Events: Related Events, 2006
Listed here are events that fit the theme of "social responsibility in science and technology."
Other related events: 2007
2006: January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December
Friday December 8, 2006: POSTPONED UNTIL NEXT YEAR
EcoExpo: MIT’s Sustainability Exhibition
TSMC lobby, Stata Center, MIT, 2:30pm - 4:30pm
Are you a creative individual who likes to be recognized for the projects you have accomplished? What if that opportunity meant a chance to recruit people to your project and win funds for your work? Or be otherwise recognized for your hard work with gift certificates and awards? How about having the MIT community and MIT administrators as your audience? Well, then, are you willing to take on the opportunity to show off your projects or ideas on sustainability? Here is your chance to make your idea a reality. Showcase what you have done or would like to do at the EcoExpo, where you will present a poster, prototype, or interactive display in one of two categories:
1. Research projects that you have conducted AND/OR service campaigns that you have implemented on local or more regional scales
2. Ideas for local projects that you would like to execute or continue
Contest is open to all MIT undergraduate and graduate students. Sponsored by Students for Global Sustainability.
Thursday December 7, 2006
Sustainability@Sloan Speaker Series: Total Corporate Responsibility
E51-335, MIT, 12:00pm - 1:00pm
With Frank Dixon,
former
Managing Director of Research, Innovest Strategic Value Advisors
Many companies, including Wal-Mart, are working aggressively to lower their environmental and social impacts and become sustainable. Yet no firm is close to being sustainable, largely because reductionistically-derived economic and political systems essentially compel all firms to operate unsustainably and irresponsibly. Systemic issues are the main driver of nearly all environmental and social problems. However, they receive little attention, in part because they are incredibly complex and hugely difficult to address. System change is needed to enhance society today and ensure that future generations are able to survive and prosper. Frank Dixon will discuss a new sustainability approach, called Total Corporate Responsibility (TCR), that combines traditional corporate responsibility with system change efforts. As an advisor to Wal-Mart and other firms, he will describe how TCR is being used to drive system changes while enhancing financial and competitive performance. Lunch will be provided.
Wednesday November 29, 2006
MIT Energy Club Lecture Series: "The Politics of Energy"
E51-335, MIT, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
With Daniel Rice, Managing Director, BlackRock Advisors
Monday November 20, 2006
Monday Night@VAP: Politechnics: Political Technologies from the Computing Culture Group
Joan Jonas Performance Hall, N51-337 (enter through N51), MIT, 8:30pm - 10:00pm
With Chris Csikszentmihályi, Professor, MIT Media Lab, Director of the Computing Culture Research Group
All technology is politics, but most technologies (and technologists!) won’t admit it. For five years the Computing Culture Group at the MIT Media Lab has been developing technologies for personal and societal politics. Mixing research from the humanities and social sciences with techniques from engineering, we develop systems and products for unique applications, such as how to spy on the govern-ment, how to invert military technologies, or how to nuance the gender of kitchen appliances. These systems demonstrate the inherent ideologies in existing technologies, but also point to alternate directions. The talk will be a review of past projects, and a description of future research topics.
Sunday November 12, 2006
MIT Lecture Series Committee Movie: Who Killed the Electric Car?
26-100, MIT, 10:00pm
$3 per ticket
With a jump on the competition thanks to its speed-record-breaking electric concept car, GM launches its EV1 electric vehicle in 1996. It was a revolutionary modern car, requiring no gas, no oil changes, no mufflers, and rare brake maintenance (a billion-dollar industry unto itself). A typical maintenance checkup for the EV1 consisted of replenishing the windshield washer fluid and a tire rotation. But the fanfare surrounding the EV1's launch disappeared and the cars followed. Was it lack of consumer demand as carmakers claimed, or were other persuasive forces at work?
Thursday November 9, 2006
MIT Global Energy Leader Series
66-110, MIT, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
With Lynn Orr, Director, Global Climate and Energy Project, Stanford University
The MIT Energy Club will be hosting Professor Lynn Orr, the Director of Stanford's Global Climate and Energy Program, for its inaugural lecture in its MIT Global Energy Leaders Lecture Series.
Wednesday November 8, 2006
Sustainability@Sloan Speaker Series: Sustainability is Only Half the Solution
E51-335, MIT, 5:30pm - 7:00pm
With Carol Sanford
Carol Sanford is a consultant to Seventh Generation and has worked for almost 30 years with businesses worldwide on building regenerative practices. Carol's work not only avoids the tradeoffs between business and sustainability that are often thought necessary, but also create quantum jumps in human and business growth and profitability. In Carol's approach, growth and profitability come through, not in spite of, ensuring healthy work places and engaged employees; improving the environment by actively participating with nature in growing living systems; and building place-based identity in communities. Carol's clients, in addition to Seventh Generation, include DuPont, Colgate Palmolive Europe and Africa, Sharp Electronics, Agilent, and many others. Appetizers will be served.
Monday November 6, 2006
What is the Role of STS in Public Policy?
E51-095, MIT, 4:00pm
With Ted Postol, Science, Technology, and Global Security Working Group, Program in Science, Technology, and Society, MIT
The work of the Science, Technology, and Global Security Working Group (STGS) is focused on global security problems associated with modern military applications of science and technology. These security problems range from those as basic as the proliferation of nuclear weapons to the uses of science and technology in general applications of modern military power. This talk will discuss a wide range of what at first sight might appear as narrow technical studies, but in fact address profound cultural, social, political, and economic issues that are connected to the core values of our society.
Saturday November 4, 2006
iGEM 2006 Day 1
Stata Center, MIT, 8:30am - midnight
iGEM addresses the question: Can simple biological systems be built from standard, interchangeable parts and operated in living cells? Or is biology simply too complicated to be engineered in this way? The only way to answer this is to actually try to engineer biological devices. The iGEM competition facilitates this by providing a library of standardized parts (we call these parts BioBricks) to students, and asking them to design and build genetic machines with them.
