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Chasing Coral
Dava Newman, Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics
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Jan/25 | Thu | 07:00PM-09:00PM | 35-225, Open to the public |
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Join us for a special screening of the original documentary Chasing Coral and witness a journey to reveal how the greatest impact of Earth’s changing climate may be hidden beneath the surface of our oceans. There is inspiring work being done around the world to protect and preserve Earth's marine ecosystems. Take the first step to be a part of this great transformation.
Plot Synopsis:
Chasing Coral taps into the collective will and wisdom of an ad man, a self-proclaimed coral nerd, top-notch camera designers, and renowned marine biologists as they invent the first time-lapse camera to record bleaching events as they happen. Unfortunately, the effort is anything but simple, and the team doggedly battles technical malfunctions and the force of nature in pursuit of their golden fleece: documenting the indisputable and tragic transformation below the waves. With its breathtaking photography, nail-biting suspense, and startling emotion, Chasing Coral is a dramatic revelation that won’t have audiences sitting idle for long.
Watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6fHA9R2cKI
Learn more at: http://www.chasingcoral.com/
Sponsor(s): Aeronautics and Astronautics, Environmental Solutions Initiative
Contact: Jeremy Stroming, (425) 466-7759, stroming@mit.edu
Data in the Round
Glenn Flierl, Professor of Physical Oceanography
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Jan/11 | Thu | 10:00AM-12:00PM | 54-1623, bring data/ laptop |
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Jan/18 | Thu | 10:00AM-12:00PM | 54-1623, bring data/ laptop |
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Jan/25 | Thu | 10:00AM-12:00PM | 54-1623, bring data/ laptop |
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Repeating event, participants welcome at any session
Do the fields in your data live on a spherical surface -- e.g., is it Earth or
planetary system information? Would you like to see it without the usual
flat-map distortion? Come to the session, and we'll put it up on course 12's
two-foot iGlobe spherical display (check it out at Hayden). In the process,
you'll also be able to see it in a browser using a preliminary version of
"esGlobe" and on the displays in building 54 hallways and classrooms.
Contact: Glenn Flierl, 54-1626, 617 253-4692, GLENN@LAKE.MIT.EDU
Electron Microprobe Analysis on the JEOL JXA-8200 Superprobe
Nilanjan Chatterjee, Principal Research Scientist
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Jan/19 | Fri | 01:00PM-03:00PM | 54-1221 |
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
This session is to introduce new users to the JEOL JXA-8200 Superprobe. It will involve hands-on instructions on the electron microprobe, and a discussion on wavelength and energy dispersive spectrometry, and imaging with back-scattered electrons, secondary electrons, x-rays (elemental mapping) and cathodoluminescence. Please fill out the form located here, or e-mail Dr. Chatterjee at nchat@mit.edu if you plan to attend.
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
Contact: Nilanjan Chatterjee, 54-1216, 617 253-1995, NCHAT@MIT.EDU
Exploring the Universe from Near to Far with the Chandra X-ray Observatory; Tour of the Chandra Operations Control Center
Dr. Michael Nowak, Research Scientist, Dr. Norbert Schulz
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Jan/29 | Mon | 01:00PM-03:00PM | Marlar Lounge 37-252 |
Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/22
Limited to 20 participants
Prereq: attend 1:00pm talk to take Chandra OCC tour that follows
The Universe in X-ray Light (talk followed by tour of Chandra X-ray)
Exploring the Universe from Near to Far with the Chandra X-ray Observatory
In the summer of 1999, NASA launched the third of its great observatories--the Chandra X-ray telescope. Like the Hubble Space telescope which preceded it, Chandra is designed to have an unprecedented ability to create images and spectra of astrophysical objects, except working with high energy X-rays instead of optical light. This means that Chandra views some of the universe's most exotic and energetic phenomena: supernovae, neutron stars, black holes, jets traveling at nearly the speed of light emanating from near the center of clusters of galaxies. In this talk, we'll take a tour of the discoveries made by the Chandra X-ray telescope, starting with studies of our own solar system, moving outward to nearby stars, to the center of our own Galaxy where a black hole 40 millions times the mass of our Sun lurks, to distant clusters of Galaxies where the most massive black holes, billions of times the mass of our Sun, reside.
Tour of Operations Control Center for Chandra X-ray Observatory
Tour departs 37-252 shortly after 1:30pm (following 1:00pm talk above). Tour signup deadline: Monday, Jan 22 @ noon. Email meinbres@mit.edu your first & last name (as it appears on your ID) & the country of your citizenship. Your tour attendance will be confirmed by Jan 26.
The tour is limited to the first 20 people who sign up by Jan 22 @ noon.
Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU
Heavier than the Sun, Smaller than a City: The Neutron Star
Dr. Paul Hemphill, Dr. Norbert Schulz, Dr. Herman Marshall
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Jan/24 | Wed | 01:00PM-03:00PM | Marlar Lounge 37-252 |
Enrollment: no limit or advanced sign up for talk; tour signup at 12:55
Sign-up by 01/24
Limited to 20 participants
Prereq: none
X-ray Spectroscopy: Talk and Tour. Learn about the development and application of x-ray spectroscopy.
Heavier than the Sun, Smaller than a City: The Neutron Star (1:00-1:30pm)
Dr. Paul Hemphill
Abstract:
Neutron stars are some of the most extreme objects in the knownUniverse. More massive than the Sun, but just a few miles across, theyhave some of the highest densities, strongest magnetic fields, and highest temperatures of any celestial objects. In this talk I will give an overview of the origins and properties of the various types of neutron stars that we observe, as well as how we can detect them and their usefulness for astrophysics as a whole.
Tour of the X-ray Polarimetry Lab -- please note tour limit and prerequisite below (2:00-3:00pm)
Drs. Norbert Schulz and Herman Marshall
Tour of MIT's X-ray Polarimetry Lab, where new X-ray instrumentation is currently being developed.
Please Note:
20 people max for tour. Advance sign-up required starting at 12:55pm in 37-252 immediately before Dr. Hemphill's talk. Attendance of talk is required for tour of the Lab. Tour will leave from 37-252 at 1:30pm, and last about an hour until about 3:00pm.
Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU
Image Analysis in the Geosciences
Matej Pec, Assistant Professor
Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions
The aim of the workshop is to familiarize participants with a number of image processing and analysis methods which will allow them to derive quantitative measurements from images. We will focus on the analysis of rock microstructures from sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks. We will cover the topics of image segmentation, area and volume estimation, size and shape analysis and much more. The workshop consist of morning lectures and afternoon hands-on practice. The participants are encouraged to bring their own images of samples they would like to analyze. Participants taking the course for credit should registrer for 12.S591 and will be required to finish a short project.
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
Contact: Matej Pec, 54-720, 617-324-7279, mpec@mit.edu
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Jan/22 | Mon | 09:00AM-05:00PM | 54-819 |
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Jan/23 | Tue | 09:00AM-05:00PM | 54-819 |
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Jan/24 | Wed | 09:00AM-05:00PM | 54-819 |
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Jan/25 | Thu | 09:00AM-05:00PM | 54-819 |
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Jan/26 | Fri | 09:00AM-05:00PM | 54-819 |
Learn about supermassive black holes, R process of neutron stars and star formation!
Dr. Shuo Zhang, Postdoctoral Associate, Dr. Rana Ezzeddine, Postdoctoral Associate, Dr. Hans Moritz Guenther, Research Scientist
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Jan/25 | Thu | 01:00PM-02:30PM | Marlar Lounge 37-252 |
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Prereq: none
The Glorious Past of Our Monster Black Hole (Speaker: Dr. Shuo Zhang)
The center of our Galaxy resides a monster black hole, called Sagittarius A* (or Sgr A*), containing 4.5 million times the mass of our sun. While Sgr A* is quite inactive nowadays, there have been abundant observation evidence pointing to a glorious past of this supermassive black hole. (see full abstract)
Formation of Gold and other heavy elements via the r(apid neutron capture)-process (Speaker: Dr. Rana Ezzeddine)
Most chemical elements up to Iron are formed in the core of the stars via nucleosynthesis fusion processes of lighter elements into heavier ones. Elements heavier than iron, however, require neutron-capture processes to take place. I will talk about our current understanding of the formation of heavy elements, such as Gold and Uranium (see full abstract)
How Stars are Born (Dr. Moritz Guenther)
While our Sun is almost 5 billion years old, stars still form in the the dark clouds of our Milky Way. When we observe those regions we can learn how star and planet formation works, so that we also understand the formation of our own solar system and the Earth better. I will describe how we observe those regions that are hidden to the naked eye using infrared and X-ray telescopes to obtain stunning images of stellar nurseries. (see full abstract )
Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU
MIT Joint Program 2018 IAP Lectures and Talks
Sika Gazanku, SM Candidate in Technology and Policy
Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: None
The Mit Joint Program talks will start with an overview of climate science and the economics of climate changes. The second day, we will learn about the mechanism of the climate system and how the weather relates to climate change. The policy of climate change will take us to the challenges of designing a global climate policy that is effective in terms of cost and implementation. Here we will learn how political values drive climate policy.
Three of our speakers decided to take on the challenging task of predicting what the weather would be like decades from now by looking at certain processes of the climate.
Our final session will explore the costs and competitiveness of various energy generation technologies in a low-carbon future.
Please use the following lik to sign-up
You can sign-up for all the courses or just select the courses that you would like to attend. These are non-credit courses.
