Sunday, July 23, 2017

Energy (and Other) Events - July 23, 2017

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) EventsGeo

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Details of these events are available when you scroll past the index


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Index
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Monday, July 24
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9:30am  MIT Synthetic Biology Center Quarterly Meeting:  Stem Cells & Organoids
12pm  Global Data Flows & Implications for Health Access in Developing Countries
1pm  Information and Prediction Limits in Online Social Activity
6pm  From the Ashes - film screening
6pm  Boston Student Solve-a-thon
7pm  Why?:  What Makes Us Curious 

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Tuesday, July 25
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9am  Boston Smart Utilities - July Whiteboarding Session
6pm  Boston Green Drinks - July Happy Hour
6pm  BYOFruit : An Experimental Jam Sesh
8pm  Union of Concerned Scientists Telephone Briefing: Stand Up for Science as a Science Champion

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Wednesday, July 26
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2pm  Climate Change Policy in the Age of Trump
6pm  Precision medicine in diabetes
6pm  Interdisciplinary Collaboration to Combat Superbugs: A Case Study 
6pm  "The Art In Reparations": Skill-share/ Art night

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Thursday, July 27
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8:30am  Introduction to Living Building Challenge
8:30am  Emerging Trends Series: State & Federal Perspectives on Energy Storage
10am  City Sprouts Summer Garden Expos
4pm  Residential Energy Assistance Resource Fair
4:30pm  Recognition and Farewell Event for Julie Wormser and Phil Griffiths 
6pm  Boston Climate Action Network Meeting
6pm  Innovation Bioscience: Deep Dives in Entrepreneurship – Technology, Innovation, and Aging Well

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Friday, July 28
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12pm  MD5 Hacking Emergency Response
12pm  Building a Greenwall, Rose Kennedy Greenway Horticulture Demonstration

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Saturday, July 29
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10am  7th Annual Boston African Festival 
11:30am  Radical: Cambridge and Somerville activism in the ’60s and today

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Sunday, July 30
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12pm  Cambridge Jazz Festival 2017
6pm  Eliza Speaks: Female, Millennial, Advocate for the Environment

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Monday July 31
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12pm  Trump's ‘America First’ Trade Agenda: What It Means for Access to Medicines

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Tuesday, August 1
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8am  Boston TechBreakfast: ContributeCloud.com­, Kinetica, ErgoSensePro, HoliSym
9am  Sourcing Locally and the Local Food Movement: A Roundtable Discussion
2pm  Live from the Deep Ocean
7pm  Summer Lightning Talks at Upstatement

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

Geometry Links

2018 Elections?  Honest 2018 Elections?

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Monday, July 24
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MIT Synthetic Biology Center Quarterly Meeting:  Stem Cells & Organoids
 Monday, July 24
9:30am to 12:30pm
Ragon Institute, Auditorium (400 Tech Sq., Room 146), 146 400 Technology Square, Cambridge

Speakers from the area will present talks in this half-day meeting

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Global Data Flows & Implications for Health Access in Developing Countries
Monday, July 24
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM EDT
42 Church Street , Cambridge

Governments around the world are increasingly regulating the flow of cross-border data on the basis of privacy, security, and other public interest concerns. These policies take on a variety of forms, such as data localization requirements and obligations for service providers to make data available to law enforcement authorities under certain circumstances. What types of policies concerning cross-border data flows should developing countries be adopting and advocating to safeguard their interests, particularly with respect to health care? Join us for an open discussion.

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Information and Prediction Limits in Online Social Activity
Monday, July 24
1:00 pm
Northeastern, 177 Huntington Avenue, 11th floor, Boston

JIim Bagrow, Assistant Professor of Mathematics & Statistics, University of Vermont
Massive datasets of human activity are now available, revolutionizing research on human dynamics and computational social science. We study the online posts of thousands of Twitter users and their followers. Information flows across the Twitter network by these posts, but it is unclear how much information flows, how much influence do users have on one another, and if we can accurately measure these quantities.Treating each Twitter user's text stream as a symbolic time series, the entropy rate measures how much information about a future word choice is available in the past history. We apply theorems from data compression to estimate a "correlated" entropy that accounts for both temporal ordering and long-range correlations in the data. The correlated entropy rate estimates the inherent uncertainty about someone's future word choice.Crucially, this technique can also capture social information transfer between pairs of users (denoted egos and alters), via a cross-entropy that estimates how much information about the ego's future word choice is present in the alter's past words. Some alters contain nearly as much information about the ego as the ego itself, but other ego-alter pairs show little information flux. Taken together, these results provide new quantitative bounds on information transfer in social networks, useful for better understanding the spread of ideas and influence in human populations.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
James Bagrow is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics & Statistics at the University of Vermont and a member of the Vermont Complex Systems Center. Previously, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Complex Networks Research at Northeastern University and a research assistant professor at Northwestern University. Professor Bagrow received his Ph.D. in Physics from Clarkson University in 2008. His research interests include network science, complex systems, computational social science, and statistics and machine learning.

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From the Ashes - film screening
Monday, July 24
6:00pm
EDF, 18 Tremont Street, Suite 850, Boston
RSVP at aperez@edf.org

From the Ashes explores the reality of the coal industry in America and its future under the Trump administration. The documentary offers a view of how we can help struggling communities that rely on coal while still fighting climate change at the same time.

Come join us for this special screening with time for discussion after. Wine and cheese will be served.

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Boston Student Solve-a-thon 
Monday, July 24
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT
MIT, Building 10-105, The Bush Room, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Calling all Boston-based undergraduate students! Have good ideas to solve global challenges? We want to hear from you!
Join us for an evening of ideation, brainstorming, and design thinking on July 24 from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM hosted by Solve, an initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Snacks provided.

On May 10th at Solve at MIT, Solve launched four new challenges. This Solve-a-thon will focus on the following challenges:
Sustainable Urban Communities
How can urban communities increase their access to sustainable and resilient food and water sources?
Women and Technology
How can women and girls of all socioeconomic backgrounds use technology to fully participate and prosper in the economy? 

As part of sourcing solutions to these challenges, we host Solve-a-thons: interactive workshop events that identify, refine, and test potential solutions. Solve-a-thons have 25+ participants and are rooted in human-centered problems and design, just like Solve’s challenges. All solutions are submitted to Solve’s Open Innovation Platform for later consideration as finalists. Solve-a-thons conclude with rapid-fire pitches so that participants can hear all the new ideas and hopefully form new partnerships to make a solution happen. 

Solve-a-thons are one key source of solutions to Solve’s challenges. At the end of the submission period [August 1], Solve judges will evaluate all submissions and pick the top 15-20 per challenge to attend a live pitch event [Solve Challenge Finals] in New York City this fall. Those with the best solutions at the pitch event will become Solvers, and be connected with Solve’s member community to get the resources they need to help their ideas start up and scale up into global impact.

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Why?:  What Makes Us Curious 
Monday, July 24
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Harvard Book Store welcomes astrophysicist MARIO LIVIO—the bestselling author of The Golden Ratio, Is God a Mathematician?, Brilliant Blunders,  and The Accelerating Universe—for a discussion of his latest book, Why?: What Makes Us Curious.
About Why?