Thursday November 2, 2006
The Internet and Social Isolation
Main Dining Room, W11, MIT, 7:00pm
With Noboru Tsubaki, Visiting Artist, MIT Office of the Arts
Japanese Media Artist, Head of Space Design Section, Kyoto University of Art and Design; The Rev. Amy McCreath, MIT Episcopal Campus Chaplain and Coordinator, The Technology and Culture Forum at MIT; Xaq Frohlich, MIT Graduate Student, Science, Technology and Society
Technological advances in media and communications are creating myriad new ways for people to connect, relate and educate one another. Yet several recent studies show that we are lonelier than ever, politically polarized, and civically disengaged. What's going on? What is your experience? This gathering will begin with short presentations and move into conversation as we sort out the problems and possibilities of relating in the 21st century. Refreshments will be served. Co-sponsored with the MIT Office of the Arts. This program is free and open to the public; no registration is required, but seating is first come, first serve.
Thursday November 2, 2006
MTTC Conference on Clean Energy Job Fair
Hynes Convention Center,
2:00pm - 5:00pm
As part of the 2nd Annual Conference on Clean Energy: Financing and Partnering for Emerging Technologies, the Energy Special Interest Group (ESIG) at the MIT Enterprise Forum will hold a free Job Fair for all job seekers in the clean energy cluster. Companies in all technology and market sectors are anticipated as are job seekers with the passion and capability to make an impact in those companies. See the conference home page.
Wednesday November 1, 2006
Connecting for Awesome: A Global Impact Mixer
Olin Center Mezzanine, Olin College, 8:00pm - 9:30pm
Come meet Olin, Babson, MIT and Wellesley students and talk about "Saving the World" and other Awesome stuff. This is a mixer for people who are interested in making a difference in the world. We will get together and meet one another. We will form partnerships, talk about changing the world, and discuss how we can make a difference. The mixer itself will be quite informal, but will offer a great opportunity to meet others interested in making a difference. We will be offering free transportation to and from Wellesley’s Student Center. MIT students may take the Exchange bus to Wellesley from MIT. For more information about transportation to and from Olin, e-mail
. We do ask that you RSVP for transportation by Wednesday (November 1) morning.
Wednesday November 1, 2006
Getting from Here to There: How to Move Towards a Sustainable Energy Policy
MIT Museum, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
With John Heywood, Mechanical Engineering and Director, Sloan Automotive Lab, MIT; Stephen Ansolabehere, Political Science, MIT
A collaboration of the MIT Museum, the Energy Research Council, and the Technology and Culture Forum. This series is free and open to the public; no registration is required, but seating is first come, first serve.
Wednesday November 1, 2006
MIT Energy Club Lecture Series: "Oil & Gas Exploration and Production Technology"
E51-149, MIT, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
With Rich Sears, Vice President, Exploration and Deep Water Technical Evaluation, Royal Dutch Shell
Thursday October 26, 2006
Socially and Environmentally Conscious Careers
required
4-231, MIT, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Do You Want: Excitement and satisfaction in your work? To be challenged in ways unlike anything else you've seen? To know that your contribution actually makes a difference? Join MIT's Design for Change, Tau Beta Pi and the MIT Careers Office for a meeting with representatives from several Socially and Environmentally Conscious Organizations.
Tuesday October 24, 2006
High Tech Trash
MIT Coop, 5:00 pm
With Elizabeth Grossman, author of High Tech Trash
The Digital Age was supposed to usher in an era of clean production, but as Grossman reveals in her new book, digital may be sleek – but it's anything but clean. Called “eye-opening,” “alarming” and “compelling,” High Tech Trash is the first book to take a comprehensive look at tech's environmental and health impacts. The book investigates not only electronics disposal, but also the damage caused by the mining and chemicals used in manufacturing high tech products, as well as solutions to what the Wall Street Journal has called the “world's fastest growing and potentially most dangerous waste problem.”
Friday October 20, 2006
Open Access 2.0
32-141, MIT, 2:00pm
With Chris Surridge, Managing Editor, PLoS ONE
Dr. Surridge is helping start PLoS ONE, an effort to democratize
scientific contribution, access, review, and merit. This exciting new
journal publishes scientifically sound research regardless of
subjective criteria such as "likely impact" or "reader interest".
Following publication, readers comment, annotate, and rate each paper,
adding value to the work as time goes on. Dr. Surridge will talk of
the progress to date, and the challenges that lie ahead. Part of OpenWetWare's Seminar Series on Open Science, and sponsored by OpenWetWare.
Thursday October 19, 2006
IDEAS Generator Dinner
W20-202, 7:30pm - 9:00pm
IDEAS is an innovation and entrepreneurship competition with community service at its core. Teams develop and implement projects that positively impact communities around the world. Come to the IDEAS Generator Dinner to learn more about the IDEAS Competition, hear from previous winners, eat good food in great company, and more...Discuss and develop your ideas, meet potential teammates, find a project to work on, and learn about the new Innovation Challenge.
are appreciated but not required. See the IDEAS page for further information.
Wednesday October 18, 2006
Soap Box - Special Series on Energy - The Challenge: Meeting Global Energy Demands Sustainably
MIT Museum, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
With Ernest Moniz, Engineering Systems Division; Kerry Emanuel, Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Soap Box @ the MIT Museum is a series of salon-style, early-evening conversations with scientists and engineers who are making the news that really matters. Soap Box is a public forum for debate about important ideas and issues in science and technology. Light food & drinks provided.
Wednesday October 18, 2006
Design for Change Meeting
50-028, 5:00pm - 6:00pm
We will be putting together next week's "This Week in ID" email, working on Impact (an environmentally and socially conscious career expo), and selecting articles for next week's discussion.
Wednesday October 18, 2006
MIT Energy Club Lecture Series: "The Challenges and Future of Fusion Energy",
E51-145, 5:00pm - 6:00pm
With
Jeffrey Freidberg, Nuclear Science and Engineering
This week's lecture offers an overview of the potential role that magnetic fusion may play in contributing to the world's supply of electricity. Discussed are the promise, problems, progress, and prognosis for future success of fusion energy.
