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星期三, 10月 19, 2016

CITY OF BOSTON RELEASES THIRD YEAR OF BUILDING ENERGY METRICS

CITY OF BOSTON RELEASES THIRD YEAR OF BUILDING ENERGY METRICS
Boston continues reporting of citywide energy usage
BOSTON - October 19, 2016 - The City of Boston released today the third year of energy metrics for large and medium sized buildings, adding nonresidential buildings greater than 35,000 square feet. The new and updated metrics on energy and water usage is accessible through an interactive map onberdo.greenovateboston.org/

"The more open we are about our energy use, the more opportunities we have to become energy efficient and save money," said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. "Transparency and tracking is key to creating an energy-efficient city."

This is the second year of detailed public disclosure. More than 1,600 large properties, encompassing more than 38 percent of the built space in Boston, are now sharing their energy and water use. Last year all buildings greater than 50,000 square feet were required to report.

"We're eager to help even more people connect with energy efficiency incentives and financing programs," said Austin Blackmon, Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space. "Buildings account for more than half of our greenhouse gas emissions in Boston so regularly reporting their energy use is crucial to achieving our climate goals."

The building energy metrics and a map of 2015 data from municipal, commercial, and institutional buildings are available on the website here:http://berdo.greenovateboston.org/

Key findings from that data include:
  • In only the second year, 85 percent of the floor area required to report complied with the ordinance, an uptick in last year's rate.
  • The properties that reported in 2016 represent approximately 36 percent of all the energy used by buildings in Boston.
  • Buildings of the same type can vary greatly in energy use intensity.
Boston enacted the Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) in 2013 and shortly thereafter began sharing data on the City's municipal buildings. BERDO requires large buildings to annually report their energy and water use to the City along with non-residential buildings over 50,000 square feet since the beginning of 2014. Residential buildings of this size began reporting in 2015.

By 2017, more than 40 percent of Boston's built floor space will be tracking and reporting its energy use and GHG emissions, but to achieve this, less than 4 percent of Boston's buildings will report. Boston is one of 20 cities nationally with similar policies for transparency on building energy performance.

選民登記今(10/19)日截止

有意在今年的總統大選中投票者,最遲必須在今(19)日以前登記成為選民。凡持有麻州身分證者,上網辦理登記,只需5分鐘。

Rock the vote. Today is the last day to register to vote in Massachusetts. If you've got a state ID, it takes all of five minutes online to bang this out. I don't need to wax patriotic here about why this is important. Just know you have no excuse to miss the cut at this point.

波士頓會議展覽中心旁有望出現巨型酒店

(Boston Orange整理報導)麻州港務局(Massport)一年前收回建房間逾千的大酒店計畫,如今捲土重來,而且不需要政府資助。
預定地在夏日街(Summer Street)波士頓會議展覽中心對面的2.1畝土地。
知道招標概況的人說,酒店業者Robin Brown,波士頓地產發展商Davis Cos.,總部在達拉斯的Omni酒店及休憩地集團,都有意競標。麻州港務局正在和這些機構商議更多細節,估計將在三個月之內發包。
麻州港務局會提出甚麼樣的開發條件,確切會有多少個房間,都還不清楚,但會超過一千個房間。那將使得這酒店成為全波士頓最大的一家酒店。有些房間會是針對千禧年代人群的微型單位,比較小,也比較便宜。
麻州港務局擁有波士頓會議展覽中心對面的這2.1畝土地,在會議展覽中心預定以10億元擴建時,原本打算建一座有1200個房間的酒店。那時候麻州港務局認為要建這麼大的酒店,融資可能有困難,會需要政府補助來撐過早期得營運階段。
2015年4月時,麻州長查理貝克擔心成本問題,叫停了會議展覽中心的擴建計畫。麻州港務局也因此壓下了酒店計畫,後來一度打算建少到只有250個房間的酒店。
今年春天,有6個發展團隊遞交了競標書,其中有些提案的內容還未公佈。
地產及旅遊業專家說,波士頓的酒店房間需求,以及酒店房間價格,過去幾年來增長幅度極大,或許解釋了為什麼布朗-戴維斯-安姆尼團隊對提出大酒店計畫都很有信心。
麻州會議中心局一直都在抱怨,在南波士頓這會議展覽中心的徒步可到範圍內,酒店房間數量太少。大展覽都跑到其他有更多酒店房間的其他城市去了。在一份6月發表的報告中,該局還責怪波士頓的酒店房間價格。2016年時,平均270元一晚。
現在,南波士頓水前區約有7家酒店,2500個房間。其中最大的一家是會議展覽中心旁邊的威斯汀(Westin)酒店,有800個房間。

