George Mokray doesn’t go to but he knows a lot about the place and has sharp opinions. Here is his John Madden-like survey of Independent Activity Period.

IAP is Independent Activities Period, the month of January at MIT when anybody from a professor emeritus to a maintenance worker can give a class. This is generally for the MIT community but, if you ask nicely, you can probably attend the sessions that interest you. Lots of knowledge. Below is the URL for the full schedule and the list of events that jumped out at me.

Have a Happy Merry New,
George Mokray

http://web.mit.edu/iap/

High-Performance Rechargeable Batteries for Sustainable Transportation and Large-scale Storage of Electric Power
Prof. Donald Sadoway
Mon Jan 11, 11am-12:00pm, 32-155

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

The road to sustainability is paved with advanced materials. Advances in rechargeable batteries would enable widespread adoption of practical electric vehicles taking us beyond hybrids and obviating the need for fuel-cells. The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions plus the freedom from reliance on overseas sources of petroleum with attendant geopolitical implications give special value to an all-electric fleet. Innovation in stationary electrical energy storage at high amperage would enable us to store off-peak power from the grid for subsequent delivery on demand during high usage periods. Adoption of wind or photovoltaic generation hinges to a large extent on the advent of proper storage technology: renewables are enabled by colossal batteries. Examples of innovation in both portable and stationary energy storage will be presented.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2009/liquid-battery.html
Contact: Jennifer DiMase, E19-370D, 452-3199, jdimase@mit.edu
Sponsor: MIT Energy Initiative

Power Up!: Strategies for Getting Energy Information
Angie Locknar, Chris Sherratt
Mon Jan 11, 12-01:00pm, 14N-132 (DIRC)

Enrollment limited: first come, first served
Limited to 25 participants.
Single session event

Information on energy is everywhere! How do you find the scientific and technical information you need and keep on the cutting edge of what is published? Attend this hands-on session to find out.
Contact: Angie Locknar, 14S-134, x3-9320, locknar@mit.edu
Sponsor: Libraries
Cosponsor: MIT Energy Initiative

Shigeru Ban: An Architect for Emergencies (2007 - 52 min)
Jolene de Verges
Japanese architect Shigeru Ban (1957–) is usually referred to as an “ecological architect.” His reputation has grown steadily in recent years, not only because of the heightened concern about global ecology and the increased practice of recycling, but also because he is interested in the development of prefab, low-cost housing for the victims of natural disasters and other emergencies, of which there have been many.
Mon Jan 11, 12-02:00pm, Rotch Library, Meet in Rotch Conference Room

Climate Science I: Paleoclimate to the Present
Kat Potter and Tim Cronin
Tue Jan 12, 02-04:00pm, E51-149

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

This talk will cover paleoclimates: variations in the climate over longer time periods from millions of years to the recent past, and the history and development of climate science. The event is open to everyone and no advance sign-up is required. It stands alone from Session II.
Contact: Tony Tran, E19-411, (617) 253-7492, tones@mit.edu
Sponsor: Joint Program/Science and Policy of Global Change
Cosponsor: Center for Global Change Science

Home Repair Basics: Window Repair and Maintenance
Arthur Pitari
Wed Jan 13, 09:30am-12:00pm, E18-169

Enrollment limited: first come, first served
Limited to 20 participants.
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: None

Come learn all there is to know about window repair and maintenance. This hands-on class will teach you what it takes to repair and maintain window glass and screens by one of MIT’s expert Glaziers.
Contact: Melody Craven, x2-2407, mcraven@plant.mit.edu
Sponsor: Department of Facilities

Power-up!: Energy Industry Resources
Katherine McNeill
Wed Jan 13, 01-02:00pm, 14N-132 (DIRC)

Enrollment limited: first come, first served
Limited to 25 participants.
Single session event

Interested in researching or working in the field of energy? Want to find out how your energy project fits into the landscape of various industries? This session will give you the skills to research the business and statistical information on energy to find industry overviews, market research, news and data.
Contact: Katherine McNeill, E53-168c, x3-0787, mcneillh@mit.edu
Sponsor: Libraries
Cosponsor: MIT Energy Initiative

“Fuel Your Mind” — A Primer on Transportation Fuels, Current and Future
William H. Green (MIT Dept. of Chem. Eng.), George Huff & Jim Simnick (BP Global Fuels Technology)
Thu Jan 14, 09am-04:00pm, 56-114

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up

The goal of this short course is to gain a better understanding of fuels using a combination of video, photos, diagrams, text and audio. The material is based on seminars our fuels technology staff has given to automotive mechanics, as well as our marketing and advertising agencies. We have included four modules which deal with the most common topics that have been requested at these seminars. These include:
1. Refining, Supply and Pricing
2. Gasoline
3. Biofuels
4. Ethanol & E-85

Contact: William Green, 66-207, x3-4580, whgreen@mit.edu
Sponsor: Chemical Engineering

