leverage big data. In selected examples that I present, computational methods are used: (i) to determine the elusive chemical properties and complex chemical mechanisms that control the formation and degradation of toxic chemicals in the urban water cycle; (ii) to simulate the unusual physical-chemical behaviors and trajectories of petroleum fluids released into the deep sea during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster; and (iii) to resolve the molecular processes that emit potentially massive quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere from sunlight-exposed dissolved organic matter in freshwaters and oceans. The presented flexible computational toolkit continues to advance at a rapid pace and is expected to revolutionize engineering problem-solving and scientific understanding of aquatic chemical processes.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Civil and Environmental Engineering
For more information, contact: Marygrace Aboudou
617-253-7101
Maboudou@mit.edu
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The China Challenge: Shaping the Choices of a Rising Power
Wednesday, March 9
12:00p–1:30p
MIT, Building E40-496, 1 Ames Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Thomas Christensen (Princeton University)
SSP Wednesday Seminar Series
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/ssp/seminars/index.html
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
For more information, contact: Elina Hamilton
617-253-7529
elinah@mit.edu
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Financing China’s Urbanization
Wednesday, March 9
12:30p–2:00p
MIT, Building 9-450, 105 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker: Professor WU Weiping
China Talk Series
In collaboration with the China Planning, Real Estate, and Architecture (China PRA) student organization, DUSP, CRE, and the STL Lab are organizing 2016 spring semester China Talk Series.
The China Talk Series will bring a selection of experts on China's urbanization to SA+P to present their research on planning, real estate, and architecture. This semester, the theme of the Talk Series is socially responsible real estate entrepreneurship in China. We look forward to lively lunch discussions on opportunities and challenges facing China as it urbanizes. end series info begin event description
Behind the spectacular growth of China's cities lies a potential fiscal crisis. It is unlikely that municipal governments can count on revenues from land leasing as a major, lasting source of finance. Many are under pressure to find alternative sources to finance urban development and infrastructure. This presentation will discuss a confluence of factors underlying the crisis, and explore alternatives.
Weiping Wu is a professor and chair of the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University. She holds a Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Policy Development from Rutgers University, and a MA degree in Urban Planning and a BA degree in Architecture from Tsinghua University (China). She is a former editor of the Journal of Planning Education and Research, and a visiting Zijiang Chair Professor at East China Normal University in Shanghai. At Tufts, she also is a senior fellow in the Council for Emerging Market Enterprises at The Fletcher School, and the coordinator of the undergraduate Minor in Urban Studies program.
Web site: https://stl.mit.edu/event/china-talk-series
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Department of Urban Studies and Planning
For more information, contact: Heather Mooney
617-715-2352
hmooney@mit.edu
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Labor Markets and Poverty in Village Economies
Wednesday, March 9
2:45 PM - 4:00 PM
MIT, Building E51-395, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Oriana Bandiera (LSE)
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Development Economics Seminar
Contact: economics calendar (econ-cal@mit.edu)
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Privacy in a Data-Driven World
Wednesday, March 9
4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
MIT, Building 32-G882, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Roxana Geambasu , Columbia University
Abstract
The concept of personal privacy as a precious and fragile commodity worthy of protection has come under siege in today's data-driven world. Users are eager to share their data online, and mobile applications and web services aggressively collect and monetize that information. This talk describes our vision for a new, privacy-preserving world; in it, users are more aware of the privacy implications of their online actions, and systems and applications are designed from the ground up with privacy in mind. In support of this vision, we describe our research agenda to develop new transparency tools that increase users' visibility into how personal data is being used by applications, and programming tools that facilitate the construction of privacy-mindful applications. We provide two examples of such tools and abstractions. First, we describe Sunlight, a new web transparency tool that helps privacy watchdogs track how web services use individuals' personal data to target ads, personalize content, or adjust prices. Second, we describe FairTest, a new testing toolkit that helps programmers test for unfair or discriminatory effects within their data-driven applications. Overall, our tools and abstractions aim to increase privacy by promoting a more responsible, fair, and accountable approach to user data management.
Bio
Roxana Geambasu is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University. She joined Columbia in Fall 2011 after finishing her Ph.D. at the University of Washington. For her work in cloud and mobile data privacy, she received an Early Career Award in Cybersecurity from the University of Washington Center for Academic Excellence, a Microsoft Research Faculty Fellowship, a 2014 "Brilliant 10" Popular Science nomination, an NSF CAREER award, an Honorable Mention for the 2013 inaugural Dennis M. Ritchie Doctoral Dissertation Award, a William Chan Dissertation Award, two best paper awards at top systems conferences, and the first Google Ph.D. Fellowship in Cloud Computing.
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Cohesion without cooperation: a top-down perspective on community ecology
Wednesday, March 9
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
MIT, Parsons, Building 48-316, 15 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Michael Tikhonov, Harvard
Microbial Systems Seminar
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Civil and Environmental Engineering
Contact: Kathryn Kauffman (k6logc@mit.edu)
Web site: https://microbialsystems.wordpress.com
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2016 Norton Lecture Three: The Color Fetish
WHEN Wed., Mar. 9, 2016, 4 p.m.
WHERE Harvard, Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Lecture
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Mahindra Humanities Center
SPEAKER(S) Toni Morrison
TICKET INFO Events are free, but tickets are required. Tickets will be available starting at noon on the day of each lecture. Tickets will be available in person at Sanders Theatre or online (handling fees apply). Limit of two tickets per person. Tickets valid until 3:45 p.m.
DETAILS 2016 Norton Lectures. "The Origin of Others: The Literature of Belonging"
Lecture One: Romancing Slavery Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Lecture Two: Being and Becoming the Stranger Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Lecture Three: The Color Fetish Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Lecture Four: Configurations of Blackness Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Lecture Five: Narrating the Other Monday, April 11, 2016
Lecture Six: The Foreigner's Home Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Events are free, but tickets are required. Tickets will be available starting at noon on the day of each lecture. Tickets will be available in person at Sanders Theatre or online (handling fees apply). Limit of two tickets per person. Tickets valid until 3:45 p.m.
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GEEKS AND GREEKS: THE MAKING OF AN EPIC GRAPHIC NOVEL ABOUT MIT HACKS
Wednesday, March 9
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
MIT, Building 10-250, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Steve Altes and Andy Fish
The Technology and Policy Program and the de Florez Fund for Humor present an evening with Steve Altes and Andy Fish, creators of the MIT-themed humorous graphic novel, Geeks and Greeks, a story of student life at MIT, told through the prism of high-tech hacks. Altes, a 1984 MIT grad (TPP 86) whose career has spanned engineering and entertainment, based his story on many actual events and hacks. The evening will feature humorous stories from Altes's thirty-year odyssey to get this story told as well as behind-the-scenes looks at pitching a story to Hollywood, crowdfunding, and the graphic novel creation process.
Sponsored by the Technology and Policy Program and the de Florez Fund for Humor
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Contact: Barbara Delabarre (barbarad@MIT.EDU)
Web site: https://idss.mit.edu/event/geeks-and-greeks-the-making-of-an-epic-graphic-novel-about-mit-hacks-steve-altes-84-and-andy-fish/
More info: (617) 452-3187
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Why Mass Incarceration Matters to Our Cities, Economy and Democracy
WHEN Wed., Mar. 9, 2016, 4:10 – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, 124 Mount Auburn Street, Suite 200-North, Cambridge, MA
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Education, Humanities, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation
SPEAKER(S) Heather Ann Thompson, professor of Afroamerican and African Studies and history, University of Michigan
Moderator: Leah Wright Rigueur, assistant professor of public policy, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
DETAILS Part of the Race and American Politics Seminar Series
LINK http://ash.harvard.edu/event/why-mass-incarceration-matters-our-cities-economy-and-democracy
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Starr Forum: Cyber Security
Wednesday, March 9
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
MIT, Building 66-110, 25 Ames Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): James Mulvenon, Joel F Brenner
Seminar lecture/panel discussion touching on military-to-military relations and perceptions as well as real and potential cyber conflict.
Speakers include:
James Mulvenon (Vice President of Intelligence at Defense Group Inc.)
Dr. Mulvenon is an expert on the Chinese military and Chinese cyber issues, and has published widely on Chinese military affairs, party-army relations, C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, and reconnaissance), and nuclear weapons doctrine and organizations
Joel F Brenner, Ph.D., J.D. (CIS Robert E. Wilhelm Fellow)
Brenner specializes in cyber and physical security, data protection and privacy, intelligence law, the administration of classified information and facilities, and the regulation of sensitive cross-border transactions.