Tuesday October 17, 2006
IBM-MIT/ESD Innovation Lecture Series: Engineering Systems Solutions to Real World Challenges
34-101, 4:00pm - 5:30pm
With Linda Sanford, IBM Senior Vice President, Enterprise On Demand Transformation & Information Technology
"Engineering Systems Solutions to Real World Challenges" is a seminar series co-sponsored by IBM and MIT's Engineering Systems Division. Each seminar will show how today's leaders and practitioners are using engineering systems and services sciences approaches to address complex problems. Drawing from real-life examples, the series will explain how these approaches were applied at IBM and other organizations, and demonstrate how to achieve breakthrough solutions that deliver sustained value to enterprises and society as a whole.
In the inaugural seminar to this series, IBM SVP Linda Sanford will present examples of how IBM solved complex business problems in its own transformation and used these learnings to deliver sustained value to clients, employees and society. For more information, see the Sanford lecture page.
Friday October 13, 2006
MIT Energy Night
MIT Museum, 5:30pm - 7:30pm
This event is designed to bring the MIT Energy Community together to learn about the most exciting energy-related efforts going on at MIT. There will be 30 tables of presenters from MIT research labs, student groups and MIT affiliated companies and there will be jazz, cocktails and hors d'oeuvres! For more information, go to the Energy Night page.
Thursday October 12, 2006
Annual Brunel Lecture on Complex Systems: Educating Engineers for 2020 and Beyond
Bartos Theater, MIT, 4:00pm - 5:00 pm
With Charles M. Vest, President Emeritus and Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Reception will follow. See the Brunel Lecture page for more details.
Wednesday October 11, 2006
Floating Wind Turbines
E40-496, 12:00pm - 1:30pm
With
Paul Sclavounos, MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering
Please bring a lunch; light refreshments provided
The presentation will focus on the development of an innovative floater concept and its anchoring system supporting a 5MW offshore wind turbine for deployment in 1-2 GW offshore wind farms and in water depths ranging from 30 to several hundred meters. The floating wind turbine system has been designed to float stably prior to its anchoring to the seafloor by using concrete and water in internal ballast tanks. This allows the full assembly of the system onshore – at a shipyard or a coastal manufacturing facility – prior to its towing by a tugboat to the offshore site for its connection to preinstalled tethers or taught mooring lines thus circumventing expensive offshore assembly.
October 6 - 8, 2006
1st MIT Caribbean Students' Conference: Technology and Society in the Caribbean Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Prime Minister Patrick Manning of Trinidad and Tobago Registration Required: $35
Visit the conference page for more details and to register!
Thursday October 5, 2006
Energy Team Building Dinner
E51-335, MIT, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Tuesday October 3, 2006
FloodSafe Honduras Semester Kick-Off
W20-400, Student Center, MIT, 7:30pm
Join us as we brainstorm solutions to engineering design problems involving water, sanitation and disaster mitigation in Honduras! Listen to stories from the August trip! Snacks will be provided. Anyone interested in working on engineering design challenges or learning more about FloodSafe should come! Contact
for more information.
September 29 - October 1, 2006
Conference on Access to Medicines
University of Pennsylvania
Registration Required
The international student group Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM) is hosting a conference at the University of Pennsylvania (in Philadelphia) from Sep. 29 - Oct. 1. Limited funding is available to help defray travel costs; accommodation with a student host will be provided if necessary. The purpose of the conference is to galvanize a student movement calling for universities to play a more active role in improving access to medicines in poor countries. The conference will combine teach-ins on the access crisis, activism training, and strategic planning for campus campaigns.
Presentation topics include:
-The current state of the access crisis
-Equitable access licensing
-How universities can contribute to needs-driven R&D for neglected diseases
-How to organize effective student activism around access to medicines
Since travel assistance is limited, early registration is encouraged.
Tuesday September 26, 2006
Design for Change International Development Discussion
50-028, MIT, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Topic to be announced. Light refreshments will be served.
Thursday September 21, 2006
Global Entrepreneurship: Inefficiency as Opportunity in the Developing World
Kresge Auditorium, MIT, 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Online Registration Required by Monday September 18; there will be walk-in registration at the door.
Can you do well by "doing good"? How do you make money in countries where the average worker makes as little as a dollar a day? Why is technology the answer for grass roots entrepreneurship on a village by village basis? Presented in association with the MIT Media Lab and the MIT Program in Developmental Entrepreneurship, this program will open the eyes and minds of entrepreneurs looking to capitalize on emerging global markets.
Tuesday September 19, 2006
Rethinking Medicine: New Ways to Solve Old Problems
37-212, MIT, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
With
Speakers: Amy Smith '95, recipient of the 2004 MacArthur Fellowship; Amy Farber, fellow in Medical Ethics at Harvard Medical School in 2005-2006
"Rethinking Medicine" will be a conversation with two inspirational individuals who have used their diverse talents and experience to make a difference in medicine. This event will introduce non-traditional routes to working in medicine, as well as, offer immediate opportunities in pre-health and service. Dessert reception to follow speaker event. Advanced registration preferred, however walk-ins are welcome. For more info see the event flyer or contact:
or
Sponsors: Preprofessional Advising, MIT Public Service Center
Monday September 18, 2006
Design for Change International Development Discussion: Enviro Options
50-028, MIT, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Spring board articles for this week's dicussion on Enviro Options, a South African company, and their product the EnviroLoo, a toilet that won't contaminate groundwater can be found at their website, with a mention in the San Francisco Chronicle and Enviro Options Australia . Light refreshments will be served. Feel free to come even if you are not able to read the articles.
September 16 - 17, 2006
AltWheels Alternative Transportation Symposium
Boston Museum of Science, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Join people from area universities, industry, and gov't for an event highlighting alternative transportation technologies. Hosted by Laboratory for Energy and the Environment, The Alliance for Global Sustainability (AGS), and the Boston Museum of Science. Link: http://www.altwheels.org/
Thursday September 14, 2006
Center for 21st Century Energy - Fall 2006 Seminar Series: Biofuels Environmental Assessment
37-212, MIT, 4:15 pm – 5:30pm
With Tiffany Groode, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Wednesday September 13, 2006
MIT Energy Club Fall Semester Kick-Off Meeting
Muddy Charles Pub, MIT, 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Join the MIT Energy Club at the Muddy Charles to learn about all of the upcoming events and how you can get involved.
