Hub Science

Do the RUBICK with Ty Law

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon A.) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:38:00 +0000

Mathworks, the Museum of Science, and retired NE Patriot Ty Law will host a Rubick's Cube competition this Saturday (11/19) at the MOS. Details from the press release are blindly posted at MarketWatch, which apparently does not even edit for relevance before posting PRs.

You can watch competitors turn their cubes while Ty Law opines on the similarities between football and "The Cube."

Nicholas Negroponte Speaks

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon A.) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 01:32:00 +0000

Co-founder of the MIT Media Lab Nicholas Negroponte spoke today as part of the Boston Book Festival and was interviewed by the Boston Herald: http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/lifestyle/view.bg?articleid=1373390

If you missed the talk and want to catch Negroponte, 826 Boston is holding a benefit with him as a featured speaker: http://826boston.org/blog/883/save-the-date-826-bostons-books-for-breakfast-november-16th

Raytheon and Museum of Science Advance STEM Education

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon A.) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 01:29:00 +0000

Raytheon and the Museum of Science strengthen their relationship and commitment to STEM education by graduating honorary engineers: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/raytheon-and-museum-of-science-graduate-middle-school-students-as-honorary-engineers-131872593.html

Harvard RA Second-Guesses Steve Jobs's Healthcare

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon A.) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 01:24:00 +0000

In what may be the most speculative blog post ever written, a Fulbright scholar and research associate at Harvard Medical School (but apparently not a Dr. as the article refers to him as Mr.) suggests that the use of non-traditional medicine shortened Steve Jobs's life:

http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/10/14/blackwell-on-health-did-use-of-alternative-medicine-cut-short-jobs-life/

Bridgewater State Gets New Science Building

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon A.) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 22:43:00 +0000

Harvard is not the only local University building new buildings:

http://articles.boston.com/2011-09-15/news/30160902_1_first-phase-science-and-math-biology-lab

Heart Failure Conference Begins Today

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon A.) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 22:33:00 +0000

The 15th Meeting of the Heart Failure Society of America begins today, with a local researcher as the Distinguished Lecturer: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/christine-e-seidman-to-give-5th-annual-distinguished-lecture-in-basic-science-at-heart-failure-society-of-americas-15th-annual-meeting-2011-09-18

X-Ray Thieves Beware ...

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon A.) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 22:23:00 +0000

... the HUPD is on the case: http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/9/16/newburyport-mitchell-huhs-xray/

Harvard's Allston Presence is Reborn

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon A.) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 22:21:00 +0000

Harvard's ambitious science campus was put on hold with the recession (or whatever it is) but they recently proposed moving slowly along on expanding their footprint across the Charles: http://articles.boston.com/2011-09-17/news/30169773_1_main-campus-dorm-new-building

Recycling Coffee Cups is No Easy Thing

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon A.) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 22:15:00 +0000

MIT hosted the "Cup Summit" to try to get big name coffee retailers together to solve the mystery of the un-recyclable coffee cup:

The need to recycle a higher volume of cups was a key topic of discussion last week at the third “Cup Summit’’ at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The event puts competitors, like Dunkin’ Donuts and Tim Hortons, or International Paper and Georgia Pacific, in the same room to share ideas about how to develop a market for used coffee cups.

http://articles.boston.com/2011-09-17/business/30169794_1_recycling-companies-recycling-centers-special-bins

15 Year-Old Collaborates with MIT

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon A.) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 02:14:00 +0000

If you thought college recruiting was just for football, think again:

http://bostinnovation.com/2011/09/13/introducing-thomas-sohmers-mits-newest-teenage-military-gadget-collaborator/

Media Lab Profiled in the Atlantic

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon A.) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 02:12:00 +0000

The Atlantic has a story on MIT's Media Lab and the innovations that are growing under its roof.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/10/the-idea-factory/8627/

Groupon Gets People in the Door (Who then Bash you on Yelp)

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon A.) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 02:10:00 +0000

As if Groupon's IPO did not have enough of a headwind, a new study by Boston University and Harvard indicates that Groupon users rate merchants 10% lower, on average, on the rating site Yelp.

http://bostinnovation.com/2011/09/12/daily-deal-fatigue-groupon-deals-lower-yelp-rating-hurt-merchants-reputations-study/

Technology and Journalism Collide in Boston

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon A.) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 02:07:00 +0000

The Boston Globe reports on their own new site and whether it is the next big thing in online journalism (hint: yes it is, they say).

