It’s that time again. See you this afternoon at 2:30 in E51-315. My slides are attached.

The semi-annual presentation of mechanics and other administrative issues for TPP students will be held this Thursday, February 12, from 3-4PM in E51-149.

Second years planning to graduate in either the spring or summer term definitely should be there!!!!

Frank

A message from Adam Holbroook:

Everyone:

We now have our website up and operating, and will soon have the registration page completed. I would like to get graduate students thinking about their presentations. We will vet all of the abstract submissions and try to have a good cross-section for the podium presentations. But we also want to have a lot of poster presentations and will make specific time available for people to go and discuss the presentations with the presenters.

We are still planning on three workshops for the last day: innovation systems, networks, and carbon sequestration. In each case I am building up a panel of both faculty and post-docs to act as discussants, but I would like to see paper submissions for the panels from grad students as I would like the students to have an opportunity to present their material in surroundings where there will be room for debate and interaction between the students and other practitioners in the specific fields. In all of these, as well as the first two days of TMP, we will of course be wanting to focus on the social and economic policy implications of the specific studies.

The subject areas can be defined as:

• innovation systems: national, regional and local; what are the interactions that make some systems of innovation robust and others weak?
• networks: in particular we are interested in the operation of research networks, although I would also like to see discussion of how research networks may (or may not) be a subset of more generalized network theory?
• carbon sequestration: what are the social and policy implications of carbon sequestration technologies?

The page can be found at: http://fas.sfu.ca/leonardo/technology-and-policy-program/index_html. We will update it as more information becomes available.

[…]

Please contact me with comments, questions, etc.

Cheers Adam

J.Adam Holbrook, P.Eng.,
Associate Director and Adjunct Professor,
Centre for Policy Research on Science and Technology,
Simon Fraser University,
515 West Hastings Street,
Vancouver, BC, V6B 5K3
Canada

Phone: +1-778-782-5192

Fax: +1-778-782-5239
website: www.sfu.ca/cprost

Please join us for the Winter Reception for Washington-Area TPP Alumni, if you will be in Washington on Thursday evening, January 29, 2009! I’ve already counted the 20 students who will be in DC for the ‘Internship/Careers Trip’, but would love to hear from anyone else who plans to attend. A sense of the numbers will ensure that I order enough of the excellent food and beverages from our caterer!

Once again, the reception will be in the Downtown ICF International office, so we will be meeting at the same location that we have for the past several years.

The MIT Technology and Policy Winter Alumni Reception
for TPP Alumni, Directors, and Current Students
on Thursday, January 29, 2009, from 5:00 to 6:30
at the Washington DC ICF International office
near Farragut Square
at 1725 EYE Street, NW
on the 10th Floor

Visit the SSIT website for submission guidelines and more information: www.ieeessit.org

The IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society (ISTAS) is an annual international forum that explores the social implications of technology. ISTAS’09 will be held concurrently with the IEEE International Symposium on Sustainable Systems and Technology (ISSST), with joint sessions related to an overall conference theme of sustainability. ISTAS ‘09 will bring together participants interested in sharing their research, projects, and ideas about:

• Technological innovation as a strategy for sustainable development
• Ethical considerations in sustainable development
• Roles for expert and lay knowledge in sustainable development
• Perspectives from South, North, East, and West in a context of globalization
• Role of ‘community’ in sustainable development
• Professional education for sustainable development
• Systems thinking as a frame for inquiry on sustainable development
• Other sustainability-related topics

Papers on other traditional ISTAS topics are also welcome.

ISTAS ‘09 will be a multi-disciplinary event for engineers, scientists, planners, policy analysts, researchers in the social sciences, arts and humanities, and field practitioners and decision makers in the public and private sectors. Papers and discussions will address the social implications of specific technologies, forms of knowledge and practice, and professional education as related to sustainable development.

