Sunday, July 10, 2016

Energy (and Other) Events - July 10, 2016

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

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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, July 11
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12pm  Ped101 - Learn how to advocate for change in your own community 
12pm  Health in the American Workplace: Are we Doing Enough?
12pm  Thesis Defense:  A Vertically-Integrated Approach to Climate Science: From Measurements and Machine Learning to Models and Policy
2pm  BlackLivesMatter Rally - Boston
6pm  Cambridge Mothers Out Front Gas Leaks Campaign Community Meeting
6pm  Boston New Technology July 2016 Startup Showcase #BNT67

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Tuesday July 12
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2pm  CITYSPLASH 2016
2pm  MIT Sandbox Tour of Maker Spaces
4pm  Tech, Drugs, and Rock n' Roll 2016
6pm  The Harvest/ La Cosecha
6pm  Mass Innovation Nights #88 

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Wednesday, July 13
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12pm  The Dynamics of Climate Change-from the Political to the Personal, with John Sterman, Complimentary Live Webinar
6pm  Autism spectrum disorders: genetics of an evolving diagnosis
6pm  The U.S. Election Process

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Thursday, July 14
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Route of the Spectra Pipelines to the State House (through July 19)
2pm  Neurotechnology and Depression
5:30pm  Discussion of Adventures in the Anthropocene
6pm  Time to Choose Movie Night
6:30pm  Graphene -  A Science by the Pint Event
7pm  Mapping the Heavens:  The Radical Scientific Ideas That Reveal the Cosmos

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Friday, July 15
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7pm  Silent Sparks:  The Wondrous World of Fireflies

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Sunday, July 17 - Wednesday, July 20
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IEEE PES General Meeting:  "Paving the Way for Grid Modernization” 

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Sunday, July 17
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9am  SWAPFEST

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Monday, July 18
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12pm  6th Annual African Festival of Boston
7pm  Real Food/Fake Food: Why You Don't Know What You're Eating and What You Can Do about It

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Tuesday, July 19
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8:30am  WELL Building Standard: Introduction + Discussion
12pm  Trends in Antarctic Subpolar Sea Sea Level: Evidence of Increasing Glacial Melt?

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My rough notes on some of the events I go to and notes on books I’ve read are at:

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Monday, July 11
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Ped101 - Learn how to advocate for change in your own community 
Monday, July 11
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 
WalkBoston, 45 School Street, Old City Hall, Boston

In 2016, WalkBoston is rolling out free, beginner pedestrian advocacy trainings weve titled "Ped 101, and we'd love you to come! Our goal is to help build the constituency of people that are comfortable to speak up for walking in their own community. Sessions are a small group, guided conversation and take place in our conference room - so please make sure to sign up in advance. Please feel free to bring a lunch for the mid-day sessions; well have beer or wine for the after work happy hour sessions.This session is helpful if you're interested in learning about: walkability, urbanism & the associated lingo(what's a "tight turning radius"?), making neighborhoods safer for people walking & running, how you can advocate for change in your own community. 

Dates/times:  Wednesday, July 20th, 5:30-6:30pmTuesday, August 16th, 12-1pmMonday, August 22nd, 5:30-6:30pm FAQs I'm interested, but not able to make any of these sessions! Will you schedule more?We're happy to try and schedule additional times, or tackle any questions you may have. Contact Brendan below. I'm interested, but not able to make it to downtown Boston!If you would like to host a session (i.e. you have a group, neighbors or co-workers that would be interested), we can bring the discussion and presentation to you! Contact Brendan below. How do I get to the WalkBoston office? WalkBoston is located in Old City Hall, at 45 School Street, Boston, MA 02108. We're in the basement of the building, and the easiest way to get here is to come in from the Court Square entrance (the rear of the building - our door is immediately on the left as you enter). We're a short walk from the MBTA Orange/Blue line (State Street) or Red/Green line (Park Street). Where can I contact the organizer with any questions? Any questions, get in touch with Brendan Kearney, our Communications Manager.

Email:  bkearney@walkboston.org office phone: (617) 367-9255 or tweet to us @walkboston

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Health in the American Workplace: Are we Doing Enough?
Monday, July 11
12–1 pm
The Leadership Studio, Kresge 10th Floor, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston

Presented in Collaboration with The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and NPR

Please RSVP to theforum@hsph.harvard.edu

For good or for bad, jobs impact employees’ health. From stress levels, to eating habits, to worries about workplace violence and toxic exposures, people confront a variety of challenges on the job. This Forum event will draw on the findings of a just released poll about the workplace and health by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. A panel of experts in workplace culture and public opinion will take on the concerns most expressed by employees – as well describe lessons learned from employers that cultivate healthy environments – to see if there are feasible measures to produce a more accessible, supportive, healthier workplace.

EXPERT PARTICIPANTS
John Quelch, Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School, and Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Marjorie Paloma, Director and Senior Program Officer at The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Glorian Sorensen, Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Principal Investigator, Center for Work, Health and Wellbeing, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Robert Blendon, Professor of Health Policy and Political Analysis, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Kennedy School
MODERATOR:
Joe Neel, Deputy Senior Supervising Editor and a Correspondent on the Science Desk, NPR

Can’t Attend in Person? Watch at http://ForumHSPH.org
E-mail questions for the expert participants any time before or during the live webcast to theforum@hsph.harvard.edu. Or Tweet them to @ForumHSPH using #healthyworkers. 
We'll also be conducting a live chat on The Forum’s HEALTH IN THE AMERICAN WORKPLACE web page at 

The Forum will accommodate as many questions as we can during a limited Q&A. If time does not allow for us to ask your question, we encourage you to continue the conversation by posting comments on our website at ForumHSPH.org.

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Thesis Defense:  A Vertically-Integrated Approach to Climate Science: From Measurements and Machine Learning to Models and Policy
Monday, July 11
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus), Cambridge

Speaker: Sarvesh Garimella, EAPS
Copies of the thesis may be obtained from the EAPS Education Office (54-912). All interested faculty, staff and students are invited to attend.