Please contact us at starrforum@mit.edu if you need accessibility accommodations
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
Contact: starrforum@mit.edu
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/cis/
More info: 617-253-8306
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New Cuban Ecologies
Wednesday, March 9
5:00p–6:30p
MIT, Building 14E-304, 20 Ames Street, Cambridge
Latin American Studies Forum
NEW CUBAN ECOLOGIES: Visual arts, environment, and new media in contemporary Cuba
Wednesday, March 9
5:00p–6:30p
MIT, Building E14-304, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Rachel Price is Associate Professor of Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Cultures at Princeton University, and the author of Planet/Cuba: Art, Culture, and the Future of the Island (2015 Verso).
end event description Begin URL
Web site: http://mitgsl.mit.edu/news-events/new-cuban-ecologies
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT Global Studies and Languages
For more information, contact: Lisa Hickler
617-452-2676
lhickler@mit.edu
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Boston New Technology March 2016 Product Showcase #BNT63
Wednesday, March 9
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Foley Hoag, 155 Seaport Blvd, Boston
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Boston_New_Technology/events/228897036/
Foley Hoag is in the Seaport West building (entrance on B Street). Please bring identification and check in at our desk in the lobby. Then, take an elevator to the 13th floor. Enter the glass doors and walk down the hall to your right.
Free event! Come learn about 7 innovative and exciting technology products and network with the Boston/Cambridge startup community!
Please click here to share/tweet our event with your network.
Each presenter gets 5 minutes for product demonstration and 5 minutes for Q&A.
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Fashion Meets Function: Using Soft Materials in Wearable Robots
Wednesday, March 9
6:30pm - 7:30pm
Honeycomb, Le Laboratoire Cambridge, 650 East Kendall Street, Cambridge
Conor Walsh, Core Faculty member, Wyss Institute at Harvard University, Associate Professor of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
All lectures will take place at Le Laboratoire Cambridge from 6:30 - 7:30 PM. Seating is limited and reservations are encouraged. Please contact Ankica Koldzic at programs@lelabcambridge.com.
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Food+Tech Mystery Speaker Series
Wednesday, March 9
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
CIC Boston, 50 Milk Street, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/food-tech-mystery-speaker-series-tickets-21456670479
Cost: $10
Every Wednesday in March, Branchfood will host an entrepreneur to tell the story of how they launched a successful food tech enterprise.
Our lineup of cutting-edge entrepreneurs will dive deep into the challenges and lessons learned of launching a food tech company. We’ll be covering early pitfalls of starting a biz, obtaining partners and funding, and reaching buyers and users.
Do not miss the opportunity to learn from these savvy founders! Hear their #BOSFoodStory, network with them, and soak in some of their #hustle.
Mystery speakers will be announced the Friday before each event. In the meantime, can you guess these innovators?
Tickets are sold on Eventbrite. Buy individual event tickets ($10 each) or buy the ALL ACCESS PASS – $30 for all four events (that’s one free!). Bonus: attendees will get to munch on samples from local food companies and drink Sam Adam craft beers.
Intrigued? See you there!
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Cambridge Forum: Rotten Reportage – Do We Have the Media We Deserve?
Wednesday, March 9
7pm
3 Church Street, Cambridge
The bulk of mainstream media in the U.S. is now owned by a handful of corporations that continue to gobble up smaller outlets and independent presses. Some say that we have created a perfect echo chamber and that the plurality of a free press is just a sad joke. Turning on the TV or scrolling through the headlines offers only the illusion of choice.
So is the media monopoly almost complete? Is there any cause for optimism in the new journalistic market place? In its pre-election coverage, does the national press corps reveal its true colors?
Cambridge Forum has invited a panel of journalists and experts drawn from the Internet, academia, and NPR to discuss the state of journalism in America today.
Our speakers include Lonnie Isabel. Isabel teaches at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. Isabel spent 25 years in the newspaper business, covering or directing the coverage of several presidential campaigns including the fabled 2000 election. He also ran the coverage of Hillary Clinton’s run for Senate, the impeachment of Bill Clinton, and just about every major national and international story of his generation. He has covered each national political convention since 1984.
Isabel has worked for Newsday, the Boston Globe, Boston Herald and Oakland Tribune. After leaving Newsday as deputy managing editor in 2005, Isabel joined the newly-created CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, where he started the International Reporting Program that has trained more than 75 journalists to cover international issues, and the International Journalist-in-Residence program that brings an endangered, targeted or threatened journalist each year to study and work at the school. He started at Columbia last year. He is co-author of a book to be released this summer, “Think/Point/Shoot: Media Ethics, Technology and Global Change”.
Peter S. Goodman is the Global Editor-In-Chief of the International Business Times, where he supervises more than 200 journalists across worldwide editions. goodman1He was previously Executive Business and Global News Editor for the Huffington Post, where he oversaw business, technology and international reporting while writing a column that earned a Loeb award for commentary. Goodman was the National Economic Correspondent for the New York Times during the Great Recession. There, he played a central role in “The Reckoning,” a series of stories on the roots of the 2008 financial crisis, which won a Loeb and was a finalist for the Pulitzer prize. Goodman is the author of Past Due: The End of Easy Money and the Renewal of the American Economy.
Sam Fleming is Director of News and Programming at WBUR. He’s responsible for supervising a staff of 75, including news managers, producers, reporters, writers, editors, hosts and production staff. flemming1Under his direction, WBUR’s News Department has garnered more than 50 national and local awards recognizing the quality and depth of its news coverage. Fleming first worked at the station in 1981 as a general assignment reporter. In 1992, he became WBUR’s News Director, a position he held until 2004. In that role he oversaw the breadth, depth and daily workings of the news produced at WBUR and helped to manage the content of daily broadcasts in their diverse forms.
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The Myth of the Spoiled Child: Coddled Kids, Helicopter Parents, and Other Phony Crises
Wednesday, March 9
7:00pm
Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard Street, Coolidge Corner, Brookline
Alfie Kohn
Somehow a set of deeply conservative assumptions about children—what they’re like and how they should be raised—has congealed into the conventional wisdom in our society. Parents are accused of being both permissive and overprotective, unwilling to set limits and afraid to let their kids fail. Alfie Kohn systematically debunks these beliefs, not only challenging erroneous factual claims but also exposing the troubling ideology that underlies them.
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Judaism and the Environment: Foundational Texts
Wednesdays, March 9, 16, and 30
7pm - 8:30pm
Synagogue Council Office, 1320 Centre Street, #306, Newton Center
RSVP to jewishclimateaction@gmail.com
Cost: $54 for all three lectures, $18 per lecture
Rabbi Judith Kummer, Executive Director of the Jewish Chaplaincy Council of MA
The environment is a Jewish issue, who knew?
We may think of the environmental movement as a product of 20th and 21st century American sensibilities. However, Judaism has teaching dating back to Biblical times that encourage gratitude for and preservation of our natural environment. Please join others to study Biblical and Rabbinic texts and discuss the Jewish environmental principles derived from them.
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Thursday, March 10
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Building Energy Boston Conference + Trade Show
March 8-10
Seaport World Trade Center, Boston
Free Trade Show Admission to NESEA.org's Building Energy 16
Use the code "BE16FREETRADESHOW" for a free trade show pass.
More information at http://nesea.org/conference/buildingenergy-boston-2016
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Geopolitics of Energy Seminar
Thursday March 10
8:45AM TO 10:00AM
Harvard, Allison Dining Room, 5th Floor, Taubman Building, 15 Eliot Street, Cambridge
http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/6944/conversation_with_lord_browne.ht...
Please join us for a breakfast conversation between Lord Browne, Executive Chairman of L1 Energy and former CEO of BP, and Meghan O'Sullivan, Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs and Director of the Geopolitics of Energy Project. Lord Browne will discuss the consequences of the new energy environment for society, as well as his new book, Connect. This event is open to the public and a light breakfast will be served.
Contact Name: Nika Sremac
nikoleta_sremac@hks.harvard.edu
617-496-8238
More at: http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2016-03-10-134500-2016-03-10-150000/geopolitics-energy-seminar#sthash.l6BSqjeB.dpuf
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Single Molecule Imagining of a Genome Structure and Gene Expression
Thursday, March 10
11:00a–12:00p
MIT, Building 4-331, 182 Memorial Drive (Rear), Cambridge
Speaker: Dr. Alistair Boettiger
Physics provides a predictive understanding of the natural world. Despite the elegant simplicity in which all living matter uses the same chemical code (in DNA) to determine behavior (by expressing genes), we have yet little ability to predict how changes in the former result in changes in the latter. This talk will present two methods to visualize with unprecedented detail, the statistical structure of the genome and of gene expression. The first approach uses super-resolution microscopy to image fluorescently labeled portions of the genome and visualize their 3D structure. With this method, we've found that distinct portions of the genome, each decorated by different chemical modifications, exhibit distinct scaling laws which describe their packaging behavior. A predictive understanding of how genome structural organization effects cell behavior requires also the ability to study gene expression. I will also describe our new MERFISH technology, capable of imaging the statistical distribution over a heterogeneous cell population of as many as 1000 distinct gene-products.