Saturday September 9, 2006
MIT/Boston Chapter of the Association for India's Development: General Body Meeting
Mezzanine Lounge, Stratton Student Center Floor 3, MIT, 2:00 pm
Learn about AID and how AID helps support sustainabile development projects in India. Association for India's Development, Inc. (AID) is a voluntary, non-profit organization committed to promoting sustainable, equitable and just development in India. Working with grassroots organizations and movements, AID supports and initiates efforts in various interconnected arenas such as education, livelihood generation, conservation of natural resources, public health, women's empowerment and social justice.
Thursday September 7, 2006
Climate Change Communication: Tuning the Message
32-123, MIT, 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
With Solitaire Townsend, Managing Director and Co-Founder, Futerra
With panel participants: Julie Newman, Sustainability Director, Yale University, Peyton Fleming, Communication Director, CERES, Riva Krut, Vice President, Cameron-Cole, Anne Kelly (moderator), Creative Resolutions LLC
Registration requested: CCC registration page
Please join us on Sept 7th for an engaging and thought-provoking presentation and discussion on the topic of climate change communication. The free event is presented by the Campus Consortium for Environmental Excellence and CERES and hosted by the Environmental Programs Office at MIT. Refreshments will be provided after the presentation. See the "flyer/poster" [PDF] for further information about the location of the event and directions.
Following a provocative presentation by Solitaire Townsend, (www.futerra.co.uk), one of the Britain's leading specialists on the development and delivery of climate change communication strategies, a panel of experts from the U.S. with higher education, private industry and media perspectives will discuss their climate change communication experiences and compare and contrast the challenges in the U.S.
Wednesday August 30, 2006
MIT Energy Club Lecture: "State-of-the-Art in Solar Decathlon"
Muddy Charles Pub, MIT, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
With
Kurt Keville and Corey Fucetola
Discussion/lecture on state-of-the-art green building materials, focusing on their application to the Solar Decathlon competition.
Tuesday August 29, 2006
MIT Solar Decathlon Team at the ASA Boston T-Party
1st floor of Stata Center, MIT, 8:00 pm - 10:30 pm
Wednesday August 2, 2006
MIT Energy Club Discussion Series: Automotive Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards
Muddy Charles Pub, MIT, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
With Anup Bandivadekar and Dave Danielson
References: http://web.mit.edu/mit_energy/events/discussions/disc_2006_cafe%20standards.html
Tuesday August 1, 2006
Midsummer Nights' Science Lecture Series: Genomics & Medicine
Broad Institute, 7 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
With David Altschuler, Broad Institute
When will all this genetic knowledge start paying off with better medicine? David Altshuler talks about reasonable expectations in the era of genomic medicine, the amazing progress to date, and the promise of the not-too-distant future.
Registration required; for more information, visit Midsummer Nights' Science Lecture Series page.
Wednesday July 26, 2006
NOVA SCIENCENOW PRESENTS A SCIENCE TRIVIA NIGHT
The RedLine Café, 59 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
With James C. Cross III, Vice President, Nuvera Fuel Cells
NOVA scienceNOW brings a twist to the traditional café by turning it into a trivia night with a science spin. The evening kicks off with a sneak preview of the new program, followed by a brief talk by hydrogen fuel cell expert James Cross. Then the event morphs into a pub-style trivia night, with teams competing to answer a mix of traditional pop-culture and science questions. For more information, go to the Café Scientifique Boston page.
Tuesday July 25, 2006
Midsummer Nights' Science Lecture Series: DNA: A double-edged helix
Broad Institute, 7 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
With Fintan Steele, Broad Institute
Should insurance companies have access to your genetic information? Should genes be patented? Are your genes also your destiny? Fintan Steele explores societal and ethical concerns such as these that are arising out of the "new genetics."
Registration required; for more information, visit Midsummer Nights' Science Lecture Series page.
Tuesday July 18, 2006
Midsummer Nights' Science Lecture Series: Catching a Summer Bug
Broad Institute, 7 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
With Dyann Wirth, Broad Institute
How can measles be making a come-back? How did West Nile virus get from Africa to Arlington? Dyann Wirth retraces the steps of infectious diseases, and shows how researchers are using genomics to prevent future epidemics.
Registration required; for more information, visit Midsummer Nights' Science Lecture Series page.
Tuesday July 11, 2006
Midsummer Nights' Science Lecture Series: The Genome Diaries
Broad Institute, 7 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
With Eric Lander, Broad Institute
Looking for a good summer read? How about your own genome, the book that makes you biologically unique. Eric Lander weaves true tales of genome biology that scientists are learning from DNA studies of humans and other species.
Registration required; for more information, visit
Midsummer Nights' Science Lecture Series page.
Monday June 26 - Wednesday June 26, 2006
Energy Nanotechnology International Conference
Monday June 19, 2006
Save Money, Save the Environment: An Energy Saving Event!
MIT Room 32-144, 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Refreshments will be served
Free and open to the public!
With high energy prices effecting our daily lives and our environment, it is important we find ways to reduce our utility bills and also reduce our environmental impact. The Sierra Club, a national environmental organization, has put together a thirty minute presentation on how to reduce your home or rental unit's summer energy bill by half - helping you save money and save the environment!
For more information, please contact
.
Co-sponsored by the Sierra Club and the Working Group Recycling Committee
Wednesday June 7, 2006
MIT Energy Discussion Series: (MIT Energy Club): "Biodiesel, the Other Biofuel."
Muddy Charles Pub, MIT, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Discussion Leader: Kristian Bodek, MS Candidate, MechE/TPP
References and further information at the biodiesel discussion page on the MIT Energy Club website.