Astrophysicist and author Mario Livio investigates perhaps the most human of all our characteristics—curiosity—as he explores our innate desire to know why.

Experiments demonstrate that people are more distracted when they overhear a phone conversation—where they can know only one side of the dialogue—than when they overhear two people talking and know both sides. Why does half a conversation make us more curious than a whole conversation?

In the ever-fascinating Why? Mario Livio interviewed scientists in several fields to explore the nature of curiosity. He examined the lives of two of history’s most curious geniuses, Leonardo da Vinci and Richard Feynman. He also talked to people with boundless curiosity: a superstar rock guitarist who is also an astrophysicist; an astronaut with degrees in computer science, biology, literature, and medicine. What drives these people to be curious about so many subjects? 

Curiosity is at the heart of mystery and suspense novels. It is essential to other forms of art, from painting to sculpture to music. It is the principal driver of basic scientific research. Even so, there is still no definitive scientific consensus about why we humans are so curious, or about the mechanisms in our brain that are responsible for curiosity.

Mario Livio—an astrophysicist who has written about mathematics, biology, and now psychology and neuroscience—explores this irresistible subject in a lucid, entertaining way that will captivate anyone who is curious about curiosity.

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Tuesday, July 25
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Boston Smart Utilities - July Whiteboarding Session
Tuesday, July 25
9:00 AM – 2:00 PM EDT
District Hall, 75 Northern Avenue, Boston

Please join the Boston Planning and Development Agency (formerly the Boston Redevelopment Authority) and the City of Boston to review Boston’s new:
Smart Utility Standards
Smart Utility requirements for new development.
This is an opportunity for attendees to workshop the role of each sector in infrastructure implementation, build external alliances, and team with technical partners.

Attendees will represent 4 sectors:
1. State and local government officials
2. Industry: infrastructure, construction, finance and smart cities professionals
3. Non-profit/NGOs: Boston Area academic institutions, Northeast Clean Energy Council, C40, Barr Foundation, Smart Cities Council, smart cities accelerators and advocacy groups
4. Boston area utility companies
Steering Committee
Amy Cording, Chief Engineer, Public Improvement Commission
Anne Schwieger, Broadband and Digital Equity Advocate, Department of Information Technology
Brad Swing, Director of Energy Policy and Programs, Environment, Energy, and Open Space 
Bryan Glascock, Senior Advisor of Regulatory Reform, Boston Planning and Development Agency
Colin Curzi, Smart Utilities Fellow, Boston Planning and Development Agency
Irene McSweeney, Director of Construction, Boston Water and Sewer Commission
John “Tad’ Read, Senior Deputy Director, Boston Planning and Development Agency
Katie Choe, Chief Engineer/Director of Construction Management Construction, Public Works Department
Mary Knasas, Senior Planner, Boston Planning and Development Agency
Travis Sheehan, Senior Infrastructure Advisor, Boston Planning and Development Agency

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Boston Green Drinks - July Happy Hour
Tuesday, July 25
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT
Scholars, 25 School Street, Boston

Join the conversation with sustainability professionals and hobbyists. Enjoy a drink and build your connection with our green community!
Boston Green Drinks builds a community of sustainably-minded Bostonians, provides a forum for exchange of sustainability career resources, and serves as a central point of information about emerging green issues. We support the exchange of ideas and resources about sustainable energy, environment, food, health, education.

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BYOFruit : An Experimental Jam Sesh
Tuesday, July 25
6:00pm - 9:00pm
Cambridge Community Television, 438 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge 

with Scotty Vercoe and Keaton Fox
Do you like making music? Do you like playing with food? Do you like playing music with food? 

CCTV will be hosting our first BYOFruit jam sesh with the help of a new tech toy called Playtronica.
Playtronica is an electric device that uses wires to connect objects (like a watermelon) to different kinds of sounds. When you hit the object (or fruit) it will make a sound !

We will be testing this new equipment in our big studio, with the help of our favorite audio wizard - Scotty Vercoe.
There will lights, sounds, smells, and more.
We hope you’ll come join us as we explore this new way of sound-making together. 

Don’t forget to bring your own fruit !

Register Today!
contact Keaton Fox at 617-661-6900 or email keaton@cctvcambridge.org

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Union of Concerned Scientists Telephone Briefing: Stand Up for Science as a Science Champion
Tuesday, July 25
8:00-9:00 p.m. EDT
Location: On your phone - join from home!

This is your chance to hear the inside scoop on the recent attacks on science as well as get the tools you need to help stand up from science from Gina McCarthy, former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and Ken Kimmell, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists.
    
This administration’s anti-science agenda isn't just a threat to scientists. It threatens public health, safety, and the environment by challenging bedrock statutes like the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. We must work harder than ever to defend science and science-based safeguards—register today and learn how you can become a Science Champion!

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Wednesday, July 26
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Climate Change Policy in the Age of Trump
Wednesday, July 26
2:00 PM EDT
Webinar

Join us for a discussion with Professor Robert Stavins, the Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government at Harvard Kennedy school. 

During this 45-minute webcast, Professor Stavins will review how the science of climate change leads to the economics of climate change and how that leads to the key geopolitical challenges presented by this global commons problem. He will review the Paris Agreement and emphasize how it is a departure from twenty years of climate negotiations.

Given that national policies are key, Stavins will also address the types of policies that countries have put in place and may launch in the future. This raises the question of how the United States will proceed with the new Trump administration. Stavins will examine the path the administration has taken and is likely to take in the future with domestic climate policy, and then he will turn to explore the Trump administration’s approach in the international domain. He will conclude with reflections on the path ahead for the Paris Agreement. 

At the end of Professor Stavins' presentation, the moderator will facilitate 10-15 minutes of participant Q&A. 

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Precision medicine in diabetes
Wednesday, July 26
6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge

Jose C. Florez, Institute Member, Co-director of the Metabolism Program, Broad Institute, Chief, Diabetes Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital
What is diabetes? Why do some people develop diabetes and others do not? Could prevention and treatment be individualized for each patient? Using diabetes as a case study, Broad Institute member Jose Florez will discuss the emerging approach of precision medicine — a quest to unravel the genetic basis of diseases and their complications in order to provide a basis for effective, tailored therapies. Florez will illustrate the power of contemporary genetics to address these crucial areas.

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Interdisciplinary Collaboration to Combat Superbugs: A Case Study 
Wednesday, July 26
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM EDT
Royal Sonesta Boston, Riverfront Ballroom, 40 Edwin H Land Boulevard, Cambridge

Join WorldBoston for a talk from visiting Saudi microbiologist Dr. Hosam Zowawi. 
The main event will take place from 6:00pm to 7:00pm, followed by a reception until 7:30pm. 
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria know no borders. “The possible nightmare scenario of normally treatable infections not being treatable is a major threat to human health now and in the future,’’ says Dr. Hosam Zowawi, a microbiologist and public health advocate who has devoted his career to not only developing better diagnostic tests, but to fostering international cooperation between the medical community and general public. Having earned international recognition for developing a new tool that can identify antibiotic-resistant bacteria in hours instead of days, Saudi-born Zowawi is working with the medical community to better deliver such research findings to the public. His current work is centered on how to alleviate barriers to global health programming and policymaking by building bridges of communication between stakeholders to enhance prevention from the lab to the home. In Boston, Zowawi will share his insights into the challenges and successes of international and regional cooperation in the medical community, and how many of these successes involve and engage the general public.