Energy and Environment Projects Showcase
Jennifer DiMase
Thu Jan 14, 06-07:30pm, Lobby 10

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

This showcase is a mix and mingle style poster session at which students who have been doing research or who belong to groups on campus that revolve around energy, environment, and sustainability will share and explain their work. This is a great opportunity to connect with fellow students active in a wide array of energy research and projects. Light refreshments will be provided. Come and learn about the great research and student group activities that your classmates have been working on!
Web: http://mit.edu/mitei/education/groups.html
Contact: Jennifer DiMase, E19-370D, 452-3199, jdimase@mit.edu
Sponsor: MIT Energy Initiative

Low Carbon Emission Electricity Generating Technology Options
Ja’nos M. Bee’r
Fri Jan 15, 01-03:00pm, 66-110

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up

As CO2 emission control from fossil fuel based power generation is gaining increasing acceptance, high generating efficiency and CO2 capture and storage are becoming key concepts for both new and existing plants. State of the art technology options and those in R&D and Demonstration stages are discussed together with their timeline and the possibility of speeding up their deployment.
Contact: Ja’nos M. Bee’r, 66-301, x3-6661, jmbeer@MIT.EDU
Sponsor: Chemical Engineering

Climate Change Challenges in Developing Countries: Low Carbon Economic Development Options for Indonesia
Dr. Gary Kleiman Sr. Environmental Policy Analyst, World Bank Office, Jakarta
The Government of Indonesia recognizes that climate change is a key economic development issue, and also that early action to address mitigation and adaptation concerns will be strategically beneficial. Indonesia is studying options to address climate change mitigation without compromising development objectives. This talk will review the overarching goals of the study and present early findings across several sectors.
Tue Jan 19, 12-01:30pm, E51-145, brown bag lunch; refreshments

Climate Change 101: Introduction to Climate Change Economics and Policy
Valerie Karplus and Jennifer Morris
Tue Jan 19, 02-04:00pm, E51-335

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

Concerned about climate change, but unsure how our policy options stack up? Come learn enough to hold your own at a cocktail party on current climate policy topics! From the basic economics to the pros and cons of different policy options to the status of international negotiations on a global agreement, this course will be a tour de force of current issues in climate change economics and policy. This discussion will provide helpful background for the upcoming session on recent developments in U.S. climate policy legislation.
Contact: Tony Tran, E19-411, (617) 253-7492, tones@mit.edu
Sponsor: Joint Program/Science and Policy of Global Change

Dancing with the Stars: Quest for Fusion Energy
Abhay Ram
How do our earthly efforts to generate fusion energy compare with nature’s working fusion reactors? This highly illustrative talk will compare and contrast the approach to fusion from a laboratory perspective with that taken by nature in forming and operating the Sun. The progress towards energy’s holy grail will be part of the presentation.
Wed Jan 20, 11:15am-12:30pm, NW17-218

Climate Change 102: Recent Developments in U.S. Climate Policy Legislation
Jennifer Morris
Wed Jan 20, 02-04:00pm, E51-149

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

U.S. climate policy is on the move—the Waxman-Markey Bill passed the House last spring, and before you could say Kerry-Boxer the Senate had a bill too! Wondering what these landmark bills are made of, but don’t have time to sift through 1,400 pages of legalese? Come learn about the substance and potential impacts of these recent developments in U.S. climate policy.
Contact: Tony Tran, E19-411, (617) 253-7492, tones@mit.edu
Sponsor: Joint Program/Science and Policy of Global Change

Conscious Capitalism with Bud Sorenson
Kenneth C. Zolot, Ralph Z. Sorenson
Wed Jan 20, 05-07:00pm, 32-155

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 18-Jan-2010
Limited to 125 participants.
Single session event

With special guest Ralph “Bud” Sorenson, member of the Board of Directors of Whole Foods Markets, moderated by Ken Zolot.

Today, the laissez faire concept of capitalism espoused by Milton Friedman is under siege. This workshop will focus on whether there is a way to retain capitalism as a powerful positive force for creating jobs, wealth, and innovation, while at the same time making it more responsive to the interests of all stakeholders, not just shareholders.

It will explore the concept of “Conscious Capitalism” that is based on the proposition that the primary goal of corporate leaders and entrepreneurs should be to optimize the returns to all stakeholders: customers, employees, supply chain partners, communities, the environment and, of course, shareholders.

Enrollment limited. Please sign up at the URL below
Web: http://iapcc.eventbrite.com
Contact: Kenneth C. Zolot, 32-386, x3-6481, zolot@mit.edu
Sponsor: Kenneth Zolot, 32-386A, 617 253-6481, zolot@mit.edu

Climate Change 103: Issues in Climate Policy- Technological Change and Biofuels
Nidhi Santen and Suhail Ahmad
Thu Jan 21, 02-04:00pm, E51-149

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

Part 1: Climate Policy-Induced R&D and Technological Change in the Energy Industry

This lecture provides an overview about climate policy-induced R&D, innovation, and technology change in the energy industry, with extensions about the state of important technological change considerations within climate policy models.

