Past Events

How can new technology be used in documentaries and journalism? A great example is the immersive film "Greenland Melting" a product of NOVA and Frontline, who teamed up to tell a story of climate change through viewer experience. Join NOVA's Julia Cort and Frontline's Carla Boras as they explain the benefits and challenges of using 360 video and VR for journalistic storytelling. (Image: Pexels)

Criminal justice reform is one of the most pressing issues facing lawmakers in Massachusetts. A reform bill is working its way through the statehouse, however, prisoner advocates argue that too often the policy makers do not reflect the communities who are disproportionately impacted. In this anniversary gathering, organizers of the original gathering [#StuckOnReplay](http://forum-network.org/lectures/stuckonreplay-striving-social-justice/ "") attempt to move the conversation out of the State House and back into the community.

Microsoft Research's Social Media Collective and Harvard University's Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society welcome author Cathy O'Neil to NERD to discuss big data. O'Neil will read from her award-winning book, "Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy". Photo Credit: Pexel

Haroon Moghul was thrust into the spotlight after 9/11, becoming an undergraduate leader at New York University’s Islamic Center forced into appearances everywhere: on TV, before interfaith audiences, in print. Moghul was becoming a prominent voice for American Muslims even as he struggled with his relationship to Islam. In high school he was barely a believer and entirely convinced he was going to hell. He sometimes drank. He didn’t pray regularly. All he wanted was a girlfriend. But as he discovered, it wasn’t so easy to leave religion behind. To be true to himself, he needed to forge a unique American Muslim identity that reflected his beliefs and personality. How to Be a Muslim reveals a young man coping with the crushing pressure of a world that fears Muslims, struggling with his faith and searching for intellectual forebears, and suffering the onset of bipolar disorder. This is the story of the second-generation immigrant, of what it’s like to lose yourself between cultures and how to pick up the pieces. Thumbnail photo by Lorie Shaull from Washington, United States [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

In early 2015, Boston was the forerunner among cities with a bid to host the 2024 Olympics. But by July, the bid was dropped. What happened? Chris Dempsey, a former co-chair of **[No Boston Olympics](http://www.nobostonolympics.org/ "")**, discusses his new book on how a small group of activists ended the bid for the Olympic Games to come to Boston.

_The Ministry of Utmost Happiness_ takes us on an intimate journey of many years across the Indian subcontinent, from the cramped neighborhoods of Old Delhi and the roads of the new city to the mountains and valleys of Kashmir and beyond, where war is peace and peace is war. It is an aching love story and a decisive remonstration, a story told in a whisper, in a shout, through unsentimental tears and sometimes with a bitter laugh. Each of its characters is indelibly, tenderly rendered. Its heroes are people who have been broken by the world they live in and then rescued, patched together by acts of love—and by hope. Photo: (CC) Internaz/Flickr

This BostonTalks Happy Hour will improve your summer with road trip destination inspiration. Vermont’s Shelburne Museum curator, Kory Rogers (@shelburnemuseum), speaks about his work at the museum and encourages you to get on the road to the Green Mountain State to see everything for yourself. Amy Traverso (@amytraverso), Yankee Magazine food editor and co-host of WGBH’s Weekends with Yankee, shares her experience on a quest to find the best lobster roll in Maine. Western Mass freelance writer and beer aficionado, Kevin Koczwara (@kkoczwara), discusses how he created a career writing about beer, and where you can visit the best breweries. Tom Weyman (@ColumbusTheatre), Providence, Rhode Island’s Columbus Theatre Director of Programming, talks about the history of the theatre and gives us another possibility for a fun summer road trip destination. Boston Globe travel writer, Christopher Muther (@Chris_Muther), talks about the ups and downs of being a travel writer and some of the best places to visit.

What’s it like uncovering hard truths in a world where the very idea of fact is up for debate? WGBH and the New England Center for Investigative Reporting host a discussion with top journalists, exploring the shifting impact of news investigations on today’s politics and policy making.

Rwanda today ranks highest in the world in terms of women parliamentarians (64 percent); almost half the judges and president’s cabinet are female. In a merely two-decade span, Rwanda has forged progressive health, education, gender equity, and environmental policies along an extraordinary path that can serve as a model for the rest of the world. Longtime advocate for gender parity Swanee Hunt will speak about her experiences in Rwanda from her new book _Rwandan Women Rising._ Hunt interviewed more than 90 women (and men) who were key to rebuilding their country as they worked for peace after the genocide in 1994.

The relationship between America and Pakistan always been complicated, with both sides harboring common and competing interests. In recent years, a measure of common ground has been found on security matters, but many on both sides still view the relationship as transactional, and not strategic, in nature. What role does US military aid play in Pakistan’s domestic politics? How does Pakistan fit into the US’ South Asia strategy? And with a new administration in Washington, what are next steps for US-Pakistani relations? Listen to Ambassador Husain Haqqani, as he addresses these questions and and more. Photo Credit: Nicolas Raymond/[Flickr](https://www.flickr.com/photos/80497449@N04/7378367012 "Pakistan Grunge Flag") Photo Credit: Cbcindustries/[Pixababy](https://pixabay.com/en/american-flag-red-white-and-blue-2260839/ "American Flag")