About Dr. Zowawi
Dr. Hosam Zowawi is a clinical microbiologist working on the issue of antibiotic-resistant microbes through cutting edge research and raising awareness in his native Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region. As part of his PhD studies at the University of Queensland, Dr. Zowawi has developed a fast diagnostic tool called “Rapid Superbug” that identifies antibiotic resistant bacteria more rapidly than previously possible, allowing for more targeted treatments. Along with his laboratory research, Dr. Zowawi is dedicated to raising awareness of antimicrobial resistance through direct public engagement and working with the press to simplify, publicize and translate scientific papers. He is a founder of the GCC Surveillance Network for Antimicrobial Resistance, the first network of hospitals across the Gulf to share data in order to track the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistant infections. Dr. Zowawi is an Honorary Fellow at the University of Queensland, Australia’s School of Medicine.

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"The Art In Reparations": Skill-share/ Art night
Wednesday July 26
6-9pm
Parts and Crafts, 577 Somerville Avenue, Somerville
Cost:  $15 includes vegan dinner and art supplies

Come make and share art, eat, talk, and be part of the African revolution!

Sam Day of the Uhuru Solidarity Movement Boston will be hosting an art night and skill-share at a makerspace in Somerville. All are welcome to come use the supplies provided, and/or bring that art project you’ve been meaning to finish! There will be music, food, political education about reparations, and a chance for artists to talk about what they make, how they make it, and what skills they want to share with others to do a small workshop that night. Materials provided will be an assortment of fabric, yarn, string, knitting needles, pencils, acrylic paints, markers, paper, a sewing machine, needles & thread, magazines for collaging, glue sticks, scissors... and anything you want to bring to share with others!

This is part of the Reparations Challenge campaign of the Uhuru Solidarity Movement. The Reparations Challenge raises resources in the white community to support the black-led Uhuru Movement led by the African People's Socialist Party whose programs span continents, uniting African people in the struggle for self-reliance, liberation, economic development, and self-determination.

Learn more at:

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Thursday, July 27
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Introduction to Living Building Challenge
Thursday, July 27
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM EDT
US Green Building Council MA Chapter HQ, 50 Milk Street, 16th floor "Edison" Conference Room, Boston
Cost:  $35 – $45

Join us for an introductory session on the newest and most rigorous standard in high performance buildings today. If you are new to the standard or have a few unanswered questions come visit this session. We will be breifly covering projects in the Commonwealth and will have mediated discussion after the comprehensive presentation. 
The Living Building Challenge is the built environment's most rigorous performance standard. It calls for the creation of building projects that operate as cleanly, beautifully and efficiently as nature's architecture. Participants will gain a basic understanding of the Living Building Challenge - a philosophy, advocacy tool and certification program that addresses development at all scales. To be certified under the Challenge, projects must meet a series of ambitious performance requirements, including Net Zero Energy, Waste and Water, over a minimum of 12 months of continuous occupancy. Participants will learn to describe the key components of the program and discuss the rationale for restorative design principles.

Learning objectives:
1. Understand the basic philosophy of the Living Building Challenge
2. Describe the key components of the program
3. Discuss the rationale for restorative design principles
4. Identify and locate the resources provided by the International Living Future Institute for deeper engagement.

Speakers:  Jim Newman - Principal at Linnean Solutions
Jim transforms complex environmental performance information into valuable actions and tools for decision-makers. His experience includes over two decades in strategic planning and operational efficiency management with institutions and private firms. Prior to Linnean, Jim was a driver of green design into the standard practices of design and construction firms as the Director of Strategy and Business Development at BuildingGreen. He led the development of the BuildingGreen Suite, and also led the creation of the LEEDuser information resource.

Aminah McNulty - Marketing Coordinator at BR+R
Aminah is one of the co-chairs of the USGBC MA Emerging Professionals Committee, and a frequently leads many service projects with the Chapter. Before joining the firm, Aminah worked in Beijing, China assisting with sustainable design research and marketing. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and Architecture from Mount Holyoke College and recently completed the Career Discovery program at Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Scholarships
A limited number of scholarships are available for students and those working in the non-profit sector. Please email celis@usgbcma.org for more information.

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Emerging Trends Series: State & Federal Perspectives on Energy Storage
Thursday, July 27
8:30 AM – 10:30 AM EDT
Pierce Atwood LLP, 100 Summer Street, Boston
Cost:  $0 – $50

The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) is slated to release their 2020 storage procurement targets by mid-Summer. The State of Charge report put forth a suite of policy recommendations designed to achieve 600 MW of storage by 2025. Setting an ambitious storage target will confirm the message of the report that Massachusetts is open for storage businesses.

On July 27, NECEC's Emerging Trends Series event will feature Department of Energy Resources Commissioner Judith Judson, Demand Energy Network's Vice President for Global Business Development Doug Staker, Ambri CEO and President Phil Giudice, and Pierce Atwood Partner Andrew Kaplan to discuss the target, its implications for the Commonwealth and national energy sector, and what it will mean for the industry at large.

NECEC’s Emerging Trends Series are networking and educational events that discuss hot topics, growing markets and emerging trends in the clean energy industry. Forums are hosted at NECEC Sponsor offices and free to NECEC Members and Sponsors.

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City Sprouts Summer Garden Expos
Thursday, July 27
10am
Holmes School, 40 School Street, Boston

Want to see firsthand the difference that school gardens make for young people? This summer is your chance! Take a tour of a school garden led by middle schoolers who have spent the summer learning not only how to grow and cook their own food but also how to help their communities. 

We're hosting expos at Cambridge Upper Schools in July & August. All expos run from 10-11am. This year we are excited to offer a Boston summer site at Holmes School. 

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Residential Energy Assistance Resource Fair
Thursday, July 27
4:00 PM – 7:00 PM EDT
East Somerville Community School, 50 Cross Street, Somerville

Join your neighbors to learn about programs available to help you save money on your utility bills and live more comfortably. Hosted by the City of Somerville, this event will feature consumer advocates from area organizations, non-profits, and institutions to help connect residents to the program that fits their needs.
Guests include:
National Grid
Eversource
CAPIC
Cambridge Fuel Assistance Program
And more!

This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided.
Learn about Somerville energy-efficiency programs at: http://somervillema.gov/seen

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Recognition and Farewell Event for Julie Wormser and Phil Griffiths 
Thursday, July 27
4:30 PM – 6:00 PM EDT
Mintz Levin, 1 Financial Center, Conference Room 38A, Boston

Join Boston Harbor Now's Board of Trustees and staff as we recognize the contributions and dedication of our friends, Julie Wormser and Phil Griffiths to the organization, the city's waterfront, and Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park. We will also be wishing them both well on their future ventures and successes.
The event is generously hosted at Mintz Levin and we strongly encourage guest to RSVP. 
Please have ID available for check-in at the front desk.

