Past Events

Despite its well-established presence in the North Atlantic Ocean, the white shark is not considered an abundant species, and efforts to study its ecology have historically been hampered by the inability of researchers to predictably find these sharks. However, the rebounding population of gray seals off the coast of New England is drawing white sharks in greater numbers to our shoreline. Cape Cod has now become the only known aggregating site for white sharks in the North Atlantic. To take advantage of this opportunity, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries initiated a long-term white shark research program in 2009 to study the ecology and natural history of this species in the western North Atlantic. With more than 100 white sharks now tagged with sophisticated technology, Greg Skomal and his team are piecing together an incredible story of how this shark lives in the North Atlantic.

Alán Aspuru-Guzik, Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University is a member of an interdepartmental Harvard team or researchers developing "green" batteries. Such batteries are made from organic molecules (or synthesis) and are environmentally friendly. Dr. Aspuru-Guzik explains how candidate plant molecules are selected (his role in this project) and how such batteries work and store energy.

The Community Preservation Act (CPA) passed in November 2016 by a wide margin of Boston voters. Now those in the know must focus on turning the concept into a reality. The panelists tackle how to prioritize historic building sites and distribution of resources to Boston neighborhoods. Photo Credit: James L Woodward/[Commons Wikimedia](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Youth%27s_Companion_Building_Boston_MA_01.jpg "Youth's Companion Building Boston MA")

As part of the [Boston Office of Resilience and Racial Equity speaker series](https://www.boston.gov/calendar/resilience-and-racial-equity-speaker-series-karen-abrams ""), Pittsburgh urban planner and Harvard Graduate School of Design Loeb fellow Karen Abrams discusses how she built up healthy community participation in Pittsburgh processes. Abrams tackled head-on the biggest obstacle that prevented her colleagues from engaging communities affected by change and development: they never spent time together. Abrams shares success stories and tips for building relationships and changing racial dynamics, encouraging ownership of changes within a neighborhood. Photo Credit: [Sebastiaan ter Burg](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 "community") [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

WGBH celebrates Asian Pacific American culture with a discussion of these specially selected films: American Experience's _The Chinese Exclusion Act_, _Breathin’: The Eddy Zheng Story_, _Unbroken Glass_ and _Forever, Chinatown_. The celebration spotlights Asian Americans who have made it in America, becoming top leaders in their industries and communities. Leaders from a variety of sectors offer real-world advice as part of a panel discussion on crucial topics. Liz Cheng, general manager of WGBH Television and the WORLD, moderates the discussion with the panelists, including Dr. Pam Y. Eddinger, president of Bunker Hill Community College and WGBH trustee, Nam Pham, assistant secretary of business development and international trade in the Baker-Polito administration, and Brian Chu, Special General Partner at Cue Ball and Senior Advisor at HighVista Strategies. These panelists share their personal experiences and professional successes with event attendees.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer offers remarks about the Constitution of United States of America as part of Democracy Day celebrations in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Breyer speaks at 1:15 p.m. in the Main Library, Lecture Hall, including time for questions. “It is an honor to have Justice Breyer take part in Democracy Day,” said Maria McCauley, Director of Libraries. “In celebrating the Constitution with our Cambridge community it is quite special to get a visit from a United States Supreme Court Justice.” Democracy Day is a family oriented event centering around a public, participatory reading of the Constitution of the United States of America and its amendments. This event is part of the Our Path Forward series presented by the Library to affirm its commitment to public discourse and democracy. Photo: By Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States, Photographer: Steve Petteway [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Speakers Bureau co-founder, Bernie Swain, and Pulitzer Prize–winning historian, Doris Kearns Goodwin, discuss Swain's book, _What Made Me Who I Am_, a collection of profiles on thirty-four remarkable leaders, including Goodwin, and the influences that shaped them. Photo Credit: Animated Heaven/[Flickr](https://www.flickr.com/photos/71195909@N03/15579436810 "Success Story")

WGBH's Edgar B. Herwick, III (@ebherwick3) hosts a happy hour conversation with four very different experts in risk. Noah Wilson-Rich (@BestBees), co-founder of the Best Bees Company, discusses his work as a beekeeper and how he risks working with them to keep the pollinators—and their honey—in our lives. Tanya Hoke, Managing Director at Galen Diligence (@TanyaH), tells us about her decade-long investigation into the cannabis industry. Moran Cerf, a professor of Neuroscience and Business at the Kellogg School of Management and the LIJ department of Neurosurgery, discusses his experience as a computer hacker and teaches us what he has learned as he now studies the brain. Jeff Rogers (@professorjgrey), a freelance producer and consultant, talks about his experience working with young people who have severe emotional issues. He incorporates creativity and music into his job as a mentor to struggling youth. Photo Credit: A Syn/[Flickr](https://www.flickr.com/photos/24293932@N00/530211480 "RISK AWR WC T7L LosAngeles Graffiti Art")

Stanford Law's Mugambi Jouet discusses his new book _Exceptional America_ which tackles why Americans are far more divided than other Westerners over basic issues, including wealth inequality, health care, climate change, evolution, gender roles, abortion, gay rights, sex, gun control, mass incarceration, the death penalty, torture, human rights, and war. Why is America so polarized? How does American exceptionalism explain these social changes?

What is the effect of U.S. petroleum security on foreign policy? For decades, the country has alternated between periods of energy security and insecurity. Despite the so-called "energy revolution," the U.S. today is by no means disentangled from foreign dependence and global trends. Join us as we hear from API's Marty Durbin as he discusses these and other questions.