http://articles.boston.com/2011-09-12/business/30145836_1_development-area-digital-newspaper-desktop-computers

Catching up on the News

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon A.) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 01:38:00 +0000

Here are a few items that popped up last week but were not posted:

Pfizer is in the process of relocating some research units to Kendall Square - Cambridge, MA:

http://www.theday.com/article/20110908/BIZ02/309089513/-1/BIZ

JD/Biochemistry PHD Named 2011 "Top Woman of Law" by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly:

http://boston.citybizlist.com/7/2011/9/7/Fish--Richardson-Principal-Dr.-Janis-Fraser--Named-2011-Top-Woman-of-Law-by-Massachusetts-Lawyers-Weekly.aspx

FAA fines MIT for improperly shipping lithium batteries and causing a fire in an experiment. The batteries were a part of a trash-tracking experiment:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/02/us-faa-mit-idUSTRE7815G620110902

McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center and other New Hampshire Museums are going Private:

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/newsstatenewengland/932040-227/state-funded-mcauliffe-shepard-center-may-join-ranks-of.html

Massachusetts Math + Science Initiative Announces a 130% increase in Qualifying AP Test Scores

http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/politics/Non-profit-takes-aim-at-achievement-gap

Art in the Service of Science Exhibit Begins at Harvard's Sackler Gallery, Runs through December 10:

http://articles.boston.com/2011-09-05/ae/30116459_1_susan-dackerman-prints-martin-schongauer

"Crotty College Report" Reviews Boston
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesmarshallcrotty/2011/09/10/the-crotty-college-report-a-weekend-in-boston-massachusetts-college-town-usa/

More Scientists Reaching out to Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon A.) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:40:00 +0000

Dot Diva, a WBGH production, is joining Rocket21, a new social networking site where kids can think about their careers, to expand its audience of scientific programming. Dot Diva's goal is to introduce women to computer science and get them thinking about the field as an exciting career opportunity. The group will add successful female computer scientist to Rocket21 PROs, who are experts in their fields reaching out to kids on the site.

More information is given in this press release: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/09/08/prweb8779286.DTL

Archaeology Comes to Life at the Museum of Science

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon A.) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:34:00 +0000

Starting October 2nd, patrons at the Museum of Science, Boston will be able to see what Pompei, Italy was like before and after Mount Vesuvius unleashed itself on the town. The exhibit is $27 dollars for adults, $25 dollars for seniors, and $24 dollars for kids ($4 for all members). Some times on popular days in October are already sold out, so reserve your spot if you are interested.

http://www.mos.org/exhibits_shows/coming_soon&d=4837

Concussion Webcast from Children's Hospital Boston

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon A.) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 11:44:00 +0000

On Monday, September 12th there will be an expert panel om concussions webcasting their presentation. Details are here:

http://www.orlive.com/childrenshospitalboston/videos/concussions

Science from Scientists Teaches CSI

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon A.) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 02:12:00 +0000

An intriguing new non-profit, Science from Scientists is sending forensics experts into a Dorchester middle school. The DOT Reporter has more:

http://www.dotnews.com/2011/csi-columbia-road-school-kids-will-get-trained-forensics

Keep it Clean

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon A.) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 02:06:00 +0000

Reagan's jelly-bean diplomacy may have scientific support:

http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1050683--teddy-bears-need-a-seat-in-the-boardroom

Sports Stats Conference Slated for Boston

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon A.) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 02:01:00 +0000

The Boston Chapter of the American Statistical Association is bringing a workshop on statistics & sports to the Science Centet at Harvard September 24th. No word on a Moneyball screening, but there is a talk by a NY Mets scout (same thing really).

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/9/prweb8777848.htm

Harvard Researcher Sent to Cornell

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon A.) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 01:54:00 +0000

A Harvard Immunologist was made Dean of Weill Cornell Medical School. The NY Times focused on her ties to the pharmaceutical industry instead of the female's distinguished scientific career in a competitive research environment. Maybe they could write about how continued cuts to R & D funding will force researchers into the open, private arms of pharma with even greater enthusiasm. If Cornell has the foresight to get there first, then more power to them. If she did not have to cut ties after Harvard's crackdown, then there's likely no probelm except she got paid for her expert advice. The Times mentioned there were accounting shenanigans while she was on a pharma board of directors (I'm sure she was brought on for her accounting expertise), and described her research in osteoperosis as a "strong interest". Somehow I do not think there will be any women scientista who will point to thia story as a moment of inspiration.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/08/nyregion/laurie-h-glimcher-named-dean-of-weill-cornell-medical-college