May 2006
Wednesday May 24, 2006
MIT Energy Club End of Year Celebration BBQ
MIT Sailing Pavilion (across Memorial Drive from Walker Memorial) 5:30 pm
Wednesday May 24, 2006
Energy Policy - A UK Perspective
MIT Room E40-496, 4:00 pm
With Dr. Phil Ruffles, Chair of the Royal Academy of Engineering Policy Committee and of the Study of Energy in the UK; former Engineering and Technology Director of Rolls Royce plc
Co-sponsors: Laboratory for Energy and the Environment, Cambridge-MIT Institute
Saturday May 13, 2006
Energy 2.0: Solving Tomorrow's Energy Crisis
Registration required
Energy 2.0 will examine the six most promising near to medium-term energy technology solutions to the global energy crisis. Energy technology and policy experts, industrialists, financiers and entrepreneurs will share their insights on areas such as: Biomass, Nuclear, Solar, Clean Carbon, Building Efficiency and Transportation. Energy 2.0 will also include presentations of the hottest emerging energy technologies emerging from MIT researchers as well as a Ride ‘n Drive allowing attendees to test drive a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, a plug-in hybrid vehicle and a battery-powered scooter. The event will be wrapped up with a special forum on entrepreneurship in energy featuring some of the most successful entrepreneurs in energy today as well as a networking party. For more information: MIT Energy Conference Home Page
Friday May 12, 2006
MIT Energy Poster Session
1st floor of Stata Center, MIT, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
This will be the first large-scale MIT Energy Poster Session ever held and will be a great chance for students to share their work with each other and the broader MIT community.
Thursday May 11, 2006
Engineering Ethics Seminar: Narrative Ethics
MIT Room E51-151, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
With Taft Broome, PI, Howard University & MIT MLK jr. Visiting Professor; Segun Gbadegesin, Co-PI, Howard University; and Cynthia Winston, Howard University & Visiting Scholar at University of Michigan
Details at http://esd.mit.edu/HeadLine/calendar/2006/051106.html
Tuesday May 9, 2006
Hoyt C. Hottel Lecture in Chemical Engineering" "Our Energy Future: Why American science and engineering must lead the way"
MIT Room 32-123, 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
With
Samuel W. Bodman, U.S. Secretary of Energy
Lecture will be webcast as well: http://web.mit.edu/cheme/news/hottel.html
Wednesday May 3, 2006
impact 2007: Learn how you can get involved
MIT Room 12-170, 9:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Help Impact to expand, and make an even larger impact. Bring socially & environmentally responsible companies to recruit at MIT! "The Impact Career Expo was designed to create a venue for socially and environmentally conscious businesses and organizations to meet MIT and Olin College students who share their goals and want to work with them." See http://web.mit.edu/ impact for information on this year's expo, Impact2006.
Wednesday May 3, 2006
MIT Energy Discussion Series (MIT Energy Club): "The Science of Climate Change and Its Implications"
R&D Pub, MIT Stata Center floor 4, 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Wednesday May 3, 2006
The MIT Energy Forum: Taking on the Challenge
Kresge Auditorium, MIT, 9:00 am - 4:30 pm
The MIT Energy Forum coincides with the Energy Research Council's release of a report on how MIT can best tackle the global energy challenge. The program will include an overview of the report and three panel sessions featuring distinguished members of the MIT faculty: (I) Science and Technology for a Clean Energy Future. (II) Improving Today's Energy Systems. (III) Energy for a Rapidly Evolving World. A lunchtime poster session in the Tang Center lobby, organized by the MIT Energy Club, will showcase the exceptional work MIT students are doing on energy issues. The day's discussions will end at 4:30, with receptions to follow at the Plasma Science and Fusion Center and the Sloan Automotive Laboratory. More information on the program is available at http://web.mit.edu/erc/forum/ . The forum is free and open to the public; while seating in Kresge Auditorium is limited, the program will also be webcast.
Tuesday May 2, 2006
MIT Lecture Series Committee Lecture: "Humanity in the Age of Global Warming"
MIT Room 6-120, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
With
Ted McIntyre
April 2006
Friday April 28, 2006
Come Together: Social Responsibility in Science and Technology at MIT
MIT Room N52-390, 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
An afternoon of short talks on the relationship at MIT between social responsibility and science and technology. Sponsored by the Center for Advanced Visual Studies. For more information: CAVS
Friday April 28, 2006
Are We Too Dependent on Middle Eastern Oil?
MIT Room E51-335, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
With Ernest Moniz, Barry Posen
Sponsored by
Human@mit, in association with the Center for International Studies and the Laboratory for Energy and the Environment.
April 27 - 29, 2006
"Harvard Vision 2020: A Bridge to Campus Sustainability" Conference
Registration required
Wednesday April 26, 2006
SEA CHANGE: Reversing The Tide
Guililand Auditorium (MIT Room 66-110), 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Written and performed by Lisa Harrow and Dr. Roger Payne
Is the human species truly the center of the earth, around which all other creatures revolve? Or will this narrow and self-centered viewpoint lead us to destruction? Those are the questions addressed by the theater piece Sea Change , a stunning mix of poetry and science that vividly illustrates that humanity is not the center of the animal kingdom, but just an integral part of the complex web of life on earth, the survival of which depends upon the carefully calibrated balance of its inhabitants. Sea Change provides the tools we need to view the environment in a new way and to take positive action. Roger Payne is best known for his discovery (made with Scott McVay) that humpback whales sing songs, and for his theory that the sounds of fin and blue whales can be heard across oceans. Lisa Harrow studied in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, then joined the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Wednesday April 26, 2006
MIT/CIS Security Studies Program Seminar: Controlling the Proliferation of Nuclear Knowledge from the Former Soviet Union
MIT Room E38-615, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
With Sharon Weiner, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Open to the Public. Event organized by MIT's Center for International Studies. For further information, contact the MIT Security Studies Program via
or at 617-253-7529.
Friday April 21, 2006
1st Annual Zero Waste Party
TSMC Lobby, Stata Center, MIT (1st floor, near the Question Mark), 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Please: Bring your own cup. Disposable cups will not be served.
Enjoy a party with your friends without burdening the environment!!
FREE FOOD: Organic and local sources. FREE: Pollution-FREE, Landfill-Burden-FREE, Emissions-FREE, Cost-FREE!!! FREE Sustainable Door PRIZES and GAMES! Come check out the Zero Waste Party!! Organized jointly by Students for Global Sustainability and the Technology and Policy Student Society. For questions or more information, email
. Sponsored through a Graduate Student Life Grant and supported by your Student Life Fee
Thursday April 20, 2006
MILITARISM: The "New Normal" in American Politics and Culture?