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Boston Climate Action Network Meeting
Thursday, July 27
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT
First Baptist Church, 633 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain 

We're working towards fighting climate change through improved energy policy and education at the local level in Boston. The BCAN Action Team meeting is a great way to get directly involved in the effort to combat climate change in the era of Trump. We gather twice per month on the 2nd and 4th Thursday from 6-8pm at First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain.

Come meet the Communications Team, the Arts Team, and other dedicated climate campaigners to learn how you can help us plan outreach for the Community Choice Energy campaign.

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Innovation Bioscience: Deep Dives in Entrepreneurship – Technology, Innovation, and Aging Well
Thursday, July 27
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM (EDT)
Workbar Cambridge, 45 Prospect Street, Cambridge
Cost:  $15.00 $0.00 Ticket Quantity 

Innovation Bioscience Initiative:
Innovation Bioscience is a training and incubation initiative focused on bridging the gap between biomedical research and healthcare need. The Deep Dives in Entrepreneurship series provide an opportunity to learn about upcoming training opportunities as well as learn from and connect with the vibrant start-up community of Greater Boston.
This session of Deep Dives in Entrepreneurship will focus on Innovation, Technology, and Aging Well. Over the past several years we have started to look upon aging as a chronic disease that if properly managed could have less of an impact on overall quality of life as we grow older. As the population of Americans over the age of 65 continues to grow we see an opportunity for biomedical professionals to make a significant impact on aging through leveraging their domain expertise and entrepreneurial training.

Deep Dive Entrepreneurship Speakers:
Edward Melia, Co-Founder and General Partner at New World Asset Partners, LLC
Edward Melia has more than 20 years’ experience spanning global business management, management consulting, entrepreneurship, venture capital, private equity and mergers and acquisitions. In his career, Edward has focused on disruptive technologies with specific sector proficiency in life sciences, new energy, digital media and information technology. He is currently the Co-Founder and General Partner at New World Asset Partners, an affiliation of elite independent private wealth advisors and wealth management firms located throughout New England. Edward works closely with investment groups, family offices, strategic buyers, and sovereign wealth funds to identify and vet early stage high potential innovation and discovery in technology and life sciences.

Further, passionate about healthcare Edward also sits on the board of the Aging Well Institute (AWI). AWI is a transformative platform designed to catalyze groundbreaking discoveries for chronic disease prevention, inform policies for reducing economic costs and healthcare burden generally associated with advancing age, and identify determinants of sustaining lifelong physical, cognitive and mental health.
AWI focuses on urban living, aging and well-being, health across the life course and health systems. AWI provides the platform to quickly and efficiently transfer scientific research and technology br

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Friday, July 28
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MD5 Hacking Emergency Response
Friday, July 28
12:00p–12:00p
MIT, Building E14, Media Lab, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge

Developers. Engineers. Designers. Join a hackathon challenge unlike any other. Work with other innovators from the DoD (Department of Defense), MIT Innovation Initiative, AFFOA (Advanced Functional Fabrics of America), and the MIT community to build product prototypes that incorporate functional fabrics as part of a system that addresses emergency response in challenging environments. 

These environments may include disaster sites, conflict zones, and other scenarios of emergency response. Experts from the field will provide unique insights into the challenges of communications, data collection and emergency response in these environments. 

Beside access to advanced fabric technologies, hackathon participants will have the opportunity to be mentored by a diverse group of experts: mentors who are experts in the hackathon challenge areas, technology mentors, and pitch mentors. 

Winning team(s) to receive up to $15K to further develop their ideas.

Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
This event occurs daily through July 30, 2017.
Sponsor(s): MIT Innovation Initiative
For more information, contact:  Terri Park
617-715-2330

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Building a Greenwall, Rose Kennedy Greenway Horticulture Demonstration
Friday, July 28
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT
Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, North End Parks, Boston
Cost:  $10

Are you interested in how The Greenway's horticulture staff does some of their coolest work? New this year, horticulture demonstrations will give a more in-depth look at the work of our knowledgeable horticulturists.
As part of a temporary art exhibit by Meredith James, Greenway horticulturists wrapped the walls of the piece with a vertical plant installation, commonly referred to as a greenwall. This collaboration between the Horticulture staff of The Greenway and the artist softens the connection between the park lawns and the sculpture, and provides an exciting opportunity to explore greenwall concepts.
In this demonstration, staff will talk about and show how they designed the greenwall, which includes constructed shelving filled with tender annuals and metal trellises planted with tender hop vines, annual beans, and pleached dogwoods.
Attendees will meet at the piece, Far from this setting in which I now find myself, which is located on the lawn of our North End Park Parcel between North Street and Hanover Street. This location is easily accessible from the Haymarket stop on the Orange Line or North Station.

The demonstration will last approximately one hour with available time for questions. In the case of inclemement weather, this demonstration may be cancelled or rescheduled.
Tours are $10/person and advanced registration is required. 

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Saturday, July 29
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7th Annual Boston African Festival 
Saturday, July 29
10:00 AM – 7:00 PM EDT
Greenway Conservancy, 70 Rowes Wharf, Boston

In Collaboration with Progressive African Network, The Shalupe Foundation Present:  The 7th Annual Boston African Festival

*Vendors* *Fashion Show* *African Food* *African Music* *Entertainment* *Networking*

The African Festival of Boston is an initiative of the Shalupe Foundation a 501 c 3 non-profit organization based in Boston, Massachusetts which aims to build a strong community, and strengthen the voice of the African Diaspora in New England. Known as "The biggest African Festival of New England" which unite the African Diaspora not only for an entertaining event but to empower communities by providing tools, via education to become self-sustainable, capacity building network, undertake collaborative efforts designed to mobilize the human and material resources of Africans for social action, development and advancement, through public awareness programs and cultural projects. Come and explore the African continent's diverse music, drum call parade, African-style face painting, health & wellness, children & family pavilion and a day of Afro-fashion show through performances by local and internationally known African artists

Greenway Park is located across from Rowes Wharf Hotel and 0.3 miles from the Aquarium T station on High Street. & Atlantic Ave. Address: 70 Rowes Wharf, Boston, MA 02110

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Radical: Cambridge and Somerville activism in the ’60s and today
Saturday, July 29
11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  
Cambridge Main Library, lecture hall, 449 Broadway, Cambridge

“Radical” brings to the stage 1960s activists such as: Ti-Grace Atkinson, the radical feminist who took on The New York Times; Bill Cunningham, local housing activist and historian; Saundra Graham, who fought Harvard expansion; Laury Hammel, who went from Students for a Democratic Society to advocating for sustainable businesses; Carol Hill, who went to jail for defying a grand jury; and Ken Reeves, who applied the ideals of the 1960s to city government as a city councillor and mayor.

New generations
Participating activists from more recent generations include Mari Gashaw, a young activist who chained herself to City Hall as part of a Black Lives Matter protest over affordable housing; Klara Ingersoll, who fought for change at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School by organizing a walkout against a culture of sexual harassment; and state Rep. Mike Connolly, who went from being an Occupy Boston lawyer to the State House with inspiration from Bernie Sanders.