Web site: http://imes.mit.edu/imes-special-seminar-3102016-alistair-boettiger/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): IMES
For more information, contact: IMES
617-253-2386
imes@mit.edu
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Communicating Science
Thursday, March 10
12pm
Tufts, Rabb room, Lincoln Filene Center, 10 Upper Campus Road, Medford
Most talks will be streamed lived at Bit.ly/TuftsLunchLearn
Erin Allweiss
Science and environmental issues are in the news every day, yet only a small fraction of the global audience consuming news is comprised of scientists. So how do professional communicators tell science-based stories? And how can we use public relations (PR) and communications to impact public opinion on climate change and other key environmental policies? Erin Allweiss ’05 will discuss the role and importance of science-based PR.
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Sex, Lies, and Justice: A Conversation Between Catharine MacKinnon and Ron Suskind
WHEN Thu., Mar. 10, 2016, 12 – 1 p.m.
WHERE Ames Courtroom, Austin Hall, Harvard Law School
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Humanities, Law, Lecture, Social Sciences
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Law School
SPEAKER(S) Catharine MacKinnon
COST Free and open to the public
CONTACT INFO akanter@ronsuskind.com
DETAILS Ron Suskind, Pulitzer-winning journalist and lecturer on law, will interview Catharine MacKinnon, a noted legal scholar and activist who has led the fight for women's equality since the 1970s. The two will discuss the intersection of law with public narratives of justice and equality, including MacKinnon's past work and current debates surrounding sex trafficking, prostitution and the what the current political landscape bodes for women's rights.
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Merging Building Science with Health Science: The Impact of Buildings on Health, Comfort and Productivity
Thursday, March 10
12:30–1:30 pm
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, FXB G-12, 651 Huntington Avenue, Boston
Join Dr. Joseph Allen and Dr. Memo Cedeno for this Director's Lecture Series installment.
What does the future of sustainability and human health look like?
This spring, the Center for Health and the Global Environment will be hosting a Director's Lecture Series showcasing how its latest research is re-envisioning health and sustainability. This series will offer deep insight into many of the research programs and initiatives at the Center which are tackling some of the biggest sustainability challenges of the 21st century.
More at: http://green.harvard.edu/events/merging-building-science-health-science-impact-buildings-health-comfort-and-productivity#sthash.8RZ8xnfT.dpuf
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How Did Salafism Become an Ideology?
Thursday, March 10
5 - 6:30 PM
Harvard, CMES, Room 102, 38 Kirkland St, Cambridge
Henri LauziĆØre's research interests lie at the intersection of Islamic intellectual history and the modern political history of the Arab world, including North Africa. His recent book, The "Making of Salafism: Islamic Reform in the Twentieth Century," was published in 2016 by Columbia University Press.
Unless otherwise noted in the event description, CMES events are open to the public (no registration required), and off the record. Please note that events may be filmed and photographed by CMES for record-keeping and for use on the CMES website and publications.
Organization/Sponsor: Center for Middle Eastern Studies, the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, the Islamic Legal Studies Program (Harvard Law School), the Prince Alwaleed Islamic Studies Program, and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs
Speaker(s): Henri LauziĆØre, assistant professor, Department of History, Northwestern University
More info: http://cmes.fas.harvard.edu/event/how-did-salafism-become-ideology
Contact organization: Center for Middle Eastern Studies, the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, the Islamic Legal Studies Program (Harvard Law School), the Prince Alwaleed Islamic Studies Program, and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs
Source: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/harvard-events/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3devent%26eventid%3d117882835
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A Conversation with Guy Maddin
Thursday, March 10
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
MIT, Building 56-14, 21 Ames Street, Cambridge
Guy Maddin and his partners are communing with the spirits of long-lost movies. In a conversation with William Uricchio, Maddin will discuss why we should bother digging up filmic and narrative memories from oblivion, how we can take advantage of the Internet to involve new publics, and how the act of doing so might help to create a new web-based art form.
Maddin is an installation artist, writer and filmmaker, the director of eleven feature-length movies, including The Forbidden Room (2015) and My Winnipeg (2007).
In the winter of 2015/16 he and Evan Johnson will launch their major internet interactive work, Seances, which will enable anyone online to "hold seances with" movies fashioned out of fragments of long-lost films.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Andrew Whitacre (cmsw@mit.edu)
Web site: http://cmsw.mit.edu/event/conversation-with-guy-maddin/
More info: 617-324-0490
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3/11: Five Years After the Triple Disaster in Northeastern Japan
Thursday, March 10
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
MIT, Building 32-123, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Panelists Richard Samuels (MIT, Political Science), Tatsujiro Suzuki (Former Vice Chairman of Japan Atomic Energy Commission of the Cabinet Office), Kenneth Oye (MIT, Political Science & ESD), Miho Mazereeuw (MIT, Architecture) and Akinobu Murakami (University of Tsukuba) will speak on the current state of Northeastern Japan five years after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown. STARR Forum.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): MIT-Japan Program, Center for International Studies
Contact: Christine Pilcavage (csp18@mit.edu)
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/cis/eventposter_031016-FiveYearsDisasterJapan.html
More info: 258-8208
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Cargo Drones in Africa: The Next Great Leap(frog)?
Thursday, March 10
6:30 PM to 9:00 PM (EST)
swissnex Boston, Consulate of Switzerland, 420 Broadway, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cargo-drones-in-africa-the-next-great-leapfrog-tickets-21790029565
How cargo drones can change the way emerging economies think about transportation networks
On February 11th, 2016 the Rwandan government signed a deal to carry human blood across Rwanda – by using cargo drones. Previously, in September 2015, Lord Norman Foster announced his plans for the world's first drone ports to be built in Kigali, Rwanda.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, are a rapidly maturing technology. And it is not only tech giants, like Google and Amazon, that are working on spearheading UAVs to take over the last mile delivery of goods.
Afrotech at the Ćcole polytechnique fĆ©dĆ©rale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland seeks to pioneer high intensity cargo drone routes flying the middle mile in the lower sky in Africa and other emerging economies, thereby improving health and economic outcomes. It has created the Redline: a medium-sized payload cargo drone route for medical and emergency use in remote locations. Next to the Redline, the project is working on a Blueline for larger commercial cargo drone routes.
Join Afrotech founder Jonathan Ledgard for a presentation on the Redline drone project, its plans for a pilot to be launched in Rwanda in 2016, and the broader implications of cargo drones for distribution in Africa.
Following Jonathan Ledgard’s presentation, panelists will discuss the potential of cargo drones as a competitiveness strategy for emerging economies, the regulatory environment for civilian and commercial drones, and the technological challenges of moving cargo in the sky.
Light refreshments will be provided.
Event Agenda
6:00 PM: Doors Open
6:30 PM: Red Line Presentation
7:00 PM: Panel Discussion
8:00 PM: Networking Reception
9:00 PM: Doors Close
Speaker Bios
Jonathan Ledgard is director of Afrotech. He is a leading thinker on risk, nature, and technology in near future Africa. A British citizen, he spent the last decade as Africa correspondent for The Economist and reported Africa's mobile phone revolution. A founder of The Economist's Baobab blog, he continues to contribute to leading journals.
Helen Greiner, CEO of CyPhy Works, commands a presence in the field of robotics. Co-founding iRobot in 1990, Ms. Greiner served as President until 2004 and Chairman until 2008. During her tenure, Ms. Greiner guided iRobot into its position as a global leader with the release of the Roomba™, the PackBot™ and SUGV military robots. She built a culture of practical innovation and delivery that led to the deployment of 6,000 PackBots with American troops. In addition, Ms. Greiner headed up iRobot’s financing projects, raising $35M in venture capital for a $75M initial public offering. Greiner holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in computer science, both from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Konstantin Kakaes is a program fellow with the International Security Program at New America. He is working on a project analyzing the evolving uses of drones. He is the author of "The Pioneer Detectives", an e-book about space exploration. Before coming to New America, Mr Kakaes was a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT. Mr Kakaes was The Economist's bureau chief in Mexico City from 2005 to 2009, and before that covered science and technology for The Economist from London. He has a B.A. in Physics from Harvard. You can read more about Konstantin's work on drones here.
Clare Akamanzi is currently a Mason Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She is the former Chief Operating Officer of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) a Government institution in charge of accelerating economic growth and development of the country. Prior to this, she was the Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of Business Operations and Services at RDB where she was in charge of investment promotion, export promotion, enterprise development as well as business facilitation through, inter alia, investment climate reform, company registration and environmental clearances. Prior to this Ms Akamanzi was the Deputy Director General at the Rwanda Investment and Export Promotion Agency (RIEPA), a position she held from 2006-2008. She was also Rwanda’s commercial Diplomat in London and a Trade Negotiator in Geneva for the Government of Rwanda at the World Trade Organization.