MIT Room 6-120, 7:00 pm
With Bryan Hehir, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; Missy Cummings, MIT Humans and Automation Lab, Department of Aero/Astro, MIT, former military pilot; Eugene Jarecki, Director of "Why We Fight" a Charlotte Street Films, Ltd. Production
From 6:30-7:00, Mr. Jarecki will show excerpts from "Why We Fight" which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.
Thursday April 20, 2006
Involve 2006 Poster Session
Main floor, Stata Center, MIT, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Involve 2006 will showcase public service initiatives and achievements by graduate students at MIT, Harvard and Tufts. Our aim is to provide a venue to share current projects with fellow students, faculty, and administrators and to form collaborations with colleagues from local universities. We have over 25 projects being presented, representing a diverse collection of public service goals and strategies. Refreshments will be provided! If you have questions or comments please email
.
Thursday April 20, 2006
Energy Technology Innovation Project Speaker Series: The Human and Institutional Dimensions of Motorized Two-wheeled Vehicle Emissions in India
Littauer 319, BCSIA Library, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
With Madhav Badami, School of Urban Planning and McGill School of Environment at McGill University
Tuesday April 11, 2006
Screening of "Too Hot Not To Handle"
Harvard Square Loews Theater, 10 Church Street, Cambridge, 7:00 pm
RSVP Required: Call 1-888-345-3680
With Paul R. Epstein, Associate Director, Center for Health and the Global Environment of Harvard Medical School; Kevin Knobloch, President, Union of Concerned Scientists
Tuesday April 11, 2006
Sustainability in the Balance: Juggling Environmental Health, Economic Profitability, and Social Equity in the Global Food System
Behrakis Auditorium, Tufts University, 150 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA, 2:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Reception to follow. Presented by FOOD: A Student Initiative of the
Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.
Monday April 10, 2006
Design for Change Discussion: The Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development Pipeline
MIT Room 50-028, 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
This Monday's (April 10th) Design for Change discussion will focus on the Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development Pipeline. This $3.7 billion development project is one of the largest in all of Africa. One of the 10 poorest nations in the world, Chad's population and economy could stand to benefit greatly from this project. But is this what's happening, in practice? Light refreshments will be provided. Some suggested background readings:
A good background article with specific details, what the World Bank has to say, and what an African News Agency has to say.
April 7 - 8, 2006
Race, Pharmaceuticals, and Medical Technology: MIT Center for the Study of Diversity Conference
Registration required
The emergence of BiDil® as the first medication approved and marketed for treating specific racial and ethnic groups raises many crucial questions for medicine and society. Do the causes of disease vary significantly between different racial and ethnic groups? Should other group-specific medications be developed? Should treatment decisions be based on the race and ethnicity of patients? Many of these questions reflect old tensions in medicine, made newly relevant by growing concerns with health disparities, the advent of genetic technology, and the intensification of pharmaceutical marketing. This conference brings together scholars from many fields -- medicine, history, anthropology, nursing, sociology, STS, genetics, public health, business, African-American studies, ethics, and law -- to discuss the promise and pitfalls of the new racial therapeutics in medicine. Information and biographies at http://web.mit.edu/csd/conferenceprogram.htm.
Friday April 7, 2006
Development Innovations Reception
MIT Museum, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Live jazz, tasty morsels and drinks all in the fantastic environment of the MIT Museum located on Mass Ave. This is free and open to all MIT Community members & friends (bring your Proper ID). Plus we're highlighting a few MIT-related innovations in Education, Energy, Clean Water, Urban Living, Communication, MicroFinance, and other sectors, including many listed on the IDF website. And this reception also welcomes the attendees at the 12th annual International Development Conference (IDC) at KSG. Poster of the Development Innovations Reception event here.
Thursday April 6, 2006
Boston Area Solar Energy Association Forum: "Low Cost Renewable Energy Options in Developing Countries"
First Parish Church, 3 Church St, Cambridge, 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
With
Peter Haas, Founder, Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group
Thursday, April 6, 2006
Second Session of the MIT - Harvard Energy Happy Hour
Muddy Charles Pub, MIT, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Sponsored by the MIT Energy Club
Free food will be served at this discussion. Key questions and references can be found at: http://web.mit.edu/mit_energy/Dev_World_Disc_S06/index.html.
Wednesday April 5, 2006
MIT Energy Discussion Series (MIT Energy Club): "Energy Issues in the Developing World"
R&D Pub, MIT Stata Center, 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
CANCELED: Monday April 3, 2006
Third Session of The Bigger Picture Spring Discussion Series: Principled Leadership in Science and Technology
Location TBA, 6:00 pm
Contact
for more information
Choices about personal integrity, principled action, and big questions of 'right' and 'wrong' can weigh heavily on those in leadership roles. How can you build a career that makes you proud of who you are? Are there current controversies in your field that you know you will have to confront? Is it even possible to "do the right thing" anymore? Along with student discussions, The Bigger Picture will invite speakers (including MIT alums) to discuss their own careers and personal struggles with ethical leadership.
March 2006
Friday March 24, 2006
Harvard Physics Seminar: Scientific Challenges in Sustainable Energy Technology
Harvard Room Maxwell Dworkin G115, 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
With
Nate Lewis, California Institute of Technology
Friday March 24, 2006
Impacts of Property Rights on Open Science
MIT Room 32-155, 1:00 pm
With John Wilbanks, Executive Director of Science Commons
This talk will lay out the basic intersections of property rights - copyrights, patents, and contracts - with scientific research. The talk will also examine how approaches inspired by the Free Software movement might help create a "research commons" of freely usable tools, papers and data. Specific case studies in biological materials transfer and text mining of gene interaction networks will be presented for discussion. This seminar series is sponsored by OpenWetWare (http://openwetware.org), a wiki serving the biological science and engineering community.
Thursday March 23, 2006
Harvard University Center for the Environment Event: The Future of Energy
Harvard Science Center C, 5:00 pm
With
John Podesta, The Center for American Progress, Former Chief of Staff to President Bill Clinton
Thursday March 23, 2006
Micro/Nano-Technology Seminar Series: So, What Does Nanotechnology Have to Do with Energy?