Historians
Presenting first in the day to explain what Cambridge and Somerville were like in the heady days of the 1960s and early 1970s are local historians Charles Sullivan, executive director of the Cambridge Historical Commission, co-author of “Building Old Cambridge: Architecture and Development”; and Tim Devin, artist, librarian and author of “Mapping out utopia: 1970s Boston-area counterculture, book 1: Cambridge.”

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Sunday, July 30
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Cambridge Jazz Festival 2017
Sunday, July 30
12:00 PM – 6:00 PM EDT
Danehy Park, 99 Sherman Street, Cambridge
Cost:  $0 – $20

The Cambridge Jazz Festival is a FREE music festival featuring exceptional live Jazz music performed by world class musicians. Come out and enjoy this years lineup featuring our headliner PIECES OF A DREAM.

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Eliza Speaks: Female, Millennial, Advocate for the Environment
Sunday, July 30
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
One Fayette Park, Cambridge

Eliza Brady is a 19-year-old student at Tulane University. She is a passionate supporter of the environment, a struggling vegetarian, and a member of the millennial generation.  

She is a Massachusetts native, and feels at home among the giant pine trees and farmlands. But Eliza began noticing the environmental problems we are facing, growing at an alarming rate, and decided at this young age to dedicate her studies at school, her summer, and very likely her life, to the cause.  

"I found myself feeling helpless because although I was taking actions in my personal life to reduce my effect on the environment, I knew that that alone was not enough and felt that I had a greater responsibility to do more."  

Eliza comes to us with her personal story, a story of caring and worrying about issues that most of her age group prefer to ignore. She will tell what it is like to be 19 years old in 2017, what she sees in her future - and what she hopes to see instead. 

Potuck 6:00-7:00 p.m. followed by discussion 7:00-9:00 p.m. at Helen Snively's place near Central Square.  

Biodiversity for a Livable Climate is a small non-profit and a $10 donation is requested. 

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Monday July 31
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Trump's ‘America First’ Trade Agenda: What It Means for Access to Medicines
Monday July 31
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
Harvard Global Health Institute Conference Room, 42 Church St. Cambridge, MA 02138

Featuring GAiA Affiliate John Stubbs 
US foreign policy regulates, incentivizes and subsidizes access to medicines for patients around the world, from intellectual property protection and market access commitments in trade agreements to assistance programs like PEPFAR. What existing policies is President Trump likely to change, what new policies will his administration introduce, and how will these changes affect global health outcomes?

About Global Access in Action
Global Access in Action, a project of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, conducts action-oriented research into access to lifesaving medicines, and alternative incentives for the development of medical treatments for underserved populations. Improving access and promoting socially beneficial innovation are key strategies for combatting the communicable disease burden that disproportionately harms the world’s most vulnerable populations.

About the GAiA Brown Bag Series
The GAiA brown bag series, "Conversations in Global Health, Innovation & the Digital World," is a collaboration with the Harvard Global Health Institute to facilitate discussion among researchers, scholars, practitioners, and others engaged in the development of legal and policy frameworks that govern innovation and global commercialization of medicines.

About John Stubbs
A former staffer with the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), John Stubbs is a Fellow at Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society where he is researching transparency and international trade agreements.

From 2001-2007 John served three consecutive USTRs to advance US objectives among foreign and domestic constituencies. John created numerous initiatives to increase stakeholder participation in trade policy development, including the first online access ramp for US private sector advisors to view classified materials. During John’s time at USTR, the United States successfully launched the Doha Development Agenda at the WTO and approved Free Trade Agreements with 13 countries.

In 2007 John founded Romulus Global Issues Management, a Washington, DC-based consulting firm that helps executives navigate cross-border issues related to crisis, transition or growth. In particular, John’s work focuses on technology transfer, adoption and uptake in emerging markets. Romulus consultants have worked in more than 80 countries and clients include multinational corporations, startups and non-governmental organizations.

John has played a role in creating several new ventures. He founded the Global Innovation Forum and led the organization from 2009-2014. In 2008 John helped launch Farmstead Wines, a boutique importer of sustainably produced wines, and in 2011 he co-founded ecommerce company The Daily Hookup, Inc.

John received his BA in economics from George Washington University where he was President of GW’s policy debate team. He is a board member of the National Foreign Trade Council Foundation, a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of the Krewe of Bacchus in New Orleans, Louisiana.

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Tuesday, August 1
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Boston TechBreakfast: ContributeCloud.com­, Kinetica, ErgoSensePro, HoliSym
Tuesday, August 1
8:00 AM
O'Reilly, 2 Avenue de Lafayette, Boston

Interact with your peers in a monthly morning breakfast meetup. At this monthly breakfast get-together techies, developers, designers, and entrepreneurs share learn from their peers through show and tell / show-case style presentations.
And yes, this is free! Thank our sponsors when you see them :)

Agenda for Boston TechBreakfast:
8:00 - 8:15 - Get yer Food & Coffee and chit-chat 
8:15 - 8:20 - Introductions, Sponsors, Announcements 
8:20 - ~9:30 - Showcases and Shout-Outs! 
ContributeCloud.com: Air cDMS - John McKenney
Kinetica: Kinetica DB - Karthik Lalithraj
ErgoSensePro: ErgoSenseHealth - Aleck Alexopoulos
HoliSym - Merav Ozair
~9:30 - end - Final "Shout Outs" & Last Words Boston TechBreakfast Sponsors:
ConferenceEdge - EVENTS to the power of Edge
DLA Piper (Boston) - DLA Piper is a global business law firm that provides corporate, IP, capital raising and other legal advice to technology startups and high growth businesses.
G2 Tech Group - Managed DevOps for startups and small businesses
hedgehog lab - hedgehog lab is a technology consultancy that designs and builds great apps for mobile

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Sourcing Locally and the Local Food Movement: A Roundtable Discussion
Tuesday, August 1
9:00 AM – 10:30 AM EDT
SBN Board Room, 99 Bishop Allen Drive, Cambridge

Join SBN and leaders in the local food movement for a roundtable discussion on best practices and challenges of sourcing locally! Local Food Luminaries will kick off the discussion by sharing their own stories, and the conversation will flow from there!
Find and share creative ideas for using seasonal and local ingredients, discuss stories of success, and network with industry professionals, food suppliers, and other players in the local food movement!

Light refreshments and breakfast treats will be provided.

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Live from the Deep Ocean
Tuesday, August 1
2:00pm
Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street. Cambridge

Join us for a live glimpse of the biological diversity of previously unexplored areas in the deep sea off California. The museum will host a live Q&A with Peter R. Girguis, Harvard Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, and Jennifer Berglund, Exhibit Developer for the Harvard Museums and film producer, who are working with an international team aboard the E/V Nautilus. 

The research team is exploring areas of the deep sea that are nearly devoid of oxygen, and trying to understand the diversity of animal and microbial life in those areas. They will be using unmanned, remotely operated underwater vehicles for collecting imagery and samples from the deep sea. They will also be testing several components of the ABISS (Autonomous Biogeochemical Instrument for In Situ Studies), the very first deep sea “wireless broadband” observatory developed by Peter and his team. 

