Take a closer look at Surveillance: From Vision to Data, on view at Harvard’s Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments. Join the curators for a talk introducing select objects, the multiple legacies of surveillance through data, and critical artworks that have resisted now ubiquitous data-driven surveillance. Then tour the exhibit to see for yourself how data shapes the nature of surveillance.

*** Attendees should provide their own lunch. ***

In this lecture, we will provide an overview of how Intellia is leveraging its CRISPR-based technologies to develop novel, potentially curative therapeutics. To fully realize the transformative potential of CRISPR-based technologies, Intellia is pursuing two primary approaches. The company’s in vivo investigational programs use intravenously administered CRISPR as the therapy, in which proprietary delivery technology enables highly precise editing of disease-causing genes directly within specific target tissues. Intellia’s investigational ex vivo programs use CRISPR to create the therapy by using engineered human cells to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases.

*** Organizer will provide lunch. ***

The City of Cambridge offers curbside food scrap collection to 30,000 households. Learn how the program developed, and how anaerobic digesters process our food scraps. Find out more about our community’s efforts to meet our zero waste goals.

*** Attendees should provide their own lunch. ***

In 2015, nearly 100 years after Albert Einstein predicted their existence, gravitational-waves were discovered by the LIGO observatories. Eight years later, tens of gravitational-wave sources have been discovered, changing the way we can explore the Universe and some of its most extreme objects. Come hear the latest news about gravitational waves and black holes.

*** Attendees should provide their own lunch. ***

Tough Tech is transformative technology that solves the world’s most important challenges through the convergence of breakthrough science, engineering, and leadership. Come learn more at The Engine!

*** Attendees should provide their own lunch. ***

Together, we will learn about the environmental, social, and economic benefits of green roofs; green roof system types and FAQs; and why waterproofing, proper design, and maintenance are some of the most important aspects of a green roof. Learn about some of our exciting local green roofs, such as Fenway Farms at Fenway Park, the Boston Medical Center Rooftop Farm, Community Architecture Landscape Art (CALA) in Somerville, and many more.

*** Attendees should provide their own lunch. ***

Hear local musicians’ original electronic music designed for quadraphonic surround sound.

The MIT Spatial Sound Lab is a community studio for making immersive sound productions, including music, sound art, sonifications, accessible technology, sensory ethnography and more.

This mixtape presentation in 4.1 sound aims to highlight possibilities of listening from the margins, hearing a multiplicity of voices in new ways, and generating soundscapes to explore in relation to changing environments.

*** Attendees should provide their own lunch. ***

Join MIT professor Benedetto Marelli and Dr. Muchun Liu as they use biodegradable silk to replace microplastics in agriculture. With a live presentation and demos, discover how silk polymers can be micro-engineered to enhance productivity and reduce environmental impact.

*** Attendees should provide their own lunch. ***

In recent years there has been a surge in tools that facilitate creative works using AI (such as DALL-E and Chat-GPT) and with that has come both creative uses for those tools and ethical questions around artist ownership and copyright. The NSF Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Interactions (IAIFI) will host a workshop to share how these tools work and what ethical concerns arise in relation to them. Attendees will then be invited to submit AI-generated poetry and prose to be read and displayed at a reception. Anyone who submits will be entered to win a gift card. Refreshments will be provided.

This event is co-sponsored by the MIT Media Lab and is made possible with funds from the MIT School of Science Quality of Life program.

*** Organizer will provide lunch. ***

Have you ever wondered why forgetting is so common? Why you can be confident about a past event, yet wrong about the details? Why you can study hard for an exam yet be unable to retrieve the content? Why you can forget someone’s name almost as soon as they’ve told it to you?

This talk, by Professor Elizabeth Kensinger, Chairperson of the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience at Boston College, will explain why these occurrences are so common, and may challenge some of your ideas about why we forget.

*** Organizer will provide lunch. ***

Why do we age? Does every living thing age? How can some organisms live for over a century while others die in mere weeks? These questions have been on the minds of almost every natural philosopher for the past few thousand years, but modern advances in evolutionary biology and gerontology have only just given us satisfactory explanations. In this presentation, I will share some of the insights that brought aging from the realm of the supernatural to the realm of science. I’ll also talk about some remarkable organisms that appear not to age at all and what these organisms may be able to teach us about our own chances at combating the diseases of aging.

Christopher Rodriguez, Graduate Student, Reddien Lab, Whitehead Institute

*** Organizer will provide lunch. ***

Join the Charles River Conservancy for a lunchtime kayak adventure on the river. Visit the Charles River’s first floating wetland and hear about the development of the project from idea to installation, and from engagement through envisioned expansion.

Please reserve your ticket by September 21st to guarantee participation.

*** Attendees should provide their own lunch. ***

There is an ever-growing demand for larger structures in space: Larger solar panels achieve greater power output, larger antennas achieve higher gain and resolution, and larger solar sails achieve faster propulsion. However, the state-of-the art approach for deploying such systems in space limits their size to tens of meters, due to issues with reliability, precision, and other challenges unique to the space environment. To overcome these challenges, we are developing a method for manufacturing large structures in space from raw feedstock. Our approach relies on deformation processing, solid-state joining, and electrostatic actuation to fabricate truss structures for various space applications. In this lecture Harsh Bhundiya will describe the proposed manufacturing process, our research progress, and our vision for manufacturing large structures in orbit.

