Harvard Society of Scientists Blog

Free; REGISTRATION BY OCTOBER 23 REQUIRED

http://www.ucsusa.org/about/40th-anniversary-symposium.html

Lunch Provided

Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry Mario Molina joins former U.S.
Congressman John Porter and others at the UCS 40th Anniversary
Symposium exploring the civic responsibility of scientists. This free
day-long symposium  includes sessions on climate change, the future of
organic and sustainable agriculture, nuclear weapons and missile
defense.

In particular, “The Future of US Nuclear Weapons” session features two
outstanding nuclear weapons experts: geophysicist Raymond Jeanloz of
Berkeley and policy-expert Jeffrey Lewis of  New America Foundation.
Jeanloz is active at coordinating international arms control efforts
through the National Academy of Sciences and Jeffrey Lewis was
formerly director of the Managing the Atom Project at Harvard and runs
the highly recommended www.ArmsControlWonk.com blog.

Be sure to RSVP.

Besides general agreement on the need for both mitigation and adaptation in response to global warming, a more controversial approach has migrated from the science-fiction fringe into the main stream of public, political and scientific discussion. Climate engineering—intentionally manipulating Earth’s climate—is gaining currency as concerns over the implications of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions mount. Many have come to see some form of engineered intervention as inevitable, if only to avert immediate climate catastrophe. But many others worry that such schemes simply divert attention from the pressing need to mitigate and adapt, by drastically reducing GHG emissions and planning for an uncertain climate future.
The desire to manipulate weather and climate is as old as humanity itself. New is the consensus realization that our very success as a technological species means that we do impact global climate, effectively engineering it by accident. Why then shouldn’t we choose to pursue this role with explicit intent—whether by removing GHGs from the atmosphere, limiting the net effect of solar heating, or both? The symposium will target this issue with a critical eye. Do we in fact possess the technological capability and scientific understanding to manipulate Earth’s climate with desirable or even foreseeable results? And what are the global political, social, legal and ethical implications of even trying?
Please join our acclaimed panel of expert scientists and thinkers for an invigorating day of rigorous discourse on a topic of pressing global importance.

Registration required:
http://web.mit.edu/esi/symposium2009.html

Feeding the Future: Agricultural Genetics and World Hunger
Wednesday  28 October, 7pm
Armenise Ampitheatre at Harvard Medical School, Longwood

Friend of the society, Naveen Sinha, will be speaking about genetics
in agriculture as part of the Science in the News outreach program.
Naveen is a 2nd year graduate student in Applied Physics at Harvard.
Over the years, Naveen has conducted research on a variety of

biophysical topics including building instruments to trap single
molecules, analyzing the microscopic properties of chocolate and more
recently observing the mechanical properties of biofilms. Naveen is an
immaculate speaker and I expect this will be a superb talk.

https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/

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The Harvard Society of Scientists is an e-newsletter that lists
upcoming events and resources for scientists  interested in issues of
policy and global affairs. The newsletter is maintained by Jason
Otterstrom  (otterst@fas.harvard.edu) and Andy Leifer
(leifer@fas.harvard.edu). All are welcome to join at

http://bit.ly/socsci

Google Calender:
http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=harvardsocietyofscientists%40gmail.com

Rashi Fein on A Century of Debate: Historical Perspectives on
Universal Health Care
Tuesday October 27, 2009, 5 PM
Minot Room, Countway Library, Harvard Medical School, Longwood

RSVP at ARM@hms.harvard.edu

History has much to inform us about the current health care debate.
Rashi Fein is a Professor of Economics of Medicine, and has authored

numerous books on health care in the U.S. and they rising costs of
health care costs.  He will also be exhibiting 150 political pamphlets
on health care from the past half-century. There will be pizza and
refreshments.

https://www.countway.harvard.edu/menuNavigation/historicalResources/chmPrograms/eventsList/Flyer.pdf

—-

The Harvard Society of Scientists is an e-newsletter that lists
upcoming events and resources for scientists  interested in issues of
policy and global affairs. The newsletter is maintained by Jason
Otterstrom  (otterst@fas.harvard.edu) and Andy Leifer
(leifer@fas.harvard.edu). All are welcome to join at

http://bit.ly/socsci

Google Calender:
http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=harvardsocietyofscientists%40gmail.com