Part 2: Review of US Biofuels Policies and their Implications

In this talk, we provide an overview of the most prominent policies to date that impact the production and use of biofuels and biomass and outline their intended objectives and mechanisms. We focus on three economic sectors, electricity, transportation, and agriculture and attempt to describe the impacts of those policies on other sectors such as food production, energy and environment, infrastructure, and the economy at large.
Contact: Tony Tran, E19-411, (617) 253-7492, tones@mit.edu
Sponsor: Joint Program/Science and Policy of Global Change

Planning, Funding, and Implementing Transportation Projects in the Real World (or How It Really Works)
Kate Fichter, Eric Plosky
Fri Jan 22, 01-04:45pm, 9-450A

No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Single session event

As a vital and complex element of any urban or regional environment, transportation infrastructure both affects and is affected by land use patterns, economic development policies, political power-brokering and environmental resources, and so offers a lens through which to study many of the choices and constraints available to today’s planners. This seminar will offer a practice-oriented overview of the issues, players and trends most relevant to contemporary transportation planning, as taught by two MIT/DUSP alumni/ae currently working in the field.
Contact: Ezra Glenn, 7-337, x3-2024, eglenn@mit.edu
Sponsor: Urban Studies and Planning

Fighting Poverty with Scientific Evidence: Findings from the work of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)
Rachel Glennerster, Executive Director, J-PAL
Tue Jan 26, 02-03:30pm, E52-175

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

Policy makers need scientific evidence about what approaches are most effective if they are to make decisions such as how to spend limited education budgets to increase learning, or whether to tackle corruption with top down or bottom up monitoring. The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) within the economics department at MIT rigorously tests different policy options in close cooperation with local partners through the use of randomized evaluations.

This session will cover a brief overview of why randomized impact evaluations are being increasingly used by governments, agencies, and nonprofit groups to evaluate important policy questions. It will also briefly summarize some of the most recent results from J-PAL research.
Contact: Ruth Levitsky, E52-232, x3-3399, levitsky@mit.edu

The ABCs of Environmental Compliance
Dan Kallin
Wed Jan 27, 10-11:00am, N52-496

No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event

Audience: Entrepreneurs, startups and Industrial or manufacturing engineers H&S people interested in Environmental Compliance

CAA, CWA, SDWA, EPCRA, RCRA, CERCLA, SARA, TSCA, MEPA, WPA, and now CFATS!

These are just some of the rules administered by the EPA, DEP, MWRA, ConComs and the DHS

Will you need a permit? Do you need to report? To whom and how often?

This seminar will provide an overview of the major environmental Laws which can have direct impacts to entrepreneurs and manufacturing operations. Many of these rules have information reporting requirements which require data and support from designers, builders and the manufacturing floor.
Contact: Melissa Kavlakli, N52-496, x2-3233, mjpotter@mit.edu
Sponsor: Environment, Health and Safety Office

The Magic of Carbon Nanotubes: Properties, Growth, and Applications
Gilbert D. Nessim PhD Alum
Thu Jan 28, 01-03:00pm, Chipman Room, 6-104

No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 25-Jan-2010
Single session event
Prereq: none

Carbon nanotubes, one of the most interesting structures in the nanotechnology landscape, are the closest implementation to a one-dimensional structure. Their exceptional electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties have made them a hot subject of research for many future applications. Carbon nanotube reinforced tennis racquets are already in the market. Research labs have already developed prototypes of electrical devices such as field effect transistors or field emission displays using nanotubes. The futuristic space elevator project has focused on carbon nanotubes as the material of choice for its super-strong cable.

This presentation will provide the audience with an understanding of the properties, growth methods, future applications, and challenges for integration of carbon nanotubes in future products.
Contact: Gilbert D. Nessim, gdnessim@mit.edu
Sponsor: Materials Science and Engineering

How Will We Pay for Things in the Future?
Kwan Hong Lee
Thu Jan 14, Fri Jan 29, 10am-06:30pm, E14-526

No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 13-Jan-2010
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)

The payment landscape has been rapidly changing in recent years with many potential disruptions on the horizon. Large financial institutions still dominate the landscape with little disintermediation, but are vulnerable. PayPal has become the standard in online transactions and payment services and now threatens to invade the physical world. Existing large institution infrastructures neither provide for rapid adaptation to these market changes nor rapid adaptation to customer requirements as they have all grown through mergers & acquisitions. And emerging technology is readily available to precipitate the paradigm shift. Introduce revolutionary disruption into payments system and make it fun (dreary old bankers); and win prizes! Come join us in reinventing a $5 trillion a year business model that is ripe for change!
Contact: Mutsumi Sullivan, E14-574L, x3-1908, msullivan@media.mit.edu
Sponsor: Media Arts & Sciences