Jason Pontin – Moderator
Since 2004, Jason Pontin has been editor in chief of MIT Technology Review, and publisher since 2005. With dual titles, Jason oversees everything from editorial direction to business strategy. Under his guidance, the more than 100-year-old publication has grown into an international digital media company.
This event is supported by swissnex Boston, EPFL, Afrotech – EPFL, and the Business & Government Professional Interest Council at Harvard Kennedy School.
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Nation on the Take: How Big Money Corrupts Our Democracy and What We Can Do About It
Thursday, March 10
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
This event is free; no tickets are required.
Harvard Book Store welcomes senior analyst at the Center for Public Integrity WENDELL POTTER and executive director of the organization Issue One NICK PENNIMAN for a discussion of their book Nation on the Take: How Big Money Corrupts Our Democracy and What We Can Do About It.
About Nation on the Take
American democracy has become coin operated. Special interest groups increasingly control every level of government. The necessity of raising huge sums of campaign cash has completely changed the character of politics and policy making, determining what elected representatives stand for and how they spend their time. The marriage of great wealth and intense political influence has rendered our country unable to address our most pressing problems, from runaway government spending to climate change to the wealth gap. It also defines our daily lives: from the cars we drive to the air we breathe to the debt we owe.
In this powerful work of reportage, Wendell Potter and Nick Penniman, two vigilant watchdogs, expose legalized corruption and link it to the kitchen-table issues citizens face every day. Inciting our outrage, the authors then inspire us by introducing us to the army of reformers laying the groundwork for change, ready to be called into action. The battle plan for reform presented is practical, realistic, and concrete. No one-except some lobbyists and major political donors-likes business as usual, and this book intends to help forge a new army of reformers who are compelled by a patriotic duty to fight for a better democracy.
An impassioned, infuriating, yet ultimately hopeful call to arms, Nation on the Take lays bare the reach of moneyed interests and charts a way forward, toward the recovery of America's original promise.
Praise
"There could be no more important or timely book than Nation on the Take. Potter and Penniman make a compelling case that moneyed interests have seized control of the levers of power in ways we haven’t seen since the Gilded Age. This is a stirring guide for how we can work together to reclaim our democracy and reunify our country." —Doris Kearns Goodwin
"Nation on the Take is a timely and inspired book about a uniquely American problem. But Penniman and Potter don’t merely draw our attention to the ways money dominates politics--they expertly show how the crisis connects with our daily lives and offer a path forward that includes people from all walks of life and all political persuasions." —Arianna Huffington
More at http://www.harvard.com/event/wendell_potter_nick_penniman/
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Boston Area Solar Energy Association Forum: Let's Cut the Crap! (i.e. Misinformation about Solar)
Thursday, March 10
Doors open at 7:00 p.m.; Presentation begins at 7:30 p.m
First Parish in Cambridge Unitarian Universalist; 3 Church Street, Harvard Square
Did you read that right? Yes. Crap!
B.S., distortion, deception, exaggeration, spin, lies.
There is a concerted effort going on to squash solar across the nation, and Massachusetts is one front in this battle. As the state legislature gears up to consider an omnibus energy bill, we are seeing more rhetoric spewing from the anti-solar lobbyists.
At our March BASEA Forum, we will take aim at the pro-fossil fuels campaign that is spreading this misleading 'stuff' locally. Mark Sandeen of Mass Solar will be our guide as we dissect, inspect and learn effective ways to reject the questionable messaging they are putting out.
Get informed on Thursday, March 10th, to better arm yourself for the battle ahead. Here are two links that give examples on how our solar community is pushing back against those who are blowing smoke!
Solar Action Update
The Solar Energy Business Association of New England and others have planned a Solar Lobby Day for Tues., March 8th, at the Governor's Office. See SEBANE.org for a schedule.
Mark Sandeen serves as the President of Mass Solar (www.solarisworking.org) and is the founder of RePower Partners, LLC, responsible for managing and developing their portfolio of solar energy projects. Mark has built and led high-growth, high-tech teams at Avidyne, Object Design and Intel. He is Chair of the Sustainable Lexington Committee and a member of Lexington's Better Buildings, Community Choice and Solar Energy Task Forces. Mark also writes the monthly column, "All Things Sustainable," for Colonial Times Magazine.
Please Join Us! Donations, membership and ClimateRide.org support BASEA.
The Boston Area Solar Energy Association - www.BASEA.org
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Friday, March 11
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Accessing Democracy: How Law Shapes and Influences Our Elections
Friday, March 11
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Northeastern University School of Law, 416 Huntington Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/accessing-democracy-how-law-shapes-and-influences-our-elections-tickets-22172715188
Join us on March 11, 2016, for our annual symposium. The title of this year's symposium is "Accessing Democracy: How Law Shapes and Influences Our Elections." We'll be discussing topics related to election law, such as redistricting and how this process is used to shape the electorate, voter identification laws and their effect on voter access, and the increasing role of money in politics following the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United. We are also planning to discuss the ongoing litigation efforts surrounding these topics and how the law surrounding our political system may look in the future.
Breakfast & Registration: 8:30 9:30 am
Welcome & Introduction:9:30 10:00 am
An Introduction to Redistricting and The Supreme Court:10:00 10:30 am
Redistricting Within the Realm of Election Law:10:30 11:15 am
Keynote Address:11:30 am 12:15 pm
The Influence of Wealth and Lobbying on Elections:1:20 2:30 pm T
he Impact of Voter Access and Voter Identification Laws on the Electorate:2:40 3:30 pm
The Use of Litigation to Influence Campaign Finance and Voter Access:3:45 4:30 pm
Closing Remarks:4:40 5:00 pm
Reception: 5:00 6:30 pm
*Titles are subject to change.
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Efficient and market-based thermal energy storage of renewable energy
Friday, March 11
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
MIT, Building NW17-218, 175 Albany Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): David Baldwin, SunLight Power, Inc.
To penetrate the electric power market more than the 10-15% range, all renewable power generation sources require storage to match temporal supply with demand. In addition, as for nearly all high-power generation sources today, the issue of the competing demands for fresh water makes their cooling-water requirements a paramount issue. SLPI has developed a new approach to high temperature thermal energy storage, utilizing latent heat principles in common NaCl, vapor heat transport, a cooling-water-free Brayton-cycle turbine, and a modular approach that can be flexibly applied to customer needs - all at attractive cost. The primary power source can be Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), for which the SLPI system is described, or wind/PV, which are discussed in less detail.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Plasma Science and Fusion Center
Contact: Paul Rivenberg (rivenberg@psfc.mit.edu)
More info: 253-8101
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Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) - status and potential science studies
Friday, March 11
12:00PM TO 1:00PM
Harvard, 100F Pierce Hall, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge
Kelly Chance, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Atmospheric Sciences Seminar
https://www.seas.harvard.edu/calendar/event/86106
Contact Name: Chris Miller
cmiller@fas.harvard.edu
More at: http://environment.harvard.edu/events/2016-03-11-170000-2016-03-11-180000/atmospheric-sciences-seminar#sthash.Gen6vTii.dpuf
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Sourcewater!
Friday, March 11
12-1 PM
MIT, Building 3-333, 33 Massachusetts Avenue (Rear), Cambridge
RSVP at http://goo.gl/forms/7TnUFYJUdz
Sourcewater- an online marketplace which enables energy companies to minimize their single-largest operating cost, water management; ensure a reliable mission-critical supply chain; and reduce the environmental and community impacts of energy production through market-based incentives.
Joshua Adler is the founding CEO of Sourcewater, the water exchange for the energy ecosystem, which he conceived while was a Sloan Fellow in Innovation and Global Leadership at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the Energy Ventures program. Mr. Adler is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, and world-class communicator who has founded energy, real estate, medical technology, and internet companies and was the Chief Speech Writer to the US Treasury Department. Mr. Adler’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Economist. He holds degrees from Yale University and MIT.
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Climate Solutions Summit
Friday, March 11
2:00 PM - 7:00 PM
The Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett Street, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/climate-solutions-summit-registration-19556223190
Cost: $0 - $300
With the White House and U.S. Department of Energy's recent announcement of the Clean Energy Investment Initiative, and specifically the Clean Energy Impact Investment Center, Confluence is providing an afternoon convening dedicated to building climate solutions through public-private partnerships at our 6th Annual Practitioners Gathering in Cambridge, MA on Friday, March 11, 2016 at The Charles Hotel. The Climate Summit will convene philanthropists, family offices, foundation grantmaking staff, impact investment professionals and public agencies in a series of discussions that will explore the landscape for investment in climate solutions post-COP 21 Paris.