The live Q&A will be on Tuesday August 1st at 2 PM from the Geological Lecture Hall at the Harvard Museum of Natural History at 24 Oxford Street. You’ll see the ocean, from the water column to the seafloor down at 3800 feet (1100 meters), live and in high definition from the deep-diving robotic submarine. Audience members will have an opportunity to ask questions of Dr. Girguis and Ms. Berglund in a conversation moderated by Ms. Erin Callahan, a science communications student at Boston University.

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Summer Lightning Talks at Upstatement
Tuesday, August 1
7:00 PM
Upstatement, 133 Portland Street, 4th floor, Boston

Come join us for an evening of Lightning Talks from across Boston Media: new products! new technology! new research! new friends! 

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Upcoming Events
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Wednesday, August 2
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ArtScienceConverged: Jeff Lieberman & Dan Paluska Exhibition Unveiling + Talk
Wednesday, August 2
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM EDT
Doors 6:00pm / Exhibition Unveiling + Talk 6:30pm
Le Laboratoire Cambridge, 650 East Kendall Street, Cambridge

Jeff Lieberman and Dan Paluska
Exhibition Unveiling + Talk
Presented as part of ArtScience Converged
ArtScienceConverged, the 24th Experiment of Le Laboratoire, features 15 weeks of dreams shared with us by pioneers of various frontiers. For the 6th week, which focuses on physics, we invited one of our favorite innovation teams, Jeff Lieberman and Dan Paluska, to deliver a new piece of their design to Le Laboratoire. We invite the public to experience their work during its exhibition, which kicks off with an artist talk on August 2nd.

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The Not-Quite States of America:  Dispatches from the Territories and Other Far-Flung Outposts of the USA
Wednesday, August 2
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Harvard Book Store and Mass Humanities welcome travel writer DOUG MACK, author of Europe on Five Wrong Turns a Day, for a discussion of his latest book, The Not-Quite States of America: Dispatches from the Territories and Other Far-Flung Outposts of the USA. 
About The Not-Quite States of America

Everyone knows that America is 50 states and . . . some other stuff. Scattered shards in the Pacific and the Caribbean, the not-quite states—American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands—and their 4 million people are often forgotten, even by most Americans. But they’re filled with American flags, U.S. post offices, and Little League baseball games. How did these territories come to be part of the United States? What are they like? And why aren’t they states?
When Doug Mack realized just how little he knew about the territories, he set off on a globe-hopping quest covering more than 30,000 miles to see them all. In the U.S. Virgin Islands, Mack examines the Founding Fathers’ arguments over expansion. He explores Polynesia’s outsize influence on American culture, from tiki bars to tattoos, in American Samoa. He tours Guam with members of a military veterans’ motorcycle club, who offer personal stories about the territory’s role in World War II and its present-day importance for the American military. In the Northern Mariana Islands, he learns about star-guided seafaring from one of the ancient tradition’s last practitioners. And everywhere he goes in Puerto Rico, he listens in on the lively debate over political status—independence, statehood, or the status quo.
The Not-Quite States of America is an entertaining account of the territories’ place in the USA, and it raises fascinating questions about the nature of empire. As Mack shows, the territories aren’t mere footnotes to American history; they are a crucial part of the story.

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Thursday, August 3
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Envision Cambridge Walkshop: Cambridge Street east of Inman Square
Thursday, August 3
5:30 PM – 7:00 PM EDT
Corner of Cambridge and Oak Streets, 1337 Cambridge Street, Cambridge

Join us for the next Envision Cambridge corridor walking tour!

The latest in a series of "walkshops," Envision Cambridge presents a walking tour of Cambridge Street east of Inman Square. How has this area changed over time and how is it evolving today? How have urban planning decisions affected the development and mobility options along this corridor? The tour will explore how policies and planning have shaped Cambridge Street and the surrounding areas, with particular emphasis on urban form, housing, and mobility.

Participants will meet in front of Inman Square Hardware, on the corner of Cambridge Street and Oak Street at 5:30 p.m. Members of the Envision Cambridge consultant team and Community Development Department staff will lead the tour. The walk will be approximately 1 mile and 1.5 hours.

Please register through this page to reserve your spot in the walkshop. We can accommodate a group of up to 25 participants.

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Mozilla Science Lab - Open Research Extravaganza
Thursday, August 3
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
MIT, Building E14, 6th floor, Room E14-674, 75 Amherst Street, Cambridge

OPEN RESEARCH EXTRAVAGANZA! The Mozilla Science Lab is coming to Boston and we’re pairing up to bring together the local open science community here!  
EXTRAVAGANZA AGENDA
6:30 - 7:00 - Doors open and informal chit-chat - drinks / light snacks served
7:00 - 7:15 - Introduction -  Mozilla Science Lab and Open Research  
7:15 - 8:15 - Lightning Talks
Kevin Moerman - Journal of Open Source Software (JOSS) 
Abby Cabunoc Mayes - From Open Source to Open Science  
Chris Madan - The benefits of open-access data: A case study in brain morphology research  
Andrew Thaler - Open Source for an Open Ocean: Developing tools for marine science, conservation, and exploration 
Anna Newman - Open Access  
Tom Hohenstein - BU Study Group  
Phoebe Ayers - MIT Libraries  
More to come!!  
8:15 - 9:30 - Social / Networking 

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African Manatees and Sea Turtles: Conservation Challenges and Successes
Thursday, August 3
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Simons IMAX Theatre New England Aquarium, 1 Aquarium Wharf, Boston

Lucy Keith-Diagne, Ph.D., Founder of the African Aquatic Conservation Fund, Pew Fellow, and New England Aquarium Marine Conservation Action Fund Fellow

Tomas Diagne, Founder of the African Chelonian Institute, Rolex Associate Laureate, and New England Aquarium Marine Conservation Action Fund Fellow

For more than two decades, scientists Lucy Keith-Diagne and Tomas Diagne have been working to study manatees and turtles and to advocate for their protection. During the last 11 years, Lucy has focused her research on the African manatee, which is one of the least understood of the marine mammals of the world and is often referred to as the “forgotten sirenian.” African manatees live in 21 countries on the western side of the continent, along coasts, and up to 3,000 kilometers inland. They are highly susceptible to accidental capture in fishing nets and are hunted almost everywhere they occur. Lucy will speak about her efforts to determine the number of populations across West and Central Africa, to better understand their diet, and lead the first assessments of manatee threats and the search for solutions across the species’ range.

Tomas Diagne researches threats to sea turtles in Senegal’s coastal waters, which are a migratory hub for five species of sea turtles. In recent years, Tomas has documented a troubling number of dead sea turtles washing up on Senegal’s beaches. Tomas will share how in addition to assessing this disturbing trend, he is working to use the data to advocate for the reduction of sea turtle bycatch in Senegalese fisheries and to collaborate with fisheries authorities to achieve this. He will also speak about his work with sea turtle geneticists to understand from which populations the stranded turtles are coming. Join us to hear Lucy and Tomas share the challenges and successes they have experienced while working to study and protect these iconic and threatened species.

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Friday, August 4
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Bitch Doctrine:  Essays for Dissenting Adults
Friday, August 4
7:00 PM
Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

Harvard Book Store welcomes prize-winning writer and journalist LAURIE PENNY, author of Penny Red and Unspeakable Things, for a discussion of her latest book, Bitch Doctrine: Essays for Dissenting Adults.
About Bitch Doctrine

Smart and provocative, witty and uncompromising, this collection of Laurie Penny's celebrated essays establishes her as one of the most important and vibrant political voices of our time. Bitch Doctrine takes an unflinching look at the definitive issues of our age, from the shock of Donald Trump's election and the victories of the far right to online harassment and the transgender rights movement.