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
For more information, contact:  Roberta F Allard

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BlackLivesMatter Rally - Boston
Monday, July 11
2:00 PM to 5:00 PM (EDT)
Stony Brook Train Station, 100 Boylston Street at 180 Lamartine Street, Jamaica Plain

We will be meeting in the big field right by the Stony Brook Train Stop (Orange Line).
We will walk through the orange line route to Haymarket (Faneuil Hall).
ANY QUESTIONS - EMAIL BLMBostonRally@gmail.com
Please come out and support!
Anyone and everyone - of all shapes, colors, sizes, races, is welcome.
Please wear all black, bring water, and wear comfy shoes as we will be walking for awhile. If you can bring a megaphone and/or create a sign in support of #blacklivesmatter, that would be great as well.
Absolutely NO VIOLENCE, DRINKING, OR DRUGS WILL BE ALLOWED.
We will follow in the steps of MLK, Jr. and advocate through peaceful and non-violent protests.
Use the hashtag #blmbostonrally to stay connected. 

Editorial Comment:  The Revolution will not be televised but it already has been on Eventbrite, Meetup, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram…..  Then again, so has/is/and will be the Counter-Revolution.

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Cambridge Mothers Out Front Gas Leaks Campaign Community Meeting
Monday, July 11
6pm - 8pm
Cambridge, Main Library, 449 Broadway, Cambridge

Congratulations to all of us who participated in our Gas Leaks Campaign in the first half of this year… it was widely seen as successful and inspiring -- and Mothers Out Front from all over the country want to hear more about how we did it here in Cambridge!!  

So, we need your enthusiastic participation again - this time to share your stories, opinions, and experiences in an effort to document and share our campaign. We’ll have our usual food supply to fuel your efforts, and multiple ways to participate - talk, write, etc. We know it isn’t easy to schedule a meeting in summertime, but we really want to include as many voices as possible. So, if you can’t attend but were part of our campaign, please watch for a worksheet to fill out and return soon. 

If you weren't able to be part of our spring campaign, we still want you to come. We'll brainstorm next steps  for our fall campaign and actions. We need writers and editors, we need hosts for fall house parties, we need folks who can make signs, show up for actions and bring a friend, or provide an introduction to your place of worship or neighborhood association. There are many ways to get involved and move our community and state to a cleaner energy future.
We can't wait to see you!

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Boston New Technology July 2016 Startup Showcase #BNT67
Monday, July 11
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
IBM Innovation Center, 1 Rogers Street, Cambridge

ake the elevator to the second floor and look for our check-in table.
Free event! Come learn about 6 innovative and exciting technology products and network with the Boston/Cambridge startup community!  

Each presenter gets 5 minutes for product demonstration and 5 minutes for Q&A.  Please follow @BostonNewTech and use the #BNT67 hashtag in social media posts: details here.  
Products & Presenters: 
1. Inigo / @InigoApp - Digital business cards that impress the people you meet! (Andrew Amann / @Andrew_Amann) Tech: Android, IOS, Angular, mySQL, Bootstrap, CSS. www.InigoApp.com
2. Pulse 24/7 / @PULSE_247 - Democratizing how service providers compete in the explosive on-demand economy! (Andy Jacques) Tech: Laravel. www.Pulse247.net
3. ineed / @shop_ineed - Find the cheapest and closest products in seconds! (Jeff Couger) Tech: iOS, Android, Python. www.shopineed.com
4. My Convoy / @MyConvoyApp - Redefine the way you stay connected. (Robert Laverty) Tech: iOS, Android, Apache Cordova, Node.js, Redis, RethinkDB, Vue.js, nginx, socket.io. www.MyConvoyApp.com
5. Convospot / @ReflenApp - Simple, intelligent communication! (Homer Quan / @HomerQuan) Tech: NLP, stream processing, Conversational ML. www.Convospot.io
6. Trumpoji / @DonnieTrumpoji - Make Emojis Great Again with Trumpoji, a Trump Emoji Keyboard (Kyle Waring / @KyleWaring) Tech: iOS, HTML, CSS. www.Trumpoji.com

Apply to present your company here: http://bit.ly/BNTform 

Agenda: 
On the 2nd floor:
6:00 to 7:00 - Networking with dinner

Then, join us in the auditorium on the 1st floor for:
7:00 to 7:10 - Announcements
7:10 to 8:30 - Presentations, Q&A
8:30 to 9:00 - More Networking

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Tuesday July 12
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CITYSPLASH 2016
Tuesday, July 12
2:00 PM to 6:00 PM (EDT)
Fiedler Dock, Fiedler Field, Esplanade, Boston
SWIM THE CHARLES with the Charles River Conservancy!

Join us for our fourth consecutive year of swimming in the Charles! This year's CitySplash event will be on Tuesday, July 12 from 2-6pm. The rain date for this event is Tuesday, July 26.

We'll be swimming at the Fiedler Dock, at Fiedler Field, near the Hatch Shell on the Boston Esplanade. See a map of the location with event information and transportation options. All swimmers must be age 10 and up. A bag-check and bike lock-up area will be available to store personal items.

Please no flips off of the dock, no inflatable flotation devices, and your dog is welcome to come - but he will have to stay on dry land!

Registration is required and donations are warmly welcomed! 

For more information, visit thecharles.org/swimmable-charles, or contact Kelsey Pramik: kpramik@thecharles.org | 617-300-8164

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MIT Sandbox Tour of Maker Spaces
Tuesday, July 12
2:00 PM to 4:30 PM (EDT) 
MIT, Building 35, Given Lounge, 127 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

We will be going on a tour of four maker spaces on the MIT campus. This tour is desgined to give students an idea of what maker spaces are available to them on campus, and help them to find the best fit.
MakerWorks
Hobby Shop
Cypress EDS
Beaverworks

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Tech, Drugs, and Rock n' Roll 2016
Tuesday July 12
4:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT 
BU, Metcalf Hall, George Sherman Union, 775 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston

Annual networking event that celebrates the intersection of technology, medical and business communities.

Contact:  Susan Mulrean, TDRR Event Coordinator
Boston University
617-353-6300

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The Harvest/ La Cosecha
Tuesday, July 12
6pm
Brookline Interactive Group theater, 46 Tappan Street, Brookline
(Third Floor of BHS' Unified Arts Building) 
Cost:  $5

Director U. Roberto follows children working 12-14 hour days as migrant farmers - without the protection of child labor laws - to help their families survive.