A keynote and plenary themed around The Role of Private Finance in Building Climate Solutions,will be followed by two small session tracks with multiple workshop choices. Track One will focus on catalyzing mission-oriented investment in collaboration with U.S. Department Of Energy's Clean Energy Impact Investment Center and will engage invited participants in strategic discussion. Track Two is offered to the general assembly in workshops related to The Role of Subnational Governments in Climate Financing; Resilience; Energy Access; and the Role of Philanthropy in Financing Climate Solutions.
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Writing Environmental History for a Chinese Audience
Friday, March 11
2:30 PM - 4:30 PM
MIT, Building E51-095, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Peter C. Perdue, Yale University
Seminar on Environmental and Agricultural History
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): History Office
Contact: Margo Collett (history-info@mit.edu)
Web site: https://history.mit.edu/lectures-and-seminars/seminar-environmental-and-agricultural-history
More info: 253-4965
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MIT Water Night 2016
Friday, March 11
5pm-7pm
MIT, Building 50, 142 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
The MIT Water Night is our annual flagship research showcase that aims to provide a friendly and exciting venue for individuals and research groups at MIT to present their latest achievements and work in water-related fields. It is the perfect opportunity to network with water researchers and professionals around refreshments.
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Apocalyptic Hope: Infrastructure, Speculation, and “Smartness”
Friday, March 11
5:00p–7:00p
MIT, Building 7-429, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Speaker: Orit Halpern
MIT Architecture Lecture Series
Part of the Spring 2016 Architecture and Computation Group Lecture Series.
Open to: the general public
Cost: free
Sponsor(s): Department of Architecture
For more information, contact:
Irina Chernyakova
617-324-4416
ich@mit.edu
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Saturday, March 12
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4th Annual Massachusetts Urban Farming Conference
Saturday, March 12
7:30 am – 5:30 pm
Northeastern University, Curry Student Center, 346 Huntington Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-annual-massachusetts-urban-farming-conference-tickets-19937468505
Cost: $50
The 4th Annual Massachusetts Urban Farming Conference is designed to advance urban farming issues ranging from farming techniques and business models to climate change adaptation and food security. Network with Massachusetts' diverse, multi-sector stakeholders in this dynamic event that looks at current issues, emerging practices and programs, and markets that can contribute to Massachusetts' urban farming sector.
For more information, contact Rose Arruda at MDAR; Rose.Arruda@state.ma.us
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2016 Maple Syrup Boil Down Festival!
Saturday, March 12
10am-2pm
The Growing Center, 22 Vinal Avenue, Somerville
On March 12th, we celebrate Somerville’s annual Maple Syrup Boil Down Festival! Community members of all ages are invited to the Community Growing Center at 22 Vinal Avenue between 10am and 2pm to watch and learn for free as sap from local sugar maple trees is boiled down into pure maple syrup over a warm fire. Attendees can expect syrup-tasting, kids’ activities, demonstrations, and more! Waffles, hot drinks, and Maple Syrup Project T-shirts and posters will be on sale! Please join us at this unique outdoor festival as we celebrate the dawn of spring and our local urban resources. Use #mmmsyrup to follow the maple syrup news or to post about the event!
For more information about The Maple Syrup Boil Down 2016, the education series, or syrup production contact Sarah Lindsay ~ sarah@groundworksomerville.org ~ or call 617-628-9988.
More at http://www.groundworksomerville.org/event/2016-maple-syrup-boil-down-festival/
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Climate Resilient Boston
Saturday, March 12
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM (EST)
The English High School, 144 McBride Street, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climate-resilient-boston-tickets-20484946025
Remember last February’s blizzards? Last summer’s heatwave? Morrissey Blvd. flooding yet again? As our climate heats up, extreme weather is becoming more common. Last year, Mayor Walsh launched several planning processes that support strategies for addressing the vulnerabilities and impacts from climate change including: Imagine Boston 2030, the first city-wide plan since 1965, Boston's Resilience Strategy through 100 Resilience Cities pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation, and Climate Ready Boston.
As part of these efforts, they want to make sure Boston’s vulnerable people and places are well-prepared and fully supported during storms, coastal flooding and extreme heat and cold temperatures.
Come learn about current scientific projections for climate change in the City of Boston and share how recent weather events have impacted your lives, neighborhoods and businesses. We need you to help inform Boston’s long-term planning efforts! We're also giving away five $100 door prizes, so be sure to invite your friends!
Co-Sponsored by the City of Boston’s Chief Resilience Officer and The Boston Harbor Association in partnership with City of Boston Office of Environment, Energy and Open Space, BSA Foundation, Engagement Lab @Emerson College and World Wildlife Foundation.
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Sunday, March 13
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Local Environmental Action 2016
Sunday, March 13
9am - 5:30pm
Northeastern University, Curry Center, 346 Huntington Avenue, Boston
RSVP at http://www.localenvironmentalaction.org
Cost: $40 - $60
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Monday, March 14
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Hearing Heat: Acoustemology meets the Anthropocene
Monday, March 14
12pm
Tufts, Varis Lecture Hall, Granoff Music Center, 20 Talbot Avenue, Medford
Steven Feld
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Effects of Copyrights on Science: Evidence from the WWII Book Replication Program
Monday, March 14
2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
MIT, Building E52-432, 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Petra Moser, NYU, Stern School of Business
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): IO Workshop
Contact: economics calendar (econ-cal@mit.edu)
Web site: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2542879
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Policy Podium: Panel Discussion on Energy with Legislators and Industry Pros
Monday, March 14
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
50 Milk Street, 17th floor, "Milky Way" conference room, Boston
RSVP at http://usgbcma.org/civicrm/event/register?id=1013&reset=1
Cost: $0 - $25
Want to connect with one of the core legislators on the future of renewable energy and green buildings? Then you won't want to miss this event! We will be hosting an evening with Senator Benjamin Downing, the Senate chair of the committee overseeing clean energy and green building policy. He will be discussing his role and impact on the legislation, and bringing green jobs to the Commonwealth.
We are also joined by Betsy Glynn from the Center for Sustainable Energy, Steve Cowel from E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs), and Peter Shattuck from Acadia Center.
Topics of discussion will include:
Strategies to transform residential or commercial (or both) building stock.
How to bring jobs to Massachusetts through a "green transformation."
Legislation that preserves Massachusetts's #1 national rank in energy efficiency.
Balancing public utilities, legislators and the public as we move forward with energy policy.
Q&A session will follow.
PANELISTS:
Senator Benjamin B. Downing
Senator Benjamin B. Downing, hailing from Pittsfield, MA, is in his fifth term in the Massachusetts Senate. The Senator serves as the Senate chairman of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, which is tasked with reviewing all matters concerning renewable and non-renewable energy sources. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Providence College in 2003. In May 2008 he received a M.A. from Tufts University’s Department of Urban and Environment Policy & Planning.
Betsy Glynn, EEAC
Elizabeth (Betsy) Glynn works to identify opportunities for partnerships and collaborations to advance energy efficiency and renewable and clean energy generation to contribute to a more sustainable future.
The Massachusetts Energy Efficiency Advisory Council (EEAC) was created with the Green Communities Act of 2008, a comprehensive energy reform law. EEAC members guide the development of state- and nation-leading energy efficiency plans by the Commonwealth’s investor-owned gas and electric utilities and energy providers. The Council’s priorities are to develop, implement, evaluate, and monitor the implementation of these plans.
Glynn is the Northeast Regional Manager at the Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE). Based in Boston, she serves as the organization’s regional lead as well as the primary relationship manager for CSE’s northeast clients and strategic partners.
Steve Cowell, E2
Under Steve Cowell’s leadership, CSG designed and implemented conservation and renewable energy programs for utilities, state agencies, and other groups throughout the U.S., providing services to more than 3.2 million businesses and households. Steve successfully advocated for energy efficiency as a least-cost power supply option. He helped to create and build the residential energy efficiency industry through sound public policy, legislation, and establishment of trade ally networks as well as the delivery of cost-effective programs.
Steve is a graduate of Brown University and has been honored with several major industry awards.
Peter Shattuck, Acadia Center
Peter's work at Acadia Center focuses on cleaning up the energy supply across all sectors of the economy. Driving market-based emissions reductions is at the core of this work, using cap and trade policies such as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which Acadia Center has tracked since the program’s early development in the 2000s and which Acadia Center is now promoting beyond the region. Peter also leads parallel efforts to price carbon emissions in the transportation, building, and industrial sectors, and to provide incentives to boost clean energy supply in the electric and thermal sectors. As Massachusetts Director, Peter oversees Acadia Center’s work on grid modernization, electric vehicles, energy efficiency, and renewables in the Commonwealth. Peter received a B.A. in History from Yale, and an M.S. in Environmental Science from Trinity College, Dublin, where he focused on the impact of carbon markets on development in Mexico.