MIT Room 34-401B, 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
With Gang Chen, Professor, MIT Mechanical Engineering Department
Wednesday March 22, 2006
Engineers Without Borders Boston Event
The Place - 2 Broad Street, Boston, 8:00 pm
Join Boston's chapter of Engineers without Borders in welcoming back their India team, which was working over the winter on a project in a tsunami-affected region of India. More information on attached flyer. EWB-Boston website: http://www.ewb-boston.org/ and for more information, contact
.
Saturday March 18, 2006
Ethics, Values, and the Environment Conference
Sperry Room, Andover Hall, 42 Francis Ave., Cambridge, MA, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
With Lawrence Buell (Harvard University), Michael D. Jackson (Harvard Divinity School), Bron Taylor (University of Florida), Mary Evelyn Tucker (Graduate Theological Union), Donald Worster (University of Kansas), and Michael Zimmerman (Tulane University)
Reservation required: RSVP to
(617-495-4476)
The scientific, political, and economic policy debates about the global environmental crisis have tended to ignore its historical, ethical, religious, and aesthetic dimensions. The purpose of the conference is to redress this balance by highlighting the integral nature of these humanistic components to the fabric of our ecological understanding and, consequentially, as essential ingredients in a broad, multidisciplinary approach to environmental studies and public policy initiatives. Information and biographies at www.hds.harvard.edu/cswr/events/Ethics_Values_Environment.html
Wednesday March 15, 2006
Energy Club Lecture Series: Solar Energy for Developing Communities
MIT Room 1-190, 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
With John Rogers, Vice President of Soluz, Inc.
Soluz, Inc. provides renewable distributed energy for over 2500 customers in Honduras and the Dominican Republic through the sale of PV systems or services. John Rogers, VP of Soluz, Inc., will discuss energy in developing countries and his experiences in the industry.
CANCELED: Monday March 13, 2006
Second Session of The Bigger Picture Spring Discussion Series: Principled Leadership in Science and Technology
Location TBA, 6:00 pm
RSVP requested: contact
for more information
Choices about personal integrity, principled action, and big questions of 'right' and 'wrong' can weigh heavily on those in leadership roles. How can you build a career that makes you proud of who you are? Are there current controversies in your field that you know you will have to confront? Is it even possible to "do the right thing" anymore? Along with student discussions, The Bigger Picture will invite speakers (including MIT alums) to discuss their own careers and personal struggles with ethical leadership.
Wednesday March 8, 2006
Distinguished Lecture Series, Broadcast from the UK: Climate change, the end of oil and the necessity of sustainable development
With Rt Hon Michael Meacher MP
MIT Room 8-404, 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
Michael Meacher was Minister for the Environment in the Blair Government 1997-2003. Before 1997 he was a Minister in the Wilson-Callaghan Governments 1974-79 and then a member of the Shadow Cabinet 1983-97. He has thus had 11 years of experience in Government, and has been continually on the Front Bench in Parliament for 29 years. Throughout his parliamentary career he has held 7 portfolios either in Opposition or in Government. Since 2003 he has been very active on a number of domestic and international issues, especially the background to the Iraq War and its consequences, GM crops and climate change.
This is the fifth lecture in this year's Distinguished Lecture Series, sponsored by CMI and The Cambridge University M.Phil Programme in Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Development.
For details on other lectures in the series, visit http://ceeserver3.mit.edu/CMI%20Distinguished%20Lectures.pdf .
Tuesday March 7, 2006
Boston Green Drinks Meeting
UPSTAIRS at Hub Pub, 18 Province Street, Boston, 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
For more information visit www.greendrinks.org
Monday March 6, 2006
Grassroots to Global: mobilizing students for building a global value chain for green grassroots innovators
MIT Room E51-335, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
With Anil Gupta (Padma Shree) Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA)
Over the past two decades, Prof. Gupta has built the world's largest social network to recognize, respect and reward green, grassroots innovators. Today, his Honey Bee Network has documented more than 50,000 grassroots innovations, created a structure for imparting the intellectual property rights and has commercialized dozens of ideas. Prof. Gupta is one of the very few who is so intimately connected with the innovators at the grassroots and at the same time with the world's highest technology and development forums. Sponsors: SANGAM, MIT India Program, AID-MIT and Graduate Student Council
For further information contact .
February 2006
Tuesday February 28, 2006
Second Seminar in Perspectives on Critical Infrastructure Systems: Regulatory Perspectives on U.S. Nuclear Power Infrastructure: Current and Future
MIT Room E40-298, reception 3:30 pm - 4:00 pm, seminar 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
With Peter B. Lyons, commissioner of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Commissioner Peter B. Lyons of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will speak on the subject of the NRC mission to ensure the safety and security of the United States' operating commercial nuclear power plants, the attendant regulatory challenges associated with today's security environment, and the prospect of new applications for certification of advanced reactor designs and for combined construction and operating licenses. Dr. Lyons will discuss the perspective of the regulator in ensuring that existing nuclear facilities are operated safely and securely as a necessary pre-requisite in establishing a stable regulatory environment for the potential construction of a new generation of advanced reactor designs and discuss his views on the future human capital challenges to the NRC, nuclear industry, and science and technology enterprises. Co-Sponsored by: MIT's Center for Technology, Policy, and Industrial Development (CTPID) and Engineering Systems Division (ESD). For more information, including the speaker's bio, please visit: http://web.mit.edu/ctpid/www/seminar2.html
Monday February 27, 2006
Energy Colloquium: Winning the Oil Endgame
Wong Auditorium, Tang Center, E51 (Corner of Ames and Wadsworth Streets at MIT), 4:00 pm
With Amory Lovins, founder and CEO of the Rocky Mountain Institute
Sponsored by the Energy Research Council and the Laboratory For Energy and the Environment
By the 2040s, the United States can eliminate its use of oil and revitalize its economy, led by business for profit. Existing technologies can redouble the efficiency of using oil (including tripling the efficiency of uncompromised cars, trucks, and planes) at an average cost of $12/bbl, and can replace remaining oil use with advanced biofuels and saved natural gas. These innovations don't require fuel taxes, subsidies, mandates, or new Federal laws, but can be driven by competitive strategy for the car, truck, plane, and fuel industry and by military requirements. Reception at Ting Foyer immediately following the colloquium.