2016 Summer Film Series:  The Real Cost of Food
Another tantalizing selection of engaging films and local food snacks

Learn more and reserve your ticket at http://www.bountifulbrookline.org/p/programs.html

Questions?
See you at the movies!  

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Mass Innovation Nights #88 
Tuesday, July 12
6:00 PM - 8:30 PM 
LogMeIn, 320 Summer Street, Boston

We are back again atLogMeInfor our next event, MIN #88! But wait, prepare to be even more impressed than before, this is LogMeIn's brand NEW, SUPER SLEEK location in Boston's Fort Point. It is the same street (just the other side of the street).10 innovative products are ready to showcase on TUESDAY (yes, TUESDAY)July 12th!  Check out our website:http://bit.ly/MiN88

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Wednesday, July 13
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The Dynamics of Climate Change-from the Political to the Personal, with John Sterman, Complimentary Live Webinar
Wednesday, July 13
12pm
Online

Join MIT Sloan Professor John Sterman on July 13 for a one-hour, complimentary webinar to experience an interactive simulation—developed by Sterman and his colleagues—that helps people understand climate change and the long-term climate impacts of policy scenarios. This online event, The Dynamics of Climate Change—from the Political to the Personal, will explore the dynamics of the climate interactively and suggest what we can do both professionally and personally to build a safer, sustainable world. Known as C-ROADS, this award-winning modeling software has been used by more than 15,000 people, including policy makers and negotiators, in 53 nations around the world, and is freely available to participants in the webinar.


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Autism spectrum disorders: genetics of an evolving diagnosis
Wednesday, July 13
6:00 PM to 7:00 PM (EDT)
Broad Institute, Auditorium. 15 Main Street, Cambridge

Elise Robinson
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are diagnosed far more frequently today than they were 20 years ago, and people with a diagnosis of ASD differ enormously in their behavior and abilities. Dr. Robinson will introduce recent findings from ASD genetics studies and discuss changes in the ASD diagnostic landscape.

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The U.S. Election Process
Wednesday, July 13
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (EDT)
Workbar Cambridge, 45 Prospect Street, Cambridge

It's that very special time in the United States: presidential election season. You learned in middle and high school all about delegates and the electoral college, but that was a long time ago. Now that you're a smart, voting-seasoned adult, it doesn't hurt to get a refresher.

Why do we have delegates and super-delegates?
What exactly are caucuses and why do some states have them?
How does the electoral college work -- and does it work like it was intended to?
What are some of the big issues in this year's presidential election?
...and much more.

Get answers to questions you've had for a long time about our election system, and meet up with a community of people curious about the same things you are.

Speaker:  Maurice T. Cunningham is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. Prof. Cunningham earned his PhD in Political Science at Boston College, a Masters in American Studies at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, and a JD at New England Law. He is a co-founder and contributor to the the blog MassPoliticsProfs.

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Thursday, July 14
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Route of the Spectra Pipelines to the State House
Thursday, July 14, 2016 at 06:00 PM through July 19, 2016

People Over Pipelines
2016 is now almost guaranteed to be the hottest year on record. Extreme heat, floods, and fires are threatening the lives and livelihoods of millions all over the world. Here in Massachusetts, this should be the moment to stand up against new fossil fuel projects and demand clean energy instead. And yet Governor Baker and many of our other elected officials still haven’t spoken out against the new gas pipelines proposed all over Massachusetts, or stepped up to stop the disastrous pipeline tax.

With the climate crisis growing more serious by the day, we need leadership and bold action -- and it's going to have to come from us. This summer, we’re partnering with 350 Mass and Mass Power Forward on an epic, five-day, 43-mile march against new gas pipelines. We’ll walk the route of the Spectra pipelines and onward to the State House to show our leaders that if they don't stop the pipelines, the people will! Join 350 Mass and the Mass Power Forward coalition for a summer to remember.  Click here to visit the event page and learn about supporting our mission and joining u Join us for a mile. Join us for ten miles. Or join us for all 43. One way or another, you won't want to miss it.


Editorial Comment:  Natural gas, methane, is not a bridge fuel.  It will be with us as long as garbage decomposes and our guts and our animals’ guts produce it through the process of digestion.  As we plan the energy infrastructure for the future, we should be thinking about biological methane mangement as we wean ourselves off of fossil methane.

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Neurotechnology and Depression
Thursday, July 14
2 - 5 pm; including reception after panel discussion.
MIT Bldg. 46-3002 Singleton Auditorium

A cross-disciplinary conversation about solutions to a pressing problem, featuring panelists:
Polina Anikeeva  MIT
Joan Camprodon  MGH/Harvard
Ricardo Dolmetsch  Novartis
John Gabrieli  MIT
Kay Tye  MIT

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Discussion of Adventures in the Anthropocene
Thursday, July 14
5:30 PM to 7:00 PM
Cambridge Innovation Center, 14th Floor, 1 Broadway, Cambridge

A discussion of "Adventures in the Anthropocene: A Journey to the Heart of the Planet We Made" by Gaia Vince. The room opens at 5:30pm and discussion starts at 5:45pm.

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Time to Choose Movie Night
Thursday, July 14
6:00 PM
Fort Point Room, Atlantic Wharf, 290 Congress Street, Boston

MCAN is hosting a movie night with the Sierra Club on July 14. The event will consist of two short films, a discussion with the filmmaker and stars, and then followed up with the feature presentation of Time to Choose. Please join us for a night of action and discussion during this time of crucial negotiations regarding clean energy in Massachusetts. Don't forget to bring your checkbooks to support the great work MCAN and the Sierra Club do!

Contact Faith Simon 

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Graphene -  A Science by the Pint Event
Thursday, July 14, 2016
6:30 PM
Aeronaut Brewery, 14 Tyler Street, Somerville

Dr Anna Swan and Dr Bennett Goldberg

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Mapping the Heavens:  The Radical Scientific Ideas That Reveal the Cosmos
Thursday, July 14
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Harvard Book Store welcomes award-winning physicist and astronomer PRIYAMVADA NATARAJAN for a discussion of her book Mapping the Heavens: The Radical Scientific Ideas That Reveal the Cosmos.
About Mapping the Heavens

This book provides a tour of the “greatest hits” of cosmological discoveries—the ideas that reshaped our universe over the past century. The cosmos, once understood as a stagnant place, filled with the ordinary, is now a universe that is expanding at an accelerating pace, propelled by dark energy and structured by dark matter. Priyamvada Natarajan, our guide to these ideas, is someone at the forefront of the research—an astrophysicist who literally creates maps of invisible matter in the universe. She not only explains for a wide audience the science behind these essential ideas but also provides an understanding of how radical scientific theories gain acceptance.