Cookin + Science is back at Harvard

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon A.) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:12:00 +0000

With expanded seating, Harvard's popular Cooking + Science lecture series kicked off last night. The schedule for future lectures can be found at the link below. Lectures take place in Harvard's Science Center @ 1 Oxford Street.

http://boston.grubstreet.com/2011/09/harvard-science-and-cooking-lecture-series.html

Deval Patrick to Address BioPharma Tonight

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon A.) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:07:00 +0000

A pretty self-explanatory title, check out the MarketWatch article and some details on how much Mass contributes to the Pharmas that be.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/massachusetts-governor-deval-patrick-to-address-biopharm-americatm-2011-2011-09-06

Cambridge is not better than Cambridge

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon A.) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:02:00 +0000

Cambridge, USA's superiority is questioned in a new QS poll that is to the Ivies what the pre-season AP poll is to the rest of the nation, except more arbitrary and less well known. Harvard, the school most tied to the hallowed town name on this side of the pond, came in 2nd behind THE Cambridge University in a worldwide ranking of universities. All is not lost for Cambridge West, as MIT also contributes to its prestige and is ranked 3rd. School rankings largely measure size and notoriety, so maybe the boost in profile can put Harvard over the top in the next poll. Better to institute a Dean's Championship Series (DCS) and stop letting the computers call the shots.

http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/09/06/take-that-harvard-university-of-cambridge-named-worlds-best-college/

Canucks Use Science to Stay Sharp

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon A.) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 01:28:00 +0000

The Vancouver Canucks, who are playing someone's beloved Boston Bruins (sorry, not mine--although I was the representative Boston fan at a Washington Capitals game once because while it is not always fun to be a Bruins fan, it is always fun to be a Caps hater), are the team with the worst life on the road. According to a recent Fox News article, the team almost always has to fly at least 2 hours to get to any road game. Not wanting to bow down before circadia, the General Manager gave Fatigue Science a nice fat contract in 2008 to help them deal with the problem. FS is a company that seems to serve the military and sports teams (how did Fox ever find out about them?) with complete "Fatigue Risk Management" services. Their website makes me scared of all of them and I am sure fatigue feels the same way.

(As a side-note, the company is in Honolulu, HI, which may make it first company to be headquartered in Hawaii that I have ever heard of. Do they want people to visit them and experience severe circadian disruption first-hand while succumbing to their militaristic approach to sleep management? Or do they laugh in the face of a need to schedule conference calls with clients 6-9 hours away?)

The article points out that the Canucks are a great team on the road, in fact this year they were the best, especially in the 3rd quarter where fatigue is the most dangerous. It seems like Fox is really on to something here, despite the fact that the Canucks were the best in the entire league and that Fox gives Games 1 and 2, which were home games after a week of rest, as examples of the Canucks telling fatigue what is up. I guess the implication is that Boston was being ruled by fatigue and gave up those goals, but I don't believe the goals were all that sloppy. In any case, I looked up the NHL season records and low-and-behold, the Canucks beat out Calgary, the No. 2 team in their division and arguably the only team in the league with as tough of a travel schedule, based mainly on their road wins.

From here the article, like most mainstream science articles, goes straight downhill. What it gives is some vague description of how wrist bands monitor the type of sleep players are getting, the data are run through proprietary software (Note: if you run a science business, you must ALWAYS have a black box to run data through), and then players are matched up as roommates, and schedules for training, travel, and eating are decided based on the results. For example, the Canucks left 2 hours later for Boston when they traveled back East and then won their next game, therefore it works!

What it doesn't give is any evidence that this reshuffling of the deck actually mattered and that there was a measurable improvement in sleep that added to the team's success. Until then, the non-causative correlation between the Canucks current success and Fatigue Science's is sure to drum up some business.

What I love best is that when the government funds this research, it's government waste for information that everyone already knows is true, when the Russians use a quantitative/biological approach to dominate the Olympics, it's communism, but when an American company is able to do all this, it's Capitalism! And the first ones on board are the DOD. Is their no training that they originally funded that they won't pay a private contractor to get back?

PS. It is 3-0 Bruins at the end of the 2nd, which gives the Bruins 11 goals and the Canucks 1 in the last 2 games. But beware the 3rd period!!!

PPS. If the Bruins win, how will NKOTB be received in Canucks during their reunion tour?