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Tuesday, March 15
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Finding Community-Based Solutions to Food Insecurity
Tuesday, March 15
8:00 AM to 9:30 AM (EDT)
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP, 155 Seaport Boulevard, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sif-social-issue-talk-series-finding-community-based-solutions-to-food-insecurity-registration-21122927244
Guest speaker: Anne McHugh, Director of the Chronic Disease Prevention and Control Division at the Boston Public Health Commission
Featured Innovator: Dorchester Community Food Co-op
Anne McHugh is the Director of the Chronic Disease Prevention and Control Division at the Boston Public Health Commission – the city health department for Boston. She oversees multiple initiatives that address obesity, hypertension, and other chronic diseases, particularly through supporting community-based approaches to increasing access to healthy eating and active living opportunities. A particular focus of Commission efforts is to address the health inequities that lead to Black and Latino residents experiencing a disproportionate burden of these health conditions. She has been the Principal Investigator for several major community chronic disease prevention programs funded by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including Communities Putting Prevention to Work, REACH Obesity and Hypertension Demonstration Project, and Let’s Get Healthy, Boston!. Anne holds a Masters degree in Health Policy and Management from Harvard School of Public Health and a BA from Harvard College. She has more than 25 years experience in public health and health care program development and management.
The Dorchester Community Food Coop is an initiative to build a cooperatively owned grocery store that provides access to nutritious food at a fair price, creates economic opportunity, and nurtures community engagement.
Social Innovation Forum 2016 Social Issue Talk Series
More Information on SIF's 2016 Social Issue Talk Series
This March, the Social Innovation Forum (SIF) will hold eight free, educational events as a part of our annual March Social Issue Talk Series where funders and community leaders can hear from leading experts and our 2016 Social Innovators about the latest trends, best practices, and exciting innovations across a variety of fields. For a full list of events in the series, please visit www.socialinnovationforum.org/blog/social-issue-talk-series
If you have any questions or if you would like to learn more about SIF, please contact us at team@socialinnovationforum.org or 617.492.2305.
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An Overview of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
Tuesday, March 15
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
BU, Trustee Lounge 1 Silber Way, 9th Floor, Boston
The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) advances high-potential, high-impact energy technologies that are too early for private-sector investment and have the potential to radically improve U.S. economic prosperity, national security, and environmental well-being. The agency funds technology-focused, applied research and development aimed at creating real-world solutions to important problems in energy creation, distribution, and use. This presentation is an opportunity to learn about ARPA-E, its programs and projects, and how it solicits and manages research awards to advance potentially disruptive energy technologies.
More info: http://www.bu.edu/research/news-events/featured-events-2/arpa-e/
Source: http://www.bu.edu/calendar/?uid=178930@17.calendar.bu.edu
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MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar (MASS) - Steven Barrett, MIT
Tuesday, March 15
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
MIT, Building 54-517, 21 Ames Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Steven Barrett (MIT)
The MIT Atmospheric Science Seminar Series [MASS] is a student-run weekly seminar series. Topics include all research concerning the atmosphere and climate, but also talks about e.g. societal impacts of climatic processes. The seminars usually take place on Mondays in 54-915 from 12.00-1pm unless otherwise noted (term-time only). Talks are generally followed by a lunch with graduate students. Besides the seminar, individual meetings with professors, postdocs, and students are arranged. The seminar series is run by graduate students and is intended mainly for students to interact with individuals outside the department, but faculty and postdocs certainly participate. 2015/2016 co-ordinators: Marianna Linz (mlinz@mit.edu) and John Agard (jvagard@mit.edu). mass@mit.edu reaches the list.
https://eapsweb.mit.edu/mit-atmospheric-science-seminar-mass-steven-barrett-mit
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
Contact: Marianna Linz (mlinz@mit.edu)
Web site: http://bit.ly/1P33yOq
More info: 617-253-2127
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Emile Bustani Middle East Seminar: "Saudi Arabia and the Politics of Islamic Militancy"
Tuesday, March 15
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
MIT, Building E51-395, 2 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Prof. Bernard A. Haykel
It has become axiomatic in the media and even in academic writings to associate Saudi Arabia with terrorism and militancy. The formal interpretation of Islam in the Kingdom - commonly known as Salafism or Wahhabism - is often the credo of many Sunni militants. And the Kingdom has since the 1960s promoted the spread of Salafism throughout the world through various forms of missionary activity. It therefore appears that a correlation must exist between Riyadh's efforts and Islamic militancy. This lecture will explore this relationship and show that while there is certainly an elective affinity between Salafism and militancy - for reasons primarily to do with the nature of religious authority - the Saudi government's role in fostering this relationship is neither obvious nor established.
Bernard A. Haykel is professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University.
The Bustani Middle East Seminar is organized under the auspices of the MIT Center for International Studies, which conducts research on contemporary international issues and provides an opportunity for faculty and students to share perspectives and exchange views. Each year the Bustani Seminar invites scholars, journalists, consultants, and other experts from the Middle East, Europe, and the United States to MIT to present recent research findings on contemporary politics, society and culture, and economic and technological development in the Middle East.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies, Radius/T&C
Contact: Dain Goding (dain@mit.edu)
Web site: http://web.mit.edu/cis/bustani/
More info: 617-252-1888
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Understanding the Impact of War and Displacement in Cities: an Information Approach for Urban Settings
Tuesday, March 15
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
MIT, Building E40-496, 1 Amherst Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Karen Jacobsen, Acting Director, Feinstein International Center, Tufts University
A session of the Myron Weiner Seminar Series on International Migration.
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies
Contact: Phiona Lovett (phiona@mit.edu)
More info: 253-3848
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Tufts Innovation Spotlight
Tuesday, March 15
5:00 PM to 8:00 PM (EDT)
Abby Lane - 253 Tremont Street, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tufts-innovation-spotlight-tickets-20972431106
Guests
Qiaobing Xu, PhD (Assistant Professor, Tufts University Department of Biomedical Engineering)
Richard Lee, MD (Professor, Harvard Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology)
Arnout Schepers, PhD (Post-Doctoral Researcher, MIT Laboratory for Multiscale Regenerative Technologies)
Retsina Meyer, PhD (Senior Scientist, Resilience Therapeutics)
Luhan Yang, PhD (Co-Founder, eGenesis)
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CSR and Sustainability: From the Margins to the Mainstream Book Launch
Tuesday, March 15
6:30 PM
Impact Hub Boston, 50 Milk Street, Boston
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Corporate-Social-Responsibility-Sustainability-Meetup/events/225650708/
Cost: $15
Michael Hopkins will be launching in Boston what will become the definitive reference on Corporate Social Responsibility!
Covering almost every key topic, it looks at how CSR has gone from the margins to the mainstream. Reflecting on over 30 years in the field, as an academic and practitioner, Michael will look at the future of CSR and sustainability, the lessons learned, and he will offer advice to practitioners and newcomers to CSR.
CSR and Sustainability - From the Margins to the Mainstream is a one-stop reference book for professionals and students of CSR and includes contributions from experts in the application of CSR which translates well-established theories into practical tools.
Refreshments will be served
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You Can Learn Anything: Online Learning with HarvardX 101
WHEN Tue., Mar. 15, 2016, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
WHERE The Harvard Ed Portal, 224 Western Avenue, Allston
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Classes/Workshops, Education, Support/Social
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Ed Portal
COST Free and open to the public; RSVP required
TICKET WEB LINK https://www.eventbrite.com/e/you-can-learn-anything-online-learning-with-harvardx-101-registration-21357010393
DETAILS Do you want to enhance your career opportunities? Explore an interest you've always had but never had the opportunity to pursue? Learn something new?
Join us at the Harvard Ed Portal on March 15 at 6:30pm as we examine how online learning provides access to limitless opportunities to expand your world. We’ll explore the possibilities for online learning, understand the process of signing up for an online course, and make a plan for successful online learning.
The workshop is free and open to the public, but we ask that you please RSVP on EVENTBRITE.
LINK edportal.harvard.edu
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From Flint to Our Backyard: Environmental Health + Justice in New England
Tuesday, March 15
7:00 PM to 8:00 PM (EDT)
Le Laboratoire Cambridge, 650 East Kendall Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/from-flint-to-our-backyard-environmental-health-justice-in-new-england-tickets-22583980293
The lead contaminated water crisis in Flint, Michigan has highlighted the issue of environmental injustice and who bears the burden of toxic chemical exposures in the U.S. Childhood lead poisoning has been a problem for decades, including in Massachusetts, and occurs more frequently in low income communities and communities of color. Other New England communities, such as New Bedford and Pittsfield, MA are also the locations of contaminated industrial waste dumping that has put them on the Federal Superfund list. Dr. Richard Clapp will discuss local issues of environmental justice and answer your questions.