The formation and growth of black holes, dark matter halos, the accelerating expansion of the universe, the echo of the big bang, the discovery of exoplanets, and the possibility of other universes—these are some of the puzzling cosmological topics of the early twenty-first century. Natarajan discusses why the acceptance of new ideas about the universe and our place in it has never been linear and always contested even within the scientific community. And she affirms that, shifting and incomplete as science always must be, it offers the best path we have toward making sense of our wondrous, mysterious universe.

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Friday, July 15
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Silent Sparks:  The Wondrous World of Fireflies
Friday, July 15
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Harvard Book Store welcomes noted biologist and firefly expert SARA LEWIS for a discussion of her book Silent Sparks: The Wondrous World of Fireflies.
About Silent Sparks

For centuries, the beauty of fireflies has evoked wonder and delight. Yet for most of us, fireflies remain shrouded in mystery: How do fireflies make their light? What are they saying with their flashing? And what do fireflies look for in a mate? In Silent Sparks Sara Lewis dives into the fascinating world of fireflies and reveals the most up-to-date discoveries about these beloved insects. From the meadows of New England and the hills of the Great Smoky Mountains, to the rivers of Japan and mangrove forests of Malaysia, this beautifully illustrated and accessible book uncovers the remarkable, dramatic stories of birth, courtship, romance, sex, deceit, poison, and death among fireflies.

The nearly two thousand species of fireflies worldwide have evolved in different ways—and while most mate through the aerial language of blinking lights, not all do. Lewis introduces us to fireflies that don't light up at all, relying on wind-borne perfumes to find mates, and we encounter glow-worm fireflies, whose plump, wingless females never fly. We go behind the scenes to meet inquisitive scientists who have dedicated their lives to understanding fireflies, and we learn about various modern threats including light pollution and habitat destruction. In the last section of the book, Lewis provides a field guide for North American fireflies, enabling us to identify them in our own backyards and neighborhoods. This concise, handy guide includes distinguishing features, habits, and range maps for the most commonly encountered fireflies, as well as a gear list.

A passionate exploration of one of the world's most charismatic and admired insects, Silent Sparks will inspire us to reconnect with the natural world.

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Sunday, July 17 - Wednesday, July 20
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IEEE PES General Meeting:  "Paving the Way for Grid Modernization” 
Sunday, July 17 - Wednesday, July 20

You are invited to join us for a series of strategic planning meetings this summer in Boston, Massachusetts. These meetings will be held July 17 – 20 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel concurrent with the IEEE Power & Energy Society’s 2016 General Meeting.

The Monday to Wednesday sessions will be led by IEEE Smart Village founders, chairs and experienced volunteers, divided into topics of interest and action. Subsequent to each panel session, time will be set aside to have individual discussions with prospective volunteers to sub-committees and working groups. It is at these sessions, during the IEEE PES GM, that volunteers interested in participating with IEEE Smart Village can share their humanitarian passion and learn about opportunities within the initiative. For a complete schedule of the IEEE Smart Village sessions at the GM, please see below.

As an institute-wide humanitarian initiative and a signature program of the IEEE Foundation, we are truly having transformative impact in energy-impoverished off-grid communities around the world. Your personal commitment and participation is critical to achieving our goal: to bring transformative power to 50 million people by 2025.

Our aim is to develop a skilled core support team in close partnership with each new startup. We are looking for IEEE members, experienced technical and business professionals to: 
lead and actively participate in a variety of impactful sub-committees, 
assist partners in the initial development of pilot proposals to demonstrate feasibility of growth to scale and sustainability, and
support in additional fundraising. 
We hope you will join us, and ask that you also suggest other IEEE members, within your IEEE society and across the spectrum of skills and interests, who may be candidates in volunteering for this member-managed initiative.   

Any questions, feel free to email us at smartvillagestaff@ieee.org, or contact Mike Wilson, Sr. Project Manager for Smart Village at 1.732.562.2622  

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Sunday, July 17
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SWAPFEST
Sunday, July 17
9:00a–2:00p
MIT, Building N4, Albany Garage and Lots, Albany Street between Mass Ave and Main Street, Cambridge

MIT's monthly Hi Tech, Computer, Electronics and Ham Radio Fleamarket. 
Buy Sell or Swap all things nerdly. 
Held the third Sunday of each month April thru October. 
Rain or Shine covered space is available for all sellers. 
In the Albany St Garage and adjacent lot. 
On Albany St between Mass Ave and Main St, Cambridge. 
$6 Buyers admission from 9AM to 2PM. 
$4 with MIT/ Harvard Student ID 
Free for MIT and Harvard Undergraduates with current ID

Web site: www.swapfest.us
Open to: the general public
Cost: $6

This event occurs on the 3rd Sunday of every month through October 16, 2016.

Sponsor(s): MIT Radio Society, Electronic Research Society, MIT, UHF Repeater Assn. W1XM, MIT

For more information, contact:  Mitchell Berger
617-253-3776

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Monday, July 18
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6th Annual African Festival of Boston
Monday, July 18
12:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Boston City Hall, One City Hall Square, Boston

A massive New-England, multi-cultural celebration featuring the best of the African Arts and Culture which came to life for the very 1st time on July 17th 2010 bringing along the sights and sounds of Africa The African Festival of Boston also serves as a catalyst to rise wider public interest in the African Arts and to encourage artistic dialogue, cultural exchange, and celebrate the African heritage in the heart of Boston City Hall Plaza The City on a Hill." The African Festival of Boston presents a unique opportunity for emerging and established artists to showcase their work on a national platform. Therefore creating opportunities for collaboration with international artists, build new audiences, and share the culture and heritage of all people of African descent with the global community.

