Fall 2018 member meeting
Workshops: Thursday, October 25
Attendance at this event is by invitation only.
An Introduction to the Blockchain Ecosystem and a Deep Dive on the Lightning Network Vending Machine
Rhys Lindmark, Tadge Dryja, Gert-Jaap Glasbergen | E14-514B
John Oliver recently said “Bitcoin is everything you don’t understand about computers combined with everything you don’t understand about money.” We’re here to change that. In this workshop, we’ll give you a high-level overview of the cryptocurrency ecosystem, dive into a variety of cutting edge scaling research, and finish by unpacking the specific mechanisms behind our Lightning Network vending machine.
Bringing AI to the Enterprise
Hossein Rahnama, Beth Porter, Sandy Pentland | E14-240
We will talk about a new education and culture change program we are conducting with the country of Canada to bring AI technologies into SMEs and large corporations. The program is unique in using advanced video interaction technologies in conjunction with real-time AI program management to promote not only knowledge transfer, but the culture change necessary for the technology to be successful.
Incentives for Social Improvement
Esteban Moro, Takeo Nishikata, Thomas Hardjono | E14-393
This workshop will focus on the use of data and social analytics to improve the quality of our lives, measuring non-economic capitals, such as social and natural capital, in addition to economic capital. It will also discuss mechanisms for digitizing social capital based on research in computational social systems. We have chosen to focus on real social capital, as some studies have shown that social connections, among other non-economic factors, have the most influence on human wellbeing.
Space Horticulture: Nutritious Meals for Space Explorers
Ezinne Uzo-Okoro | E14-526
The first thing we humans do after migrating from one place to another is satisfy our basic needs, including growing food. If we were to have a base on the moon or Proxima Centauri, would we grow green plants? If we retain our molars and taste buds, what would we consume besides thermo-stabilized and freeze-dried food? Why not introduce self-sufficiency on the moon and use the same space-enabled designs to feed people on Earth? This is the first open source lunar plant habitat that will test seed germination and initial plant growth when subjected to the effects of lunar gravity and ionized radiation.
Ultimate Media
Mike Bove, Andy Lippman | E15-341
We invite you and your colleagues to join us Thursday, October 25, during the Media Lab's member meeting for our Ultimate Media Workshop. We will present new and proposed work in areas of narrative, news, sports, and public events that capitalize on new technologies that are becoming part of the media landscape, and introduce a new set of students engaged with the program.
VR for Exploratory Learning with Peers
Scott Greenwald | E14-244
A multi-year effort in the Fluid Interfaces group has explored facilitating learning with virtual reality, focusing on a multi-user and simulation-based approach. Hear how this research has uncovered challenges and solutions for scalable and scientifically-based learning experiences, and how it may be deployed moving forward.