Penny is lyrical and passionate in her desire to confront injustice, and she's writing at the raw edge of a revolution-hungry zeitgeist, a time when it has never been more vital to actively question and fiercely dispute all forms of complacency, including social norms. This darkly comic, often biting yet empathic, revelatory collection will inform, challenge, and engage, and give readers hope and tools for change.

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Monday, August 7
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Clean Energy Reception
Monday, August 7
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT
University of Massachusetts Club, 1 Beacon Street, 32nd Floor, Boston

The Environmental League of Massachusetts and National Wildlife Federation invite you to a Clean Energy Reception for attendees of the National Conference of State Legislatures Legislative Summit.

Join Massachusetts legislative leaders and staff for a “Green Reception” and take in the stunning views of Boston high atop Beacon Hill. Hear brief remarks from leaders from the legislature, industry, and state and national advocacy organizations on cutting edge policies on clean energy, including offshore wind and home energy efficiency, and how states can grow jobs and their own renewable energy industries.
To register for this free reception, RSVP here by August 1.
Cosponsors include:
350 Mass for a Better Future
Acadia Center
Charles River Watershed Association
Clean Water Action
Climate Action Now
Climate Action Now
E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs)
Environment Massachusetts
Health Care Without Harm
Mass Audubon
Metropolitan Area Planning Council
Project Green Schools
Toxics Action Center Campaigns

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The Social, Economic and Legal Impact of AI and Automation - an Expert Panel
Monday, August 7
6:15 PM
PwC, 101 Seaport Boulevard, Boston

Artificial Intelligence and Automation is changing the world like an Industrial Revolution!
People are concerned about the effect on jobs, competition and society as a whole.  
We have assembled a terrific panel of industry experts who will provide us with a glimpse into the future impact of AI.  
To be held at PwC's Seaport Offices in Boston.

Speaker list:
Warren Katz – President of Neurala (https://www.linkedin.com/in/warrenkatz/)
Kevin Kroen - Lead Partner in PWC's Financial Services Digital Labor/Robotics Process Automation practice (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-kroen-a5ab223/) 
Stephen Lawrence – Head of Quantextual Research Acceleration at State Street Global (https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenlawrence/)
Bushan Sethi – PwC Financial Services People & Organization Practice Lead (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhushansethi/)
Stefanie Tellex  – Assistant  Professor of Robotics and Natural Language Processing at Brown University  (https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanie-tellex-38468818/) 

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Tuesday, August 8
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Nobody’s Listening
Tuesday, August 8
10 am-5 pm
Gallery talk 3 pm
Lightbox Gallery, 32 Quincy Street, 5th floor, Cambridge

Nobody's Listening is an artistic multimedia piece that draws on a database of secrets collected through interactive art installations over the past year. The work expresses human secrets through overlapping computer voices and a visual projection. Why do we trust our phones and computers? Where does the physical self end and the digital self begin? The playful installation explores our intimate but dubious relationship to machines, and reflects back our own humanness.

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MOVING FROM ISSUES TO ACTION: Training On Community Organizing
Tuesday, August 8
4:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT
Mintz Levin, One Financial Center, Boston

Join us for an evening workshop that will provide best practices for organizers to effectively advocate and advance issues that impact the Latino community.

You will learn how to organize at the grassroots and grass tops levels, build alliances with other organizations and advance policy issues at the highest levels. You will learn strategies for addressing social issues such as civil rights, voting rights, education, hate crimes legislation, health care legislation, immigration, and 2020 census.

Our Presenters will discuss why these issues matter to the Latino community, and will map out a process of civic engagement, as well as short and long-term tactics to be most effective. You will learn how to define your cause and vision, create specific goals and metrics, find your allies and targets, build a base, find media coverage, and funding.

SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
Nathalie Rayes, Vice President of Public Affairs, Grupo Salinas. Nathalie Rayes is the VP of Public Affairs for Grupo Salinas (http://www.gruposalinas.com/es) in the U.S., a Mexican conglomerate with US$6 billion in annual sales and 90,000 employees in Mexico, the United States, and Central and South America, and with operations in the broadcasting, retail, banking and financial services, telecommunications and internet. Nathalie is also the Executive Director of Grupo Salinas’ philanthropic arm in the United States, Fundación Azteca America that seeks to improve the quality of life of Latinos by partnering with existing nonprofits to empower, create awareness and motivate change on social and civic issues.

Previously, Nathalie served as Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn Deputy Chief of Staff, directing the Mayor’s Office of Intergovernmental Relations, serving as chief liaison to federal, state and regional governments and to the Los Angeles City Council, International Trade, Protocol, Immigrant Affairs, as well as Mayor’s appointments to City commissions and boards. Prior to that, she was Senior Policy Advisor to Los Angeles Councilmember Mike Feuer, heading all aspects of Councilmember’s activities with respect to citywide legislation and ordinances impacting the Fifth Council District. Nathalie also served as a Department of State Fellow in the Economic/Political Section of the United States Embassy in Cairo, Egypt.

Hector E. Sanchez, Chairman, National Hispanic Leadership Agenda. Hector Sanchez is the Executive Director of Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (http://lclaa.org) and the Chair of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (https://nationalhispanicleadership.org). In 2012, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry appointed Sanchez as co-chair of the Hispanic Council on Federal Employment to help advice the agency on leading employment practices in the effort to remove barriers to recruiting, hiring, retaining, and advancing Hispanics in the Federal workforce. He is a member of the Kennedy Center’s new Latino Advisory Council, the Vice-Chair of the National Latino Coalition on Climate Change (NLCCC) and a member of the board of directors of the U.S. Labor Education in the Americas Project (USLEAP).

Prior to joining LCLAA, Sanchez was the DC-Mexico Policy Education Director at Global Exchange, the Policy and Community Liaison for the Education Trust, and a professor of US-Mexico Relations at the Autonomous University of the City of Juarez, Mexico. Sanchez holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Texas at El Paso.

Zuraya Tapia, Principal, The Raben Group. As a Principal at The Raben Group (https://rabengroup.com), Zuraya brings over ten years of experience in government affairs from both the public and private sector. Zuraya combines substantial experience in public policy and advocacy work in Washington, DC with deep ties to both the Hispanic and Latin American community in DC and in Latin America.

Her time in the House of Representatives and Capitol Hill relationships complement her unique knowledge from off the Hill, stemming from having headed non-profit organizations, coalitions, and time in a Fortune 50 company. Zuraya has built creative alliances to advance a variety of issues, including diversity in the federal government, diversity in corporate America, immigration reform, and international trade.

Before joining Raben, Zuraya was Vice President for Public Affairs at UPS, a unique role that combined a federal government affairs portfolio with an international affairs portfolio of issues. At UPS she took the company’s Public Affairs department in new directions, entering into new partnerships with key Hispanic associations and groups that UPS had not previously explored in order to amplify support for the company’s positions on globalization and border facilitation. She is a regular commentator on CNN en Español, Telemundo, NTN24, and Univision.
Stay tuned for the detailed agenda.