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Real Food/Fake Food: Why You Don't Know What You're Eating and What You Can Do about It
Monday, July 18
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Harvard Book Store welcomes food and travel writer LARRY OLMSTED for a discussion of his book Real Food/Fake Food: Why You Don't Know What You're Eating and What You Can Do about It.
About Real Food/Fake Food

You’ve seen the headlines: Parmesan cheese made from sawdust. Lobster rolls containing no lobster at all. Extra-virgin olive oil that isn’t. Fake foods are in our supermarkets, our restaurants, and our kitchen cabinets. Award-winning food journalist and travel writer Larry Olmsted exposes this pervasive and dangerous fraud perpetrated on unsuspecting Americans.   
Real Food/Fake Food brings readers into the unregulated food industry, revealing that this shocking deception extends from high-end foods like olive oil, wine, and Kobe beef to everyday staples such as coffee, honey, juice, and cheese. It’s a massive bait and switch where counterfeiting is rampant and where the consumer ultimately pays the price.

But Olmsted does more than show us what foods to avoid. A bona fide gourmand, he travels to the sources of the real stuff, to help us recognize what to look for, eat, and savor: genuine Parmigiano-Reggiano from Italy, fresh-caught grouper from Florida, authentic port from Portugal. Real foods that are grown, raised, produced, and prepared with care by masters of their craft. 

Part cautionary tale, part culinary crusade, Real Food/Fake Food is addictively readable, mouth-wateringly enjoyable, and utterly relevant. Larry Olmsted convinces us why real food matters.  

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Tuesday, July 19
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WELL Building Standard: Introduction + Discussion
Tuesday, July 19
8:30 AM to 10:30 AM (EDT)
"Aristotle” Room, 50 Milk Street 15th Floor, Boston
Cost:  $50 - $65

You are invited to join the building commuity for an introduction to WELL. The Introduction to the WELL Building Standard presentation provides an overview of the WELL Building Standard ideology, structure, and certification process. The medical basis for the concept categories is introduced along with design and construction strategies to create healthy buildings. The time has come to elevate human health and comfort to the forefront of building practices and reinvent buildings that are not only better for the planet—but also for people. This presentation will introduce how to do this using the WELL Building Standard as the framework.

Objectives
Articulate the financial, societal, and environmental benefits of WELL certification
Identify the role of the International Well Building Institute and the WELL Building Standard
Recognize the structure of the WELL Building Standard
Explain the 7 concepts of the WELL Building standard, the strategies to achieve them, and the health impacts they address
Summarize the certification process of the WELL Building Standard

If you are interested in having this session count towards your LEED credential, please self-report at USGBC.org and use GBCI: 0920003583 when referring to the session.

Only students and chapter members qualify for the lower ticket price. We will be verifying this.

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Trends in Antarctic Subpolar Sea Sea Level: Evidence of Increasing Glacial Melt?
Tuesday, July 19
12:00p–1:00p
MIT, Building 54-915 (the tallest building on campus), Cambridge

Speaker: Craig Rye, CUSP (UK)

Sack Lunch Seminars (SLS) is a student-run weekly seminar series. Topics include climate, geophysical fluid dynamics, biogeochemistry, paleo-oceanography/climatology and physical oceanography. 

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
For more information, contact:  Darius Collazo
617-253-2127

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Upcoming Events
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Wednesday, July 20
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July Boston Sustainability Breakfast
Wednesday, July 20
7:30 AM to 8:30 AM (EDT)
Pret A Manger, 101 Arch Street, Boston

Celebrate Summer!
Join us for the July Sustainability Breakfast - 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 between 7:30 and 830 am.

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The British are Coming: An update on BREEAM in the USA!
Wednesday, July 20
8:30 AM to 10:00 AM (EDT)
50 Milk Street, 15th floor, "Aristotle" conference room, Boston
Cost:  $10 - $25

Come join us for a discussion of the newly launched BREEAM USA green building standard and learn how it can help transform the Boston marketplace. BREEAM is the world's leading sustainability assessment method for master planning projects, infrastructure and buildings. It addresses a number of lifecycle stages such as New Construction and Refurbishment with a special emphasis on In-Use structures. Hear from CEO Barry Giles as he explains how BREEAM USA enables property investors, owners, managers and occupants to drive sustainable improvements through operational efficiency and effective building management.
With a focus on sustainable value and efficiency, BREEAM certified developments make attractive property investments and create environments that enhance the well-being of the people who live and work in them. Worldwide there are more than 545,600 BREEAM certified developments, and almost 2,246,500 buildings registered for assessment since it was first launched in 1990. The core technical standards and processes of BREEAM USA will be discussed as well as its comprehensive, scientific approach to building sustainability. 
BREEAM USA is a partnership between BuildingWise, the award-winning US-based LEED certification consultancy, and BRE Group, the international provider of robust, independent, third party certification of fire, security and environmental products and services.

Barry Giles Bio
Barry Giles, CEO, BRE America
Based on his iconic status in the green building industry and his expertise as the first BREEAM In-Use assessor in the US, Barry was appointed CEO of BREEAM USA in May of 2016.
He first saw the potential for the BREEAM standards to apply to the US market after becoming a BREEAM International and BREEAM In-Use Assessor in 2009. Since then, Barry has taken the lead in developing the partnership between BuildingWise and BRE Group to create the BREEAM USA standard. He worked to specifically tailor the methodology for the unique conditions in the United States and continues to advocate for sustainability benchmarks in all existing buildings as a BRE Fellow.

In the early days of his career, Barry worked in virtually every aspect of the building industry —as an engineer, general contractor, systems operator and a facilities supervisor. His breadth of experience gives him particularly astute insight into what will satisfy the many different stakeholders in a project and inspires his strong, practical approach to green building.  Barry was a LEED for Existing Buildings pioneer and a founding member of its Core Committee, and has continued to assist the USGBC in the development of the LEED EB rating system in the years since as a LEED Fellow.

Barry’s passion, innovative thinking, and candor make him a highly sought after speaker, consultant and teacher. In 2005, Monterey County recognized Barry as the “Green Person of the Year,” and in 2009, he was invited by Mayor Gavin Newsom to be on San Francisco’s Green Building Task Force, which led to the city’s requirement of energy benchmarking for all existing buildings.

