[Env seminars] TPP IAP Seminar Series

[Renee Robins]

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IAP 2005

Issues in Technology and Policy Seminar Series

Sponsored by the Technology and Policy Program
Tuesdays, Noon - 1:30 pm
E40-298

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Many policy issues at the public and private levels involve the 
application, commercialization, and control of technologies. This 
seminar series will explore selected issues in technology and policy, 
including examples from areas such as the energy and the environment, 
telecommunications, space exploration, and nuclear weapons.

Jan. 4:	Global Warming and Sustainable Energy: What are the Realities?
Michael Golay, Professor of Nuclear Engineering

To effectively employ technology to mitigate global warming, 
technologies of different scales and designs are needed along with an 
ambitious effort to deploy them.  How can the necessary resources be 
mobilized?  Can policy measures overcome inherent difficulties?  This 
seminar will discuss sustainable energy technologies in terms of. 
needs, availability and deployment.

Jan. 11:	Space Policy: The Early Years     
	Annalisa Weigel, Assistant Professor of Aeronautics and 
Astronautics and Engineering Systems

This seminar will look at the early history of international space 
policy, ranging from United Nations Treaties and Conventions to 
Presidential Decision Directives and the race to the moon.  Geared to 
a general MIT audience, no specific knowledge of space is required, 
but curiosity is encouraged.  Come prepared for an interactive 
session, as this will not be your average history lesson.

Jan. 18:	Napster Revisited: The Present and Future Case for 
Music, the Internet,
	and Copyright Law
	Frank Field, Senior Research Associate, Center for 
Technology, Policy and Industrial
	Development

Digital distribution of cultural content (music, movies, etc.) 
confronts us with fundamental questions about copyright, technology 
and the role of government in promoting and nurturing creativity. 
Tragically, the rhetoric that has emerged around cases like Napster, 
KaZaA and their ilk fails to illuminate these issues and instead 
steers us toward simple answers that belie the complexity of the 
underlying questions.  File-sharing is only the tip of the iceberg, 
and we invite disaster by failing to think carefully about the 
difficult questions that advances in digital technology poses.  If 
you think you know your position about these issues -- or if you 
don't -- come hear a provocative presentation and participate in the 
discussion about the myriad policy issues involved and how their 
resolution will shape the future of the music industry.


Jan. 25:	Relying on Nuclear Energy Without Spreading the Bomb 
-- Or Offering
	Terrorist Targets
	Matthew Bunn, Senior Research Associate, Harvard University 
Belfer Center for Science
	and International Affairs

This seminar addresses the linkage between civilian nuclear energy 
technologies and the spread of nuclear weapons, and offers a number 
of metrics for judging technical and institutional proposals to break 
this linkage.  The talk will also briefly address the danger of 
terrorist theft of nuclear materials and sabotage of nuclear 
facilities, and how it might be addressed.  Matthew Bunn, a 
recognized expert on security issues related to nuclear stockpiles 
and currently Senior Research Associate in the Managing the Atom 
Project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs in 
Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, is also 
pursuing the TMP Doctoral degree here at MIT.


Bring brown bag lunch; light refreshments provided.

For further information contact Renee Robins, rrobins at mit.edu

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