Submissions:
This year we are continuing last year’s experiment designed to improve the quality of the conference proceedings: we ask that you submit full papers or exploratory papers for peer review. We will accept and peer review traditional abstracts for presentation. However abstracts will not be included in the conference proceedings. Full papers: approximately 5000 words * Exploratory papers: 1000 to 2000 words * Abstracts: panels (600 words) or informal presentations (300 words)

Important dates:
Submission deadline:          December 31, 2008
Notification of acceptance: February 20, 2009
Final papers due:

April 20, 2009

Publication outcomes:

The ISTAS ‘09 proceedings (full and exploratory papers) will be published (in CD format and online in the IEEE Xplore electronic library). Selected authors will be invited to submit manuscripts for consideration by the editors of a special issue of IEEE SSIT’s award winning, peer-reviewed Technology and Society Magazine.

Location and travel info: ISTAS ‘09 will be held at the Tempe Missions Palms Hotel near Arizona State University in metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Sponsored by the IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology
Organizing Committee Chair: Joseph Herkert, Arizona State University
Program Committee
Clinton Andrews, Rutgers University (chair)
Maria Manta Conroy, Ohio State University
Nancey Green Leigh, Georgia Institute of Technology
David Hassenzahl, University of Nevada Las Vegas
Juan Lucena, Colorado School of Mines
Susan O’Donnell, Canadian National Research Council
Laura Solitare, Texas Southern University
Emily Talen, Arizona State University
Ashwani Vasishth, California State University Northridge

Welcome to your Outward Bound Professional Program!  The purpose of this sheet is to give you the necessary logistical information for your upcoming program.  Adequately prepared and informed, you will be ready to receive the full benefit of your course without distraction.

ARRIVAL - Your course begins promptly Friday September 19th at 8:30 at Berth 10, EDIC Dock in the Marine Industrial Park in South Boston.  Here, you will board the boat for Thompson Island.  Plan on arriving at least 10 to 15 minutes early as the boat will leave promptly at 8:30PM.

DEPARTURE - The program ends at 11:30 am Saturday morning .  You can expect to be back on the mainland by 12:00 noon.

HEALTH - Learning, not demonstration of physical prowess, is the objective of your course.  The course does take place outdoors and involves a moderate level of physical activity.  You can expect to engage in activities such as walking, carrying, light lifting, pulling, and possible climbing.  The course will be more physically challenging for some than others.  However, all activities are designed with safety as the top priority and are well within the physical capabilities of the average adult.  Challenge by Choice is the credo by which all of our courses operate.
If you have any physical concerns or limitations which may effect your participation on the course, please indicate these concerns on your medical form and be sure to discuss them with your instructor upon arrival.  When aware of participant physical limitations, we can structure program activities appropriately.

CLOTHING - You will be spending most of your time outdoors, so please dress appropriately for the time of year, keeping in mind that it is usually windier and a few degrees cooler on the island than on the mainland.  Here are a few suggestions:

• Dress in layers,  and clothing should be loose and comfortable.
• Wear comfortable, sturdy shoes with good traction.
• If there is rain in the forecast, please bring a rain jacket!

ACCOMMODATIONS - you will be sleeping in single-sex dormitory arrangements, with several beds to a room.  Please bring comfortable clothes for overnight and any personal toiletries.  You will be provided with bed linens, pillow, and towel.

TELEPHONE - Do not plan on conducting business while on your course.  There is a pay phone available for participant use if necessary.  (617) 328-3900 is the number available for incoming emergency calls.  A message will be taken and relayed to participants as quickly as possible.

MEALS - All meals will be provided while you are on the island.  If you have any special dietary needs, please notify us.

Thompson Island is a short ferry ride from the EDIC Dock in South Boston.The dock is a half-hour from South Station.

EDIC Dock, Public Berth #10, on Drydock Avenue, between the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal and Summer Street, in The Marine Industrial Park, South Boston. This is a public dock that is not well-marked, so please allow plenty of time to find it! (see this WWW page with some Yahoo! maps)

By Public Transportation or “T” - Take the Red Line to South Station (south or ‘inbound’ from MIT). From South Station, you can either walk (please refer to the directions below from South Station), take the Silver Line or you can take the MBTA bus #7.