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Deer Island Tour
Wednesday, July 20
9:30 AM
Deer Island, 190 Tafts Avenue, Winthrop

I know you care about clean energy, and so I wanted to give you an opportunity to sign up to join MCAN for a tour of the Deer Island clean energy site, which includes solar, wind, and an anaerobic digester. On July 20th, from 9:30AM TO 11:30AM, join us at Deer Island in Winthrop, MA to learn more about anaerobic digestion as a clean energy source. This is a great opportunity to see clean energy up close and think about what additional on-site clean energy options your town might be able to take advantage of. 

Located on a spit of land in Boston Harbor, Deer Island is not only a Sewage Treatment Plant - it is a clean energy powerhouse. In addition to protecting Boston Harbor from pollution (the plant treats waste water from 43 communities in the greater Boston area), Deer Island sources renewable energy from solar panels and wind turbines, as well as an anerobic digestion facility, all of which will be part of the tour.

HOWEVER, we need signed liability release forms from all attendees by Friday, July 8th. Please sign up now if you are interested, and we will send out release forms. 
We hope to see you at this exciting event!

Contact Kelly Annese

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Uplifted Arctic Continental Margins: New Concepts & Consequences for Barents Sea Exploration
Wednesday, July 20
10:00a–11:00a
MIT, Building 54-915

Speaker: Paul Henry Nadeau, University of Stavanger
Advanced modal analysis methods are integrated with seismic reconstructions, gravity/magnetic, and well/core data, revealing the complex geo-history of Pangean organization, and its consequent tectonic break-up, mainly during the Cretaceous and Cenozoic. Sediment transport systems from orogenic Caledonian and Uralian terrains, as well as Fenno-Skandinavian shield areas, provide a wide variety of basin provenance signatures, as well clastic wedge basin fill sequences, recording the tectonic evolution of convergent margins creating the super-continent Pangea in this region. These sequences are followed by rifting events related to the opening of the Arctic Ocean basins. Pronounced uplift and erosion episodes of Arctic Greenland-Norwegian continental margins also occur during these times of rifting... 

PAOC Special Seminar

Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)
For more information, contact:  Darius X. Inniss Collazo

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Conversation in Civic Innovation: Financial transparency and citizen engagement
Wednesday, July 20
5:30 PM to 8:30 PM (EDT)
Microsoft New England Research and Development Center, 1 Memorial Drive 11th Floor, Cambridge

Many municipalities are feeling the pressure to be more transparent about finances.  They are looking for tools to make dense financial information accessible to citizens.   Local governments see these tools as a way to build trust with citizens by showing that they use tax dollars efficiently and effectively. 
Residents often engage with their local government around financial issues only when an issue comes up that feels like a crisis to them.  Suddenly, decisions they care about deeply are being made and the arguments for and against the choices involve understanding budgets and the budget process.  Often all the information they need is available but hard to find and hard to digest.  
What do municipal governments need to do to go from providing financials tools that build trust to providing tools that helps citizens engage in a meaningful and practical way with issues that concern them but have financial implications that constrain the options?  What would a set of tools that covered the whole financial waterfront - budgets, actuals, future projections, benchmarking, participatory budgeting - look like?  
Panelists will include:
James Milan, producer of Your Arlington Dollar on Arlington local cable
Mike Herbert, Ashland Town Manager 
Adam Langley, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Fiscally Standardized Cities database
Christopher Dwelley, Co-Lead & Performance Manager, Citywide Analytics Team at City of Boston
Schedule:
5:30 – 6 PM – Registration and networking
6:00 – 7:00 – Panel Discussion 
7:00 - 7:30 – Q&A
7:30 – 8:30 – Post event networking 

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How epigenetics controls our genes in health and disease
Wednesday, July 20
6:00 PM to 7:00 PM (EDT)
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Auditorium, 415 Main Street, Cambridge

Brad Bernstein
The one genome we inherit at birth gives rise to the thousands of different cell types in our body — blood cells, skin cells, neurons, and so on. How can cells with the same genes and DNA be so different? The answer lies in epigenetics, the  system of gene controls that turn on just the right genes in cells.Brad Bernstein will present an overview of the field of epigenetics and discuss his lab’s efforts to understand and correct epigenetic defects in human cancer.

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Boston: Open Doors Party by Startup Institute 
Wednesday, July 20
7:00 PM to 10:00 PM (EDT) 
District Hall, 75 Northern Avenue, Boston

Join our program director, alumni, current students, hiring partners, and members of the tech community for an evening of making new connections, reuniting, and having fun.
We're a community of awesome people. Together we are making huge contributions to the tech ecosystem and building great companies. Our Summer Open Doors party is an opportunity for us to come together to celebrate this growing community.
Our Open Doors party is being held at District Hall in the Seaport. Drinks will be served. 
This event is open to all. Do you know someone great, who wants to meet more people in the tech industry? Bring them along! 
Tell your friends, connect with others, and say hello with #SIOpenDoors on Twitter.

Please contact lauren@startupinstitute.com with questions about this event. See you there!

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Thursday, July 21
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Building Tour + Networking Night: 75 State Street
Thursday, July 21
5:30 PM to 8:00 PM (EDT)
75 State Street, Boston
Cost:  $0 - $25

During this joint building tour/networking night, you'll be able to experience great learning opportunities and be able to meet up with the Architect and Landscape Architect who contributed to the project’s success!  During the tour, we’ll explore the building, including tenant spaces and the roof deck. After the event, we'll be discussing all things sustainable!
Presented by the Outreach Committee.

Schedule:
5:30 PM – Initial Gathering in Lobby
5:45 PM – Project Presentation
6:00 PM – Building Tour
7:30 PM – Chapter Networking

About the Venue:
75 State Street, Boston, MA (Brookfield Properties)
LEED O+M: Existing Buildings Gold Certification in 2009
LEED O+M: Existing Buildings Platinum Re-Certification in 2014
The building is also Energy Star Certified.

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How To Change the World
Thursday, July 21
doors open 6:40; film starts promptly 7pm
The Pisani Center, 131 Washington Street, Cambridge

Free UPandOUT film screening - GreenPeace folks will be here for Q&A
GreenPeace representatives will be here with us for Q&A; please come help give them a rousing welcome!
Representatives have been with the organization a number of years and have participated in numerous Greenpeace events and activities, e.g. actions and sailing on the GP ship, the Rainbow Warrior

How to Change the World

In 1971 a small group of activists set sail from Vancouver, Canada in an old fishing boat. Their mission was to stop Nixon?s atomic test bomb in Amchitka, Alaska. Chronicling this untold story at the birth of the modern environmental movement and with access to dramatic archive footage unseen for over 40 years, the film centres on eco-hero Robert Hunter and his part in the creation of the global organization we now know as Greenpeace.