SING-UP HERE
Sponsor(s): Joint Program/Science and Policy of Global Change
Contact: Dimonika Bray, E19-411R, 617 324-7375, DBIZI@MIT.EDU
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Jan/16 | Tue | 05:30PM-06:30PM | Bldg E51, Room 325 |
An overview of climate science: what comprises climate, relevant factors in climate system, how climate has changed in the past versus how it is changing now.
Ellen Lalk, Meghana Ranganathan - Physicist
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Jan/16 | Tue | 06:30PM-07:30PM | Bldg E51, Room 325 |
In order to address climate change, policy makers must be able to address the economics of implementation, risk uncertainty, and information assessment. This session will give a brief overview of these tools and their relationship to the foundation of climate policy.
Sika Gazanku - SM Candidate in Technology and Policy, Anthony Fratto Olyler
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Jan/17 | Wed | 05:30PM-06:30PM | Bldg E51, Room 325 |
Climate feedbacks and tipping points
Embedded within the climate system are many nonlinear feedback systems and possible tipping points in the climate system, making prediction of future climate difficult. We will discuss such mechanism of the climate system, Earth system models; role of clouds, oceans, land cover, and biology in the climate system, and how extreme weather relates to climate change.
Ali Ramadhan, Warittha Panasawatwong
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Jan/17 | Wed | 06:30PM-07:30PM | Bldg E51, Room 325 |
A global perspective
Political values and priorities drive climate policy. In this session, we will use examples from the European Union and African countries to highlight the very real challenges of designing effective climate policy.
Sika Gazanku - SM Candidate in Technology and Policy, Anthony Fratto Olyler
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Jan/18 | Thu | 05:30PM-06:30PM | Bldg E51, Room 325 |
When weather forecasting is difficult enough
The weather in a few days can be difficult to predict, especially with certain processes such as thunderstorms. So how can we trust climate projections over several decades? We'll discuss the similarities and differences between predicting next week's weather and the climate in 2100 and how they allow us to make confident climate projections.
Ali Ramadhan, Warittha Panasawatwong
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Jan/18 | Thu | 06:30PM-07:30PM | Bldg E51, Room 325 |
The role of energy efficiency
Local governments are uniquely positioned to curb greenhouse gas emissions. This discussion will review policies and programs in energy efficiency and their important role in mitigating climate change.
Philip Eash-Gates - Director of Projects for CVAL Innovations
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Jan/19 | Fri | 05:30PM-06:30PM | bldg E51, Room 325 |
This section will explore the costs and competitiveness of various energy generation technologies (including fossil-fuels, renewables, nuclear, and newer technologies) in a low-carbon future and give participants tools to be able to analyze other technologies. Included in this discussion will be topics on intermittency, energy storage, and distributed generation.
Jessica Farrell
NEAQ 2069: Envisioning the Future Aquarium Experience
Federico Casalegno, Director: MIT Design Lab, Yihyun Lim, Associate Director: MIT Design Lab, Scott Penman, Designer: MIT Design Lab
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Jan/22 | Mon | 10:00AM-02:00PM | E15-335 |
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Jan/22 | Mon | 02:00PM-06:00PM | E15-335 |
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Jan/23 | Tue | 02:00PM-06:00PM | E15-335 |
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Jan/24 | Wed | 02:00PM-06:00PM | E15-335 |
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Jan/25 | Thu | 02:00PM-06:00PM | E15-335 |
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Jan/26 | Fri | 02:00PM-06:00PM | E14-240 |
Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions
Prereq: none
Join us for an intense workshop January 22nd-26th to re-envision the future of the New England Aquarium.
The New England Aquarium opened in 1969. With the 50th anniversary of its opening on the horizon, the NEAQ intends to recapture its pioneering position by reinventing itself as a cutting-edge technological and educational facility, alongside its efforts to acquire a civic role to support communities, promote environmental sustainability, and help preserve our planet. The NEAQ is partnering with the Media Lab and the Design Lab to create an innovative vision of the future for New England Aquarium.
Students will work in groups at MIT to create a vision for the NEAQ and to explore new technologies that can support this vision. The workshop will be accompanied by presentations from both aquarium researchers and MIT faculty. A summary of the student work will be presented at the 50th anniversary of the Aquarium in 2019.
For more information, please visit the workshop website.
Sponsor(s): Media Lab, MIT Design Lab
Contact: Scott Penman, SDPENMAN@MIT.EDU
Night-time observing with MIT's Sidewalk Astrogazers Outreach Team
Dr. Duane Lee, MLK Postdoctoral Fellow
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: none
Please join MIT's Sidewalk Astrogazers Outreach Team for night-time observing on January 23, 24, 25 from 7:00-9:00pm. The group will have telescopes set up in North Court (behind Stata and Koch Buildings) -- weather permitting. Talk with astronomers and observe the night sky.
Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU
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Jan/23 | Tue | 07:00PM-09:00PM | North Court |
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Jan/24 | Wed | 07:00PM-09:00PM | North Court |
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Jan/25 | Thu | 07:00PM-09:00PM | North Court |
Join MKI's Sidewalk Astrogazers Outreach Team for 3 evenings of night observing (weather permitting)
Origin of Life Seminar Series
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
A series of hosted lectures from leaders in the Origin of Life community, focusing on various dimensions of one of the most challenging problems in the biological and planetary sciences. Topics will include the origin of cells, metabolism, replication and proteins, as well as the geochemical conditions on the Early Earth that led to prebiotic and early biotic systems. Enrolled students will attend 4-5 seminars during IAP, actively engage in Q & A sessions with invited speakers in a panel format, and collaborate on creating an Origins of Life online blog resource highlighting the work of invited speakers. Instructor: G. Fournier
Sponsor(s): Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
Contact: Professor Greg Fournier, 54-1016, 617 324 6164, g4nier@mit.edu
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Jan/10 | Wed | 04:00PM-05:00PM | 54-915 |
Dr. Loren Williams, Professor
Institution: School of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology
Contact: loren.williams@chemistry.gatech.edu
Title: RNA and Protein: Molescules in Mutualism
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Jan/11 | Thu | 04:00PM-05:00PM | 54-915 |
Dr. Irene A. Chen, University of California, Santa Barbara
Evolutionary outcomes are difficult to predict, largely because the effect of any possible mutation is unknown. In other words, understanding evolution requires detailed knowledge of the relationship between sequence and activity, or the fitness landscape. Inspired by the RNA World of early life, we study the emergence and evolution of functional RNAs.
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Jan/29 | Mon | 04:00PM-05:00PM | 54-915 |
Dr. Anna Wang, NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow
Title: "What is "I": the role of compartmentalisation in the origins of life"
Institution: Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University
Contact: awang@molbio.mgh.harvard.edu
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Feb/02 | Fri | 04:00PM-05:00PM | E25-605 |
Dr. Vlada Stamenkovic, Simons Collaboration on the Origins of Life Postdoctoral fellow
Title: The planetary battery for the origins of life: the example of Mars
Institution: Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology & Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Contact: eriduu@gmail.com
Solar Observing
Michael Person, Shuo Zhang, Postdoctoral Associate, Paul Hemphill, Postdoctoral Associate
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: none
Join us for daytime stargazing! We will have solar telescopes set up so you can safely observe our closest star, the Sun. Swing on by for a quick look, and feel free to stay and chat with MIT astronomers over cups of cocoa.
Weather permitting on the following 3 dates:
Monday, January 22
12noon-2pm
location: MIT North Court
Tuesday, January 23
12noon-2pm
location: Upper Plaza Area outside of MIT Student Center W20
Thursday, January 25
12noon-2pm
location: MIT North Court
Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics , Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Wallace Astrophysical Observatory
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU
| Jan/22 | Mon | 12:00PM-02:00PM | (CANCELED) | |
| Jan/23 | Tue | 12:00PM-02:00PM | (CANCELED) | |
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Jan/25 | Thu | 12:00PM-02:00PM | North Court |
Join us for daytime stargazing! We will have solar telescopes set up so you can safely observe our closest star, the Sun. Swing on by for a quick look, and feel free to stay and chat with MIT astronomers over cups of cocoa.
Weather Permitting
Talk and Tour! An Explanation of the Science Behind LIGO
Dr. Evan Hall, Postdoctoral Scholar, Dr. Lee McCuller, Postdoctoral Associate
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Jan/19 | Fri | 01:00PM-02:00PM | NW22 InteractionArea |
Enrollment: tour has a 15 person limit
Limited to 15 participants
Prereq: for tour, you must attend the 1:00 pm talk
Dr. Evan Hall
How can we build a machine that can detect dead stars colliding with each other a billion light-years away?
Come hear about the physics that goes into building the LIGO gravitational wave observatories, and the astrophysics behind recent detections. Black holes, neutron stars, high-power lasers, and quantum optics!
MIT LIGO Lab tour:
Dr. Lee McCuller
Following the talk will be a tour of the MIT LIGO lab. Come see how the quantum optics research here at MIT will improve detections of binary neutron stars and black holes in LIGO to be more often and more informative.
No limit for the talk, but tour is limited to 15 people. You must attend the 1:00pm talk in order to take the lab tour. Tour sign up will begin at 12:55pm just prior to the talk.
See a complete listing of MKI's IAP 2018 activities
Sponsor(s): Kavli Institute for Astrophysics
Contact: Debbie Meinbresse, 37-241, 617 253-1456, MEINBRES@MIT.EDU
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