Richard Clapp is a Professor Emeritus of Environmental Health at Boston University School of Public Health. He was formerly the Director of the Massachusetts Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program and the Massachusetts Cancer Registry in the Department of Public Health. He has taught public health and given numerous community presentations over the past four decades.
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Upcoming Events
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Wednesday, March 16
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March Boston Sustainability Breakfast
Wednesday, March 16
7:30 AM to 8:30 AM (EDT)
Pret A Manger, 185 Franklin Street Post Office Square, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/march-boston-sustainability-breakfast-tickets-22047866763
Join us for the third Sustainability Breakfast of 2016 - Net Impact Boston's informal breakfast meetup of sustainability professionals together for networking, discussion and moral support. It's important to remind ourselves that we are not the only ones out there in the business world trying to do good! Feel free to drop by any time any time between 7:30 and 830 am.
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MEMS Are Becoming 3D and Atomically Precise
Wednesday, March 16
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 34-401, 50 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker: Andrei M. Shkel, University of California, Irvine
Microtechnology comes of age. Clearly, some significant advances have been made, and we see a footprint of the technology in an ever-growing consumer electronics market full of interactive products enabled by microtechnology. These products include, for example, accelerometers for gaming applications, gyros for auto safety, resonators for clocks, and more. The questions remain, however: Is the technology really on the level of what we consider to be precision sensing? Is making sensors small necessarily result in degradation of performance? These questions led us to development of glassblowing technology for precision sensing and origami-like assembly techniques for classical and atomic MEMS; all to be discussed in this talk.
MTL Seminar Series
MTL seminar speakers for the series are selected on the basis of their knowledge and competence in the areas of microelectronics research, manufacturing, or policy. This series is held during the academic year on Wednesdays at noon. The seminars are open to the public. Lunch is served at 11:30am end series info begin event description
Web site: https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mtlseminar/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Microsystems Technology Laboratories
For more information, contact: Valerie DiNardo
617-253-9328
valeried@mit.edu
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Sack Lunch Seminar (SLS) - Deepak Cherian, MIT/WHOI
Wednesday, March 16
12pm - 1pm
MIT, Building 54 (the tallest building on campus)
Speaker: Deepak Cherian
Thesis - Currently, I'm studying the interaction of eddies with continental slopes using continuously stratified, primitive equation model experiments using ROMS. The motivation is to understand the behaviour of eddies like Gulf Stream Warm Core Rings when they encounter the shelfbreak at the Mid-Atlantic Bight.
Future - In general, I am interested in the physics of stratified, rotating fluids over sloping topography. Some physics I want to think about are: 1) The interaction of strong flows with topography in stratified systems. Dense, bottom water plumes seem like a good place to start. 2) Flows on the equatorial Ī² plane. This and (1) are basically about stratified flows on strong PV gradients, one being bottom intensified and the other being barotropic. 3) Using residual mean theory to understand the baroclinic instability of shelfbreak fronts. 4) Exploring the relative importance of various proposed mechanisms for shelfbreak upwelling. Specifically, given a set of initial conditions, which mechanisms contribute most to upwelling. 5) Consequences of randomly forced waves interacting with organized topography: what happens when continental slopes are continuously irradiated by Rossby waves?
About this Series
The MIT Oceanography and Climate Sack Lunch Seminar Series [SLS] is a student-run weekly seminar series. Topics include research relating to climate (especially where it concerns interactions with the ocean or sea-ice), geophysical fluid dynamics, biogeochemistry, paleo-oceanography/climatology and physical oceanography. The seminars usually take place on Wednesdays in 54-915 from 12:10-1:00 pm unless otherwise noted (term-time only). Students are encouraged to lunch with the speaker. Besides the seminar, individual meetings with professors, postdocs, and students are arranged. 2015/2016 co-ordinator: Ali Mashayek (ali-mash@mit.edu).
Web site: http://bit.ly/1RQpuuO
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
For more information, contact: Darius Collazo
617-253-2127
dcollazo@mit.edu
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MIT Clean Energy Prize Mentor Dinner
Wednesday, March 16
5:30 PM to 7:45 PM (EDT)
MIT, Building E52 - 7th Floor, 2 Ames Street, Cambridge
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mit-clean-energy-prize-mentor-dinner-tickets-22460419720
Meet the 2016 Clean Energy Prize mentors, semifinalists, and Staff for an evening in the all new MIT Sloan Building E52!
Schedule:
5:30-6:00pm: Networking mixer
6:00-6:15pm: Welcome remarks from CEP managing and mentorship directors
6:15-6:45pm: Leadership activity
6:45-7:30pm: Dinner
7:30-7:45pm: Closing remarks
Best view of the sunset over the Charles in all of MIT's campus.
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Audibility and Verification of Elections
Wednesday, March 16
7pm - 9pm
MIT, Building NE 30, Broad Institute Auditorium, 7 Cambridge Center (corner of Vassar & Main Streets), Cambridge
Speaker: Professor Ron Rivest
Democracy requires that elections have credible results---otherwise the winner lacks a political mandate and the supporters of losing candidates react with anything from protests to revolution. Yet (U.S.) elections have become larger and increasingly complex, and politics seems more polarized. Software-based voting systems inspire little trust. Voting systems purchased with funds allocated after the 2000 U.S. presidential election fiasco are rapidly becoming obsolete.
How can good definitions, statistics, and cryptography help?
We present the notion of software independence, describe several methods for effective auditing of paper ballots, and give an overview of ``end-to-end'' cryptographic voting systems that allow voters to confirm that their votes were counted exactly as intended, without violating voter privacy or enabling vote-selling. We close with a (pessimistic) assessment of the prospects for "voting over the internet".
Professor Rivest is an Institute Professor at MIT, a member of its Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, a member of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), a member of that lab's Theory of Computation Group and a leader of its Cryptography and Information Security Group.
Rivest is a co-inventor of the RSA public-key cryptosystem, has extensive experience in cryptographic design and cryptanalysis. He is also a founder of RSA Data Security and of Verisign.
IEEE/ACM Joint Seminar Series
Exploring the edge of computing technology. end series info begin event description
Web site: http://ewh.ieee.org/r1/boston/computer/rivest2016.html
Open to: the general public
Tickets: N/A Sponsor(s): ACM & IEEE/CS
For more information, contact: Dorothy Curtis
617-253-0541
dcurtis@mit.edu
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Thursday, March 17
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Universal Laws and Architectures: Theory and Lessons from Brains, Nets, Hearts, Bugs, Grids, Flows, and Zombies
Thursday, March 17
1:00p–2:00p
MIT, Building 32-144, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker: John Doyle (Caltech)
IDSS Distinguished Seminar Series
Monthly series featuring distinguished speakers. All are welcome.
Web site: https://idss.mit.edu/event/idss-distinguished-seminar-doyle/
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Center for Statistics, idss
For more information, contact: Jennifer Formichelli
617.324.2489
jlf24@mit.edu
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Working toward a complete functional atlas of the human brain
Thursday, March 17
4:00pm - 5:30pm
MIT, Building 46-3002, Singleton Auditorium, 43 Vassar Street, Cambridge
Speaker(s): Jack Gallant, PhD
The structure and function of the human brain are very closely linked. Neuroanatomists have made much progress in obtaining good anatomical parcellations of the human brain and recent technical advances might make it possible to recover detailed structural topography and structural connectivity from living individuals. In contrast, cognitive neuroscientists have made much less progress in obtaining a detailed functional parcellation of the human brain, and most of the studies that have attempted to do this have been based on passive resting state correlations that have no clear functional assignment. My laboratory is engaged in a broad effort to obtain systematic functional parcellations across a wide variety of sensory and cognitive domains. The broad goals of this program is to obtain a detailed functional parcellation of the human brain that reveals how sensory and cognitive features are represented across the cortical mantle; to understand how these representations are modulated by top-down processes such as attention, learning and memory; and to determine the correspondence between functional and structural neuroanatomy. In this talk I will discuss our approach to this problem and provide several examples of how our approach can be used to obtain detailed functional parcellations of sensory and cognitive systems in individual human brains.
More at: http://bcs.mit.edu/news-events/events/tbd-9#sthash.mPXv4nf8.dpuf
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Media Archaeology as Symptom
Thursday, March 17
5:00p–7:00p
MIT, Building 56-114, 21 Ames Street, Cambridge
Thomas Elsaesser
For nearly one hundred years, the moving image has been discussed primarily from the perspective of photography: organizing our questions and theories around cinema as an ocular dispositif, based on light, projection and transparency, or as a recording dispositif, based on index, imprint and trace. In the age of digital imaging technologies, some of which have little to do with optics, such a history of the moving image seems too narrowly conceived. The broadly based, if loosely defined research field calling itself "media archaeology" not only locates the cinema within more comprehensive media histories, it also investigates apparently obsolete, overlooked, or poorly understood past media practices. The expectation is that by once more "opening up" these pasts, one can enable or envisage a different future. The question then arises: is media archaeology a (viable) disciplinary subject or a (valuable) symptom also of changes in our ideas of history, causality and contingency?