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Greenfest Looking for Volunteers

10th Annual Boston GreenFest will be at Boston City Hall Plaza, August 11-13, 2017.  It is the largest multicultural environmental music festival in the region featuring lots of local and international exhibits, performances, films, food, fashion and forums.  Our goal is to educate and empower people to create a more sustainable, healthier world. We are actively building an interconnected, ever expanding network throughout our neighborhoods, city and region.  From business to nonprofit, neighborhood association to academic institution, Boston GreenFest spans age, culture and industry.   Celebrating our 10th anniversary, Boston GreenFest is excited to bring this wonderful free three-day festival to Boston City Hall Plaza as it is transformed into a fun interactive community classroom.  

We are looking for volunteers to help throughout the weekend.


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New Climate CoLab Contests:
Adaptation
Buildings
Carbon Pricing
Energy Supply
Land Use Change
Shifting Attitudes & Behaviors
Transportation

More information at https://www.climatecolab.org/

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Discounted Solar for Somerville

As part of the State’s Solarize Mass program, local volunteers and the City of Somerville recently launched the Solarize Somerville campaign to make it easier and cheaper for residents and small businesses to install solar panels.

The program, which is offering information and guidance, free site consultations, and solar panel discounts through November, has set an ambitious goal to inspire at least 200 property owners to sign up for solar —and each of those private solar installations will also benefit the community directly. For every 400 kW in signed private contracts through the program, the program’s solar vendor SolarFlair will donate a system of up to 5 kW for a public or community purpose. All are invited to the program kickoff at a Meet the Installer event on Tuesday, July 26 at 6-7:30 p.m., 167 Holland St. Additional events on topics such as solar basics, financing, and solar for multifamily homes will be announced.

Unique to the program is its neighbor-to-neighbor approach: trained resident volunteers and a designated volunteer Solar Coach are available essentially as mentors. They can, for example, walk anyone through the process, provide general loan program and tax incentive information, and share their own solar experiences. The campaign’s webpage and blog offers useful information, tips, and a link to websites where you can estimate the solar potential of your home and roughly calculate how much solar could save you on your energy bills at www.somervillema.gov/sustainaville/solarize.

Somerville is one of the most urban communities ever to participate in Solarize Mass, which makes the neighbor-to-neighbor approach especially helpful due to some of the unique challenges here such as multi-family houses with more than one owner. Winter Hill resident Mary Mangan, the program’s volunteer Solar Coach, went through that process and is ready to share helpful tips.

"I'm excited to work with our eager volunteers to help our neighbors understand the benefits of solar power. As a co-owner of a two-family home with solar, I can also offer some insights about how that process went for us," said Mangan.

Also key to the program is the selection of a designated vendor, which allows the program to offer reduced cost installation through bulk purchasing. Through a competitive process, SolarFlair, based in Ashland, MA, was selected. They were also the selected installer for the communities of Arlington, Hopkinton, Mendon, Brookline, Carlisle-Chelmsford, Newton, and Quincy.

"We're excited to be the selected installer for Solarize Somerville, and look forward to speaking with any home or business owners that are interested in reducing their electric bills while also making a great investment," said Matt Arner, the owner and President of SolarFlair.

Quick facts:
Solar systems can be purchased outright (with a payback of about 4-5 years). The Mass Solar Loan program offers rates of 3.25% or less. 
Or, for no money down owners can choose a power purchase agreement (PPA), where the system is owned and maintained by a third party, and residents buy back the electricity at a discounted price.   
More on-site renewable energy is critical to reducing carbon emissions.  It also saves money for residents.

Tax incentives for solar installations include:
Federal Tax Credit: A 30 percent federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) is available for qualified residential and commercial projects
Massachusetts Personal Income Tax Credit: The lesser of 15% of the total cost of the solar electric system or $1,000, for qualified clean energy projects
Five-year Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS): Business owners can depreciate solar electric systems over a five-year schedule

For more information or to sign up for a free site consultation:

Visit the Solarize Somerville webpage at www.somervillema.gov/sustainaville/solarize for
Helpful information and FAQs
To contact a volunteer or Solar Coach Mary Mangan to discuss solar options and incentives
To set up an appointment for a free site consultation directly with SolarFlair
To find out about events
To volunteer for Solarize Somerville

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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. 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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Free solar electricity analysis for MA residents

Solar map of Cambridge, MA

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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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Cambridge Coalition Solar Access Campaign is part of the DOE SunShot Solar in Your Community Challenge with a goal of 40 new solar electric systems installed in Cambridge, with a focus on serving low-to-moderate income communities.

Coalition partners include Green Cambridge, which works to create a more sustainable city and to protect the environment for the health and safety of all, Resonant Energy, a community-based solar developer, Solstice, helping every single household in America go solar, and Sunwealth, a solar investment firm.


hat tip Cambridge Civic Journal 

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"Greening Our Grid" Report Released April 24, 2017

MAPC is excited to announce the release of “Greening Our Grid,” a fact sheet and a case study detailing MAPC’s strategy to use municipal aggregation to help build new renewable energy in New England. 

“Greening Our Grid” highlights MAPC's work with the City of Melrose as a case study for MAPC's innovative green municipal aggregation strategy. Melrose recently completed its first year of implementation. The city’s results demonstrate that economic and environmental goals can be met simultaneously, and provide a compelling example for others to follow. 

The case study and fact sheet further describe the renewable energy strategy overall, why it can have a real impact on our electricity grid, and MAPC’s program to help other municipalities follow Melrose's lead. Arlington, Brookline, Gloucester, Hamilton, Millis, Somerville, Sudbury, and Winchester are poised to roll out their green aggregations within the year. 

MAPC believes that municipal aggregation offers an opportunity for communities to leverage the collective buying power of their residents and businesses to transform our electric grid to cleaner sources of energy, while also providing cost savings and price stability for electricity. The fact sheet and case study will be useful tools for cities and towns that are exploring green municipal aggregation, as well as for those that already have active aggregation programs.

Check out “Greening Our Grid” today at http://www.mapc.org/greening-our-grid, and contact Patrick Roche, MAPC Clean Energy Coordinator, at proche@mapc.org for more information about MAPC's program.

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Cambridge Climate Change Game

Extending our work on face-to-face games, the MIT Science Impact Collaborative has developed a digital game on the health impacts of climate change that you can play alone on your computer or on your mobile phone. The game should take about 10-20 minutes. We would appreciate it if you could play the game at your convenience.


Any and all feedback on the game should be directed to Ella Kim at ella@mit.edu.  

Thank you for your time and consideration!

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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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Boston Maker Spaces - 41 (up from 27 in 2016) and counting:  https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zGHnt9r2pQx8.kfw9evrHsKjA&hl=en
Solidarity Network Economy:  https://ussolidarityeconomy.wordpress.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 Energy Club:  http://mitenergyclub.org/
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
Take Action MA:  http://takeactionma.com


If you have an event you would like to see here, the submission deadline is 12 PM on Sundays, as Energy (and Other) Events is sent out Sunday afternoons.
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