*** Organizer will provide lunch. ***

Koch Institute cancer research spans all stages of the research pipeline—from bench to bedside. Our researchers ask fundamental questions about basic biological processes and invent new technologies to address critical cancer challenges. They launch startups as well as partnering with clinicians and companies to translate groundbreaking research into transformative tools and treatments.

*** Organizer will provide lunch. ***

Join Museum curators for a behind-the-scenes look at a few of their favorite objects from our vast collection.

During these talks, we’ll explore early synthetic material from the Arthur D. Little Company, including the first seamless garment and a lead balloon that was able to float. Learn about a nautical chart from the 1820s and dig into the citizen science and data collection behind early mapping efforts on the ocean. Find out how six French architectural drawings caused an international sensation when they were brought to MIT in 1902.

*** Attendees should provide their own lunch. ***

Human longevity potential colliding with our adoption and use of AI, automation and other technologies is collectively disrupting how we live, work, learn, and play. In this session at the Cambridge Senior Center, join MIT AgeLab researchers for a discussion exploring our current understanding of the evolution of the longevity economy. They will share key insights from existing projects focused on topics like the adoption of smart technologies for aging-in-place, research with the ‘oldest old’ of older adults and family caregivers, and use of an age empathy suit for education and learning. Learn from MIT-driven insight to maximize your 100 years of life. Light refreshments will be provided.

*** Attendees should provide their own lunch. ***

In this workshop participants will learn how to understand and be able to respectfully use terminology relevant to gender identity, gender expression, and sexuality. Additionally, participants will learn tools for advocating for queer, trans, and gender diverse youth & adults. Participants will leave the workshop with a list of resources to further their education.

*** Attendees should provide their own lunch. ***

MIT Assistant Professor Marzyeh Ghassemi has been at the forefront of bias in medical machine learning for several years. In this talk, she covers how we can prevent artificial intelligence (AI) from replicating the inequities and harms of human biases and why we shouldn’t be afraid of AI in health.

*** Organizer will provide lunch. ***

Join faculty from the Office of Diversity Inclusion and Community Partnership at Harvard Medical School for a lunch discussion on the importance of diversity inclusion in medical and STEM professions, hear about the strategies to strengthen educational and career pathways, as well as priorities for future action.

*** Organizer will provide lunch. ***

This interactive presentation showcases projects that combine traditional materials with modern tech like robotics, 3D printing, and Arduino inventions. See firsthand how technology enhances the creative process, inspiring innovation and pushing boundaries.

Whether you are an artist, engineer, educator, or simply someone who is curious about the intersection of these fields, this presentation is sure to inspire and captivate. Come join us as we explore the exciting possibilities of art and engineering in the modern age!

*** Organizer will provide lunch. ***

Youth should be the centerpiece of climate education since they are the key stakeholders. It’s time to ensure that youth feel included, represented and invited to engage in curriculum and conferences as well as in the classroom. Hear from a young person about what their demands look like, how youth would like to plug in, and what institutions can do to support them.

*** Attendees should provide their own lunch. ***

The lecture is an engaging exploration of the transformative power of artificial intelligence in the field of cancer research. Discover how AI is revolutionizing cancer treatment and gain insights into the groundbreaking advancements that are shaping the future of cancer therapy. Prepare to be inspired as you witness the potential of AI to revolutionize the fight against cancer.

*** Organizer will provide lunch. ***

In fiction, writers and readers often focus on the hero’s journey. But protagonists don’t always start as heroes. They’re reluctantly shaped and molded by the obstacles they face along the way. What’s a good story without an equally strong antagonist? Join MIT MLK visiting scholar Christine Taylor-Butler for a discussion on the role of villains in children’s storytelling and the multiple forms used in advancing the plot and raising the stakes. The motivations or lack thereof might surprise you.

*** Attendees should provide their own lunch. ***

Come to the List Center for your lunch break and join exhibiting artist Nancy Valladares as we consider the components of analog photography through looking at her work on view in List Projects 27: fields harrington and Nancy Valladares. PHOTO/SYNTHETIC is an ongoing series and investigation which unpacks the environmental and economic impacts of the use of silver in analog photography. During the hour, we will view the works in the galleries and move to discussion with Valladares over lunch combining an opportunity to learn and socialize.

Bring your lunch and beverages will be provided.

*** Attendees should provide their own lunch. ***

Today, we are closer than ever to realizing the dream of harnessing the nuclear process that powers our sun. This stellar process, called fusion, produces minimal waste and offers the hope of an almost limitless supply of safe, dependable energy. For over 40 years MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) has been exploring nuclear fusion as a source of energy through a series of tokamaks, devices that use magnets to confine hot plasma in a donut-shaped chamber. Visit the PSFC and learn how MIT is supporting the latest exciting fusion research. Limited to 25.

*** Attendees should provide their own lunch. ***