• Walking from South Station:
• Turn right out of South Station.
• Follow Summer Street towards South Boston.
• Turn Left onto Drydock Avenue that is the second traffic light after the New Convention Center.
• Our dock is the first right on Drydock Ave.
• This could be a half-hour walk!
• Silver Line Bus Service:
• Take the Silver Line Bus Service (underground) from South Station. The entrance is underground near the Red Line.
• Take the SL3 bus (Marine Industrial Park/CityPoint) (NOT the Airport bus!!)
• Tell the driver you would like to get off at the stop on the corner of Harbor Ave. and Drydock Ave.  across from a ‘guard shack’ in the road.
• With the diner behind you, walk directly up a side road towards the channel (water). Our dock is about 100 yards straight ahead just past the red fencing that defines our ferry waiting area. You will see a small wooden sign for “Thompson Island Outward Bound” on a black fence near two phone booths.
• For reference, the Summer Street bridge which crosses the channel is visible and immediately to the right of our dock.
• #7 Bus–Summer Street:
• Board the #7 bus (Outbound, heading towards South Boston) on Summer Street outside of South Station.
• Tell the bus driver that you want to get off at the Summer Street/Drydock Ave./Marine Industrial Park stop.
• Once you have gotten off the bus, take a left and follow Drydock Ave. The dock is located at the first right on Drydock Ave.

Driving to Marine Industrial Park

• Given the ongoing changes resulting from the Big Dig, for the most recent information, please see our website www.thompsonisland.org or www.mapquest.com.
• From South of Boston:
• Take I-93 North (Southeast Expressway) to Exit 15 - Columbia Rd exit.
• Take right at the end of the exit ramp.
• Take your second right off the rotary. (Day Blvd) You should pass the State Police barracks on your right.
• Follow Day Blvd. along the water.
• At your second sets of lights, take a left onto L Street. (The L Street Bathhouse should be on your right at this traffic light. It is a big red brick building)
• Follow L Street for approximately 2 miles.
• L Street becomes Summer Street.
• When you pass over the Summer Street bridge, take your first right at the traffic light. This will be Drydock Ave.
• Our dock is the first right on Drydock Ave.
• Parking is available in the parking garage further down Drydock Ave. on your left.
• From West of Boston:
• Take the Mass Pike East (I-90) towards Boston.
• Take Exit #24A - South Station.
• Take your first right. This will be the intersection of Atlantic and Summer Streets. South Station (Train and Bus station) will be on your right.
• Follow Summer Street for approx. 4 miles going through 5 sets of traffic lights.
• At your sixth set of traffic lights, take left onto Drydock Ave. You will see a sign for the Marine Industrial Park.
• Our dock is the first right on Drydock Ave.
• Parking is available in the parking garage further down Drydock Ave. on your left.
• From North of Boston:
• Follow 93 South to Exit 20A (South Station)
• Follow ramp and at the 1st set of lights, take a left onto Summer St.
• Follow Summer Street past the New Convention Center (on Right).
• Turn left at the Marine Industrial Park (Drydock Ave).
• Our dock is the first right on Drydock Ave.
• Parking is available in the parking garage further down Drydock Ave. on your left.
• Parking
• After you enter the Marine Industrial Park, drive along Drydock Avenue for about 1/4 mile to a public parking garage on the left. Parking is not permitted at the dock.
• Exit the garage on the side facing the Boston Design Center and Drydock Avenue. Walk towards the water, past the front of the Design Center and turn right. Continue parallel to the chain link fence on your left and then turn left. You will see a small wooden sign for “Thompson Island Outward Bound” near two phone booths. Allow 10 minutes to walk back to the dock.
• To check on special boats, or if you have further questions, call 617-426-0177 and dial 0 for the Operator.

The Technical Writing Test will be held tomorrow, September 5th, and start promptly at 2:30 in room E51-117.

The intention of this test is to evaluate whether your written communication skills would benefit from some additional instruction. ALL students must take this test, UNLESS they can provide satisfactory results from the same test taken with another MIT graduate department.

The test will run from 2:30 until 5:00 and you may NOT use your computer. All answers will be written ‘long hand’ with a pen on paper. Ed Ballo will be the proctor and will bring the paper.

If you have already taken this test, please make sure that Sydney Miller receives the results from your home department’s Graduate Administrator.

Hi, everyone. Here are the overheads that I used at the reorientation yesterday.

Frank