Monday February 27, 2006
First Session of The Bigger Picture Spring Discussion Series: Principled Leadership in Science and Technology
W20-407 (MIT Student Center) , 6:00 pm
RSVP Required: contact
Have you listened to your "gut" lately? Do you listen to it when you have to make big decisions? Is it appropriate to just "go with your feelings" when making important choices about your work? Did you read the recent article in /Science Magazine/ that says we might "overthink" our most complicated choices? How does the way we make our choices affect our ability to take a leadership role? Food and drinks provided. Sponsored by The Technology and Culture Forum at MIT.
Thursday February 23, 2006
Energy Technology Innovation Project Speaker Series: Making Sense of President Bush's New Advanced Energy Initiative
Littauer 319, BCSIA Library, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
With Kelly Sims Gallagher, director of the Energy Technology Innovation Project
Wednesday February 22, 2006
Keeping the Lights On: Energy Regulation and Policy
C205, Cabot Center, Fletcher School, Tufts University, 6:00 pm
James Connelly, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Energy
Mary Clark Webster, USAID consultant
Commissioner James Connelly and USAID Consultant Mary Clark Webster will discuss current energy regulation and policy challenges around the world, including Iraq, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Uganda.
Tuesday February 21, 2006
Foresight Seminar: Technology Foresight as a Policy Tool for Sustainable Development in the Knowledge Society: The case of Greece 2001-2021
MIT Room E40-298, 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
With Emmanuel G. Koukios, professor at the National Technical University of Athens, Greece and national foresight coordinator, visiting scholar at CTPID, MIT
Starting with Japan in the early 1970's, an increasing number of countries, regions and communities around the world have employed foresight and other exploring-the-future techniques within a policy-making context. These techniques have been focused on scientific and technological policies , where foresight products and processes have facilitated major technological, economic and social actors to identify major trends and challenges, and to develop broadly-shared scenarios, visions, and strategies to prepare them for the future. The particular case to be examined in this Seminar is the recently completed National Technology Foresight project for Greece, targeting 2021, the Bicentennial of the Modern Greek State ( http://www.foresight-gsrt.gr/english & http://www.foresight-gsrt.gr/ ).
Thursday February 16, 2006
Panel on Bioethics and Biotechnology in the Supreme Court
Hauser Hall 104, Harvard Law School, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
A panel moderated by Einer Elhauge, Harvard Law School
Featuring:
Daniel Brock, Harvard School of Public Health
Charles Fried, Harvard Law School
John Robertson, University of Texas Law School
Tuesday February 14, 2006
Impact: A Socially and Environmentally Conscious Career Expo
MIT Student Center: 20 Chimneys, 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Monday February 13, 2006
Impact Kickoff Event and Panel Presentation: Careers that make a difference
MIT Room 10-250, 7:00 pm
Kickoff Event Panelists:
Ben Linder, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Olin College
Dave Gustashaw, VP of Engineering, Interface, Inc
Jessica Lin, Founder and Executive Director, Onyx Vision International
Clara Chow, Principal, Cura Consulting Group
Bashar Zeitoon - Student, Harvard's Kennedy School of Government
Networking "cocktail" with employers held directly afterwards.
February 9-10, 2006
Politics & Science: How Their Interplay Results in Public Policy
A Social Research Conference at The New School
Tishman Auditorium, 66 West 12th, New York, NY
The increasing politicization of science can lead to policy decisions that run counter to accepted scientific consensus and risk endangering our health and well-being. Scientists and policy-makers from across the political spectrum will assess the current tension between politics and science and discuss how to increase the likelihood that the best science becomes the basis for future public policy. Information: visit www.socres.org/polsci
Thursday February 9, 2006
The Republican War on Science
ASEAN Auditorium , 3rd floor, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University
With Chris C. Mooney, Washington correspondent for Seed Magazine and senior correspondent and columnist for the American Prospect
Chris C. Mooney will speak about how Republicans in the United States are distorting science for political purposes.
Monday February 6, 2006
Screening of "Flock of Dodos: the Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus"
Panel discussion afterward including Cornelia Dean of the New York Times
Geological Lecture Hall, Harvard, 24 Oxford Street, 7:00 pm
"Flock of Dodos" is a documentary (only more polite) made by a former marine biologist turned filmmaker, Randy Olson. It investigates why supporters of intelligent design seem more effective than scientists at getting their message out to the masses. For more information: www.flockofdodos.com
Tuesday January 31, 2006
Stealing Shamanic Knowledge or Sharing Biodiversity?
Symposium on the Bioprospecting of Tropical Medicinal Plants and Drug Development
MIT Room 10-250
Katy Moran - Healing Forest Conservancy
Steven King PhD - Napo Pharmaceuticals
Christopher Herndon - Amazon Conservation Team
Bioprospecting is the exploration of biodiversity and indigenous knowledge for commercially valuable genetic and biochemical compounds. The patenting and commercialization of drugs developed by pharmaceutical companies from bioprospecting in many cases contradict the sovereignty of nations over their bioresources and contributes to the erosion of biological and cultural diversity. The panel of speakers will tell us how partnerships can be developed to conserve, develop and respect biocultural diversity while exploring its medicinal potential. Presented by the MIT Western Hemisphere Project.
Wednesday January 25, 2006
Student Sustainability Gathering
MIT Room E40-298, 1:00 pm - 4:30 pm
MIT President Susan Hockfield will be reviewing student and faculty recommendations for the MIT Energy Initiative. A unique window of opportunity exists to bring to her attention a broader conceptualization of sustainability, beyond just energy, and its potential for informing MIT's research and educational activities.
Wednesday January 18, 2006
How Baseball, Poker, and Fermat Teach Us the Best Way to Elect the President
MIT Room 37-212, 4:00 pm
With Alan Natapoff
The paradox of presidential voting is that the Electoral College is more democratic than raw popular voting: It delivers massive power to individual voters in closely-contested states, but raw voting delivers none to anyone, anywhere. We can empower the 80 million impotent voters in poorly-contested states by basing a state's Electoral vote count on its total popular vote, not its population.