Alongside a group of like-minded and idealistic young friends in the 70s, Hunter would be instrumental in altering the way we look at the world and our place within it. These early pioneers captured their daring and sometimes jaw-dropping actions on film and from this director Jerry Rothwell has made a thrilling, sometimes terrifying film.

A prizewinner at the Sundance Film Festival, it is one of those must-see documentaries.

Please join us for a stimulating night out; bring your friends!
*free film & free door prizes
****[donations are encouraged]
*feel free to bring your own snacks and soft drinks - no alcohol allowed

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Envision Cambridge: Alewife Visioning
Thursday, July 21
6:30-8:30 pm
Tobin School Cafeteria, 197 Vassal Lane, Cambridge


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The Human Superorganism:  How the Microbiome Is Revolutionizing the Pursuit of a Healthy Life
Thursday, July 21
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Harvard Book Store welcomes award-winning researcher on the microbiome and professor RODNEY DIETERT for a discussion of his latest book, The Human Superorganism: How the Microbiome Is Revolutionizing the Pursuit of a Healthy Life.
About The Human Superorganism

The origin of asthma, autism, Alzheimer's, allergies, cancer, heart disease, obesity, and even some kinds of depression is now clear. Rodney Dietert presents a new paradigm in human biology that has emerged in the midst of the ongoing global epidemic of noncommunicable diseases.

The Human Superorganism makes a sweeping, paradigm-shifting argument. It demolishes two fundamental beliefs that have blinkered all medical thinking until very recently: 1) Humans are better off as pure organisms free of foreign microbes; and 2) the human genome is the key to future medical advances. The microorganisms that we have sought to eliminate have been there for centuries supporting our ancestors. They comprise as much as 90 percent of the cells in and on our bodies—a staggering percentage! More than a thousand species of them live inside us, on our skin, and on our very eyelashes. Yet we have now significantly reduced their power and in doing so have sparked an epidemic of noncommunicable diseases—which now account for 63 percent of all human deaths. 

Ultimately, this book is not just about microbes; it is about a different way to view humans. The story that Dietert tells of where the new biology comes from, how it works, and the ways in which it affects your life is fascinating, authoritative, and revolutionary. Dietert identifies foods that best serve you, the superorganism; not new fad foods but ancient foods that have made sense for millennia. He explains protective measures against unsafe chemicals and drugs. He offers an empowering self-care guide and the blueprint for a revolution in public health. We are not what we have been taught. Each of us is a superorganism. The best path to a healthy life is through recognizing that profound truth.

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Saturday, July 23
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Boston Mini Maker Faire
Saturday, July 23
10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Boston Children's Museum, 308 Congress Street, Boston
Cost:  $10

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Sunday, July 24
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Living Building Challenge: Old Oak Dojo
Sunday, July 24
3:00 PM to 4:30 PM (EDT)
Jamaica Plain, 14 Chestnut Place, Boston

Come join us for an intimate tour of this very special facility. The Old Oak Dojo is the first living building in Boston and we will gather the Collaborative for a summer meeting to connect and celebrate this special achievement.

The Living Building Challenge is a building certification program, advocacy tool and philosophy that defines the most advanced measure of sustainability in the built environment possible today. It is comprised of seven performance categories called Petals (Place, Water, Energy, Health & Happiness, Materials, Equity and Beauty) which are subdivided into twenty Imperatives.
In April 2016, the Old Oak Dojo became one of the first 11 buildings in the world to be LBC-certified. On the fourth Sundays of the month, we offer tours of our space. We’ll show off our salvaged materials, rainwater harvesting, indoor compost toilet, urban permaculture gardens and more.

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Global Warming, Endless Growth, and the Extraordinary Power of the Powers of 2
Sunday, July 24
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Helen Snively's House, One Fayette Park, Cambridge

Potluck and Discussion

Al Bartlett (1923-2013) was a physics professor at the University of Colorado who spent the last few decades of his life educating on the insidious magic that takes place when anything doubles over time, i.e., 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 . . . "The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function."

This may sound formal and geeky, but we'll watch a video where Bartlett turns the subject into a funny, clear, insightful and wide-ranging discussion of many of the problems we face in today's global civilization.

When we apply this perspective to climate change, our understanding of climate deepens, especially with respect to positive feedback loops - which are accelerating, exponential phenomena - and their consequences. Adam Sacks, Executive Director of Biodiversity for a Livable Climate, will lead us in a discussion of the implications of the exponential function for addressing climate and related phenomena.

Potluck starts at 6, presentation at 7.

We're a small non-profit so a $10 donation is requested, but no one will be turned away based on ability to pay.

If you have questions please post to this Meetup, or call Helen at 617 547-1326.

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Wednesday, July 27
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Emotional Intelligence
Wednesday, July 27
5:30 PM to 7:00 PM (EDT)
New England College of Business, 10 High Street, Boston
and online

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Using big data to understand rare diseases
Wednesday, July 27
6:00 PM to 7:00 PM (EDT)
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Auditorium, 415 Main Street, Cambridge

Daniel MacArthur
More than one million humans have now had their DNA sequenced, providing tremendous amounts of information on the patterns of genetic variation across the human population. This talk will outline the Broad Institute’s efforts to create massive genetic databases and describe how these data can be used to understand human genes and the causes of rare, severe diseases.

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Startup Showcase 2016
Wednesday, July 27
6:00PM-9:00PM
The Promenade at the Innovation and Design Building, 21 Drydock Avenue, 6th Floor, Boston

Hope your summer has been full of sunshine! We've been having lots of fun here at MassChallenge helping the amazing 2016 class of startup finalists create massive impact, but now it's time for you to see them in action. I hope you can make it to our 2016 Startup Showcase on July 27th. 

This year we're going full-festival and hosting it right outside the Innovation and Design Building. In the words of a certain presidential candidate, it's going to be "yuge." Feel free to forward this invite along to folks in your network! 