Thomas Elsaesser is Professor Emeritus at the University of Amsterdam and since 2013 has been teaching at Columbia University. Among his most recent books are: The Persistence of Hollywood (New York: Routledge, 2012) and Film Theory: An Introduction through the Senses (New York: Routledge, 2nd edition 2015, with Malte Hagener). Forthcoming is Film History as Media Archaeology -- Tracking Digital Cinema (Amsterdam University Press, 2016).
Web site: http://cmsw.mit.edu/event/thomas-elsaesser-media-archaeology-as-symptom/
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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Sunday, March 20
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The Split Brain and Eco-restoration
Sunday, March 20
5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
One Fayette Park, Cambridge
RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Biodiversity-for-a-Livable-Climate/events/229074979/
Architect and teacher Christopher Haines has focused on sustainable design, environmental awareness, energy efficiency and green building, and has a background in agriculture and permaculture going back to Sir Albert Howard, Bill Mollison and others. From a college degree in psychology, he has developed an avid interest in brain science and the light it sheds on our thinking and behavior with respect to the natural world - our sole life-support system. Christopher will discuss split brain science as it impacts our work towards regenerating this damaged planet. In a fascinating presentation he will cover:
The two hemispheres of the brain and what they do
The relationship the hemispheres have with the natural world
The split brain and the worlds we live in
Asymmetries between the brain hemispheres
Exiting the ‘Hall of Mirrors’
Towards biodiversity
What promises to be a lively group discussion will ensue.
Potluck starts at 5, presentation at 6.
We're a small non-profit so a $10 donation is requested, but no one will be turned away based on ability to pay.
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Tuesday, March 22
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4th Annual Massachusetts Water Forum: Water on My Mind
Tuesday, March 22
1:00 PM
BSA Space, 290 Congress Street #200, Boston
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-annual-massachusetts-water-forum-tickets-20708791553
The 4th Annual Massachusetts Water Forum, hosted by the Foundation for a Green Future, Inc. in honor of World Water Day, will rethink water management as the Commonwealth prepares for a changing climate.
The Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA) will present a game-changing plan to transform the way we manage water in our urban and suburban spaces. The forum will encourage all participants to pose questions, add their insights, and think about new designs, systems and resource uses.
Participants may join us for one or more segment of this program.
4th Annual Massachusetts Water Forum Program
1:00 pm Secretary Matthew Beaton will open the 4th Annual Water Forum
1:10 pm Brief greeting by Youth Representatives from the morning's Youth Summit led by Green Schools
1:15 pm Panel Discussion: Transforming Our Water and Energy Systems
3:00 pm Panel Discussion ends. Short coffee break.
3:15 pm Breakout Sessions
Breakout Session 1: Infrastructure for a Livable Future
Breakout Session 2: Design and Legislation
Breakout Session 3: Resilient Water Systems
5:00 pm Breakout Sessions end.
5:30 pm Keynote speaker, Wenonah Hauter and Cocktail Reception.
The 4th Annual Massachusetts Water Forum is brought to you thanks to our partners:
The Office of Representative Chris Walsh
Boston Society of Architects
Charles River Watershed Association
City of Boston
MWRA (Massachusetts Water Resources Authority)
Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC)
Massachusetts Rivers Alliance
Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC)
Green Schools
FORUM PARTICIPANTS:
We have the privilege of welcoming the Commonwealth's Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Matthew Beaton.
Matthew BEawton
Representative Chris Walsh of the 6th Middlesex District will serve as Moderator.
Chris Walsh
Panelists include:
Bob Zimmerman, Executive Director of Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA)
Bob will present a game changing way of treating water in our cities and towns which will be set up through CWERCs - Community Water and Energy Resource Centers. The Forum continues into two breakout sessions. The first will delve more deeply into the establishment of CWERCs and the second will look at ways our legislators and designers can support this transformative process.
Austin Blackmon, City of Boston's Chief of Energy,Environment and Open Space
Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director, Food & Water Watch
Bradley Campbell, Executive Director, Conservation Law Foundation
Carter Craft, Sr Economic Officer|Water and Resilience, Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York
Breakout Session 1: Infrastructure for a Livable Future
Led by Julie Wood, Director of Projects, Charles River Watershed Association
Julie Wood
Charlie Jewell, Director of Planning and Sustainability, Boston Water and Sewer Commission
Charlie Jewell
Kenneth Moraff, Director of the Office of Ecosystem Protection for EPA New England
Ken Moraff
Travis Sheehan, Policy and Strategy Fellow, Boston Redevelopment Authority
Travis Sheehan
Breakout Session 2: Design and Legislation
Led by Senator Jamie Eldridge of the 5th Middleesex and Worcester District and
Jamie Eldridge
Representative Carolyn Dykema of the 8th MIddlesex District
Carolyn Dykema
Breakout Session 3: Resilient Water Systems
Led by Julie Conroy, Senior Environmental Planner, Metropolitan Area Planning Council
Julie Conroy
GUEST KEYNOTE SPEAKER from Washington,DC: "Water and Energy"
Wenonah Hauter,Executive Director of Food & Water Watch, author of Frackopoly
Wenonah Hauter
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World Water Day
Tuesday, March 22
3:30–5 pm
Harvard Business School, Aldrich 110, Allston
How will water impact your career?
Join the Harvard Business School Business and Environment Initiative for a World Water Day Panel with:
Kate Clopek, Executive Director of Saha Global, an NGO that provides access to clean water and electricity to rural communities in West Africa;
Reese Tisdale, President of Bluefield Research, an insight firm focused on strategic analysis of water markets and strategies;
Earl Jones, Partner at Liberation Capital, with an investment strategy focused on clean water, and Chairman of NEWIN, a non-profit committed to helping solve global water resource challenges;
moderated by:
John Macomber, HBS Senior Lecturer in the Finance unit
Co-sponsors: Agribusiness Club, Africa Business Club, Energy & Environment Club, VCPE Club, Food and Beverage Club
More at: http://green.harvard.edu/events/world-water-day-panel#sthash.yUrexeK5.dpuf
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Opportunity
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This Summer there will be a special issue of the journal Socialism and Democracy (http://sdonline.org/) on Energy Transition, with an emphasis on renewable energy, including wind, solar, and biomass.
We are looking for reviewers of one or more articles. We are also seeking people who could send us reviews of relevant books, for this issue.
Weimin Tchen
weimintchen@gmail.com
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Solarize Somerville is a go!
Hello neighbors--
On this cold winter day, I'm delighted to share the sunny news that Somerville MA has been chosen by the MassCEC (Clean Energy Center) to be a Solarize Mass community! You can see the announcement here:
http://www.masscec.com/about-masscec/news/state-energy-officials-announce-five-new-communities-participate-solar-program
State energy officials today announced the selection of the first five communities to participate in Solarize Mass for 2016. The new municipalities participating in the community-based solar energy group-buying program that lowers overall costs of installing solar electric systems include Somerville and Natick, as well as Shelburne, Colrain and Conway, which have joined as a trio of partner communities....
You can learn more about the MassCEC and the SolarizeMass program at: www.solarizemass.com .
As the announcement has just been made, we don't have a lot of additional information at this time. But this selection means that we can now work with the city and the state to help residents of Somerville to decide if solar is a suitable option for them and their homes or businesses. We'll be developing and sharing educational materials, we'll have events to help people learn more and get questions answered, and we will help people to understand the processes associated with generating local, artisanal electrons.
Officially I'm the "Solar Coach" for Somerville. I am a point of contact to help people with basic solar PV issues and incentives. I'm working with folks from the city who will manage the overall project. This is a joint effort by the Office of Sustainability and Environment, with director Oliver Sellers-Garcia, and the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development with Russell Koty.
As a Coach, I am a volunteer organizer and am not authorized to speak as a spokesperson on behalf of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or MassCEC. My job is to help people to understand the program once it's in place, and to answer questions that my neighbors may have as they consider the options. Things outside of my wheelhouse will be directed to the folks who can answer them.
You can contact me here with questions, or soon we'll have some information resources with more details. If you might want to volunteer to be on the outreach team. let me know.
Mary Mangan
Solar Coach Volunteer
somervillesolarcoach@gmail.com
[vendors should not contact me, I'm not supposed to have contact with them prior to the proposal process]
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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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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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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
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
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