You can register for free here:

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Thursday, July 28
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Immersive Tech: Demos and Drinks
Thursday, July 28
6:00 PM
Fragomen, 100 High Street, Boston

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are poised for rapid growth and Tech in Motion Boston is excited to showcase companies that are revolutionizing this sector of the tech industry! Join us Thursday, July 28th at Fragomen's Headquarters for our classic Demos & Drinks event - Immersive Tech edition! There is no formal agenda for this event - attendees arrive, grab a bite, drink, and interact with the various companies showcasing their products and technology (appetizers and drinks provided).

Demo companies to be announced shortly!

What is VR and AR? 

Virtual reality uses computer technology to create a simulated, three-dimensional world. In a virtual reality environment, a user experiences immersion, or the feeling of being inside and part of that world. Augmented Reality (AR) is the blending of virtual reality and real life, as developers can create images within applications that blend in with contents in the real world. With AR, users are able to interact with virtual contents in the real world, and are able to distinguish between the two.

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Friday, July 29
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Urban Innovation Festival
Friday, July 29, 2016 at 2:00 PM - Sunday, July 31, 2016 at 12:00 PM 
Channel Park, Traveler Street, Boston

Starting on July 29, our 3-day urban hack-a-thon will include teams consisting of 4-6 innovators from various industries, including design, architecture, real estate, engineering, technology, and more will gather and each be paired with a neighborhood stakeholder and an urban challenge, for example: economic development, youth, green space, health, housing, public safety, and more. During the 3-day festival teams will brainstorm, ideate, and prototype solutions in full view of our public audience, who will be able to provide feedback in real-time in-person and over social media.
Teams competing in this design challenge include diverse rosters of engineers, designers, architects, and innovators. Participating teams include Payette, Autodesk, Essential Design, MOO, Shepley Bulfinch, Wentworth Institute of Technology, CBT Architects, and MassArt.

Each day is free and open to the public, with key presentations throughout where teams will be presenting their design solutions to the judges and the public.

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Sunday, July 31
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Cambridge Jazz Festival 2016
Sunday, July 31
12:00 PM to 6:00 PM (EDT)
Danehy Park, 99 Sherman Street, Cambridge
Cost:  $0 – $20

Come join us for our 3rd annual Cambridge Jazz Festival. Danehy Park, Cambridge, MA from Noon to 6 p.m. 
Festival lineup
Walter Beasley
Russell Malone
Bill Pierce
Ron Savage Trio
Nadia Washington
Rebecca Cline Trio

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Opportunity
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On the weekend of July 16 & 17th at Microsoft NERD in Cambridge we will be having a weekend event centered around Application Programming Interfaces.  If you have a work or home project that leverages API's, and are interested in presenting, then please let me know.  Talks can be any length.  If that weekend does not work, please note that there will be evening lectures over the next few months on API's.

For those who are new to API’s, these are being leveraged across many industries, and as such this event will have workshops to help participants learn how to access API’s; as well as on creating “data products” whether blogs, web applications, or the like. The event will have a special track devoted to “Civic Tech” and “Citizen Data Science”. The Programmable Web site provides good coverage of API’s, and beyond that there are many sites focused on specific applications.

API Categories
Social Media Top Ten API’s (article and review)
Machine Learning APIs (article and review)
Music API’s from Music Machinery
Federal Government

Many thanks to Microsoft NERD for hosting us!!!  Please let me know if you have any questions, and/or are interested in giving a talk!
John Verostek:  johnverostek@yahoo.com

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The Summer of 2016 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

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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:
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
[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.

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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

Solar map of Cambridge, MA

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Hey Cambridge residents!

Did you know the City of Cambridge is trying to win the $5 million Georgetown University Energy Prize? It was created to develop a cleaner and more efficient energy future. Energy efficiency and conservation are the best ways to save energy and minimize environmental impact. In that effort, Cambridge is hoping all residents will get a no-cost energy assessment in order to make their homes more efficient and comfortable. Let us know you're interested here: http://cambridgeenergyalliance.org/sign-up-for-an-assessment

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

Again, let us know you're interested here: http://cambridgeenergyalliance.org/sign-up-for-an-assessment and someone will be in contact with you shortly to give you personally tailored contact information on how you can get your no-cost home energy assessment. Renters are also eligible!

Any action to save energy in the home will help Cambridge win this competition while protecting the environment. For additional ideas on how to save energy, please see the Cambridge Energy Alliance website at http://cambridgeenergyalliance.org/resources/interactivehome

Please share with your Cambridge friends and family and ask them to get a free energy assessment!

Want to be more involved? Become a neighborhood Block Captain! Block Captains help their community members sign up for and complete no-cost home energy assessments through the MassSave program. Our team will give you the tools and guidance needed to recruit neighbors to get an assessment and improve the efficiency of their homes. Participation is welcome at whatever level you are able to commit to.
If you are interested in becoming a Block Captain, please fill out the form at http://tinyurl.com/blockcaptainsurvey and someone from the Cambridge Energy Alliance will be in contact with you shortly. If you know someone who might be interested, please let them know about this opportunity!

Questions? Contact jnahigian@cambridgema.gov

Cambridge Energy Alliance
@cambenergy 

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Sunny Cambridge has just launched! Sunny Cambridge is the city-wide initiative that makes it easy for all types of residents to get solar power for their homes. Cambridge has lined up local solar installers through the EnergySage Solar Marketplace, which helps you request, receive, and compare solar quotes 100% online with support available every step of the way.

The City of Cambridge is working on many levels to reduce energy use and GHG emissions to make the city more sustainable. As a semifinalist in the nationwide competition for the $5 million Georgetown University Energy Prize, Cambridge Energy Alliance is encouraging residents to take actions to save energy, save money, and protect the environment. Get involved by signing up for a no-cost home energy assessment at the Cambridge Energy Alliance home page (www.cambridgeenergyalliance.org/winit)
and going solar at http://www.sunnycambridge.org 

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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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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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BASEN / Boston Solidarity Network Economy:  http://ba-sen.tumblr.com
Bostonsmart.com's Guide to Boston:  http://www.bostonsmarts.com/BostonGuide/

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Links to events at over 50 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
Sustainability at Harvard:  http://green.harvard.edu/events
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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