1,082 Pound Pumpkin to join Harvest Party 11/20

BOSTON — The Boston Public Market is now the home of the second annual “Official Pumpkin of Boston,” weighing in at an impressive 1,082 pounds — a full 62 pounds heavier than last year’s pumpkin, dubbed “Gourdo” by customers. Thanks to a generous donation from Market vendor Red Apple Farm of Phillipston, MA and their friends and fellow farmers, Lou and Sue Chadwick of Greenfield, MA, the Boston Public Market will be the lucky home of this giant pumpkin, along with another 800-pound gourd, throughout the season.
The giant pumpkin arrived just in time for the first annualHarvest Party, on October 20, a special night for friends and fans of the city’s local food marketplace to savor and sip the best of New England and enjoy live music and engaging experiences, all while supporting the Boston Public Market Association’s mission-driven work.
Market guests can participate in a pumpkin naming contest and snap a photo with the new pumpkin (use #BPMpumpking), which just won first place at Mount Wachusett’s AppleFest! The pumpkin will be on display in the southeast corner of the Market, near Bon Me, Jennifer Lee’s Gourmet Bakery, and Siena Farms, throughout the season. Follow the pumpkin’s adventures on Twitter@BPMpumpking.
1,082 Pound Pumpkin to be Forklifted into the Boston Public Market Tomorrow
Public Market to Unveil Second Annual “Official Pumpkin of Boston”

BOSTON — On Tuesday, October 18 at 12:00 p.m., theBoston Public Market will unveil the second annual “Official Pumpkin of Boston,” weighing in at an impressive 1,082 pounds — a full 62 pounds heavier than last year’s pumpkin, dubbed “Gourdo” by customers. Thanks to a generous donation from Market vendor Red Apple Farm of Phillipston, MA and their friends and fellow farmers, Lou and Sue Chadwich of Greenfield, MA, the Boston Public Market will be the lucky home of this giant pumpkin, along with another 800-pound gourd, throughout the season.

The giant pumpkin will arrive just in time for the first annualHarvest Party, on October 20, a special night for friends and fans of the city’s local food marketplace to savor and sip the best of New England and enjoy live music and engaging experiences, all while supporting the Boston Public Market Association’s mission-driven work.

Market guests can watch the unveiling and unloading of the pumpkin into the Market, participate in a pumpkin naming contest, and snap a photo with the new pumpkin (use #BPMpumpking), which just won first place at Mount Wachusett’s AppleFest! The pumpkin will be on display in the southeast corner of the Market, near Bon Me, Jennifer Lee’s Gourmet Bakery, and Siena Farms, throughout the season. Follow the pumpkin’s journey to the Market on Twitter@BPMpumpking.
Other pumpkin activities at the Boston Public Market this week include:
·        Free Pumpkin Decorating for Kids (Tuesday, 10/18, 3-5pm, Market Meeting Table): hosted by Jennifer Lee’s Gourmet Bakery to promote the Teal Pumpkin Project, which provides safe trick or treating options for kids with allergies.
·        Pumpkin Fest in the Kitchen (Sunday, 10/23, 3-5 p.m., Boston Public Market Kitchen, $5 entry/$8 pumpkin carving): hands-on pumpkin carving and decorating with Red Apple Farm, with samples of pumpkin foods and beverages from Market vendors:  pumpkin pie from Siena Farms, pumpkin beer & cider from Hopsters Alley, pumpkin wine from MA Wine Shop, pumpkin chocolate from Taza Chocolate, and pumpkin ice cream from Crescent Ridge Dairy. Purchase your tickets here:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pumpkin-fest-in-the-kitchen-tickets-28297091362?aff=BPM

星期二, 10月 18, 2016

紐約前市長彭博是麻州之子 捐款5000萬美元給科學博物館

紐約市前市長彭博(Michael Bloomberg。(周菊子攝)
(Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓報導)紐約市前市長彭博(Michael Bloomberg)的慈善基金,今(18)日在一名州長,三名市長聯袂出席的盛況中,誌記科學博物館收到有史以來的最大一筆捐款5000萬美元。
彭博的這筆款項將用於支持教育項目。科學博物館的教育組因此已改名為威廉及夏洛蒂蓬勃科學教育中心(William and Charlotte Bloomberg Science Education Center),藉以紀念彭博已辭世的父母。
科學博物館面對馬路的外牆,今日中午在麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker),波士頓市長馬丁華殊(Marty Walsh),劍橋市市長西蒙斯(E. Denis Simmons),以及麥德福(Medford)市市長聯袂出席揭幕儀式的隆重中,增添了威廉及夏洛蒂蓬勃科學教育中心這名牌。
左起,紐約市前市長彭博(Michael Bloomberg),麻州長查理貝克
(Charlie Baker),波士頓市長馬丁華殊(Marty Walsh)。(周菊子攝)
查理貝克指出,同時有一名州長,三名市長出席的活動,可不多見。他稱許彭博做為一名成功的企業家,政客,慈善家,見多識廣,卻從未忘記自己從何處來,並一路堅持信念,為使社稷國家偉大而付出。他笑說儘管彭博到外地數年,麻州仍非常高興能視彭博為麻州之子(Son of Massachusetts),尤其是從紐約州拿了5000萬元回來。
左起,紐約市前市長彭博(Michael Bloomberg致詞。科學博物館
館長Ioannis Miaoulis,麻州長查理貝克,波士頓市長
馬丁華殊,劍橋市市長西蒙斯。
 (周菊子攝)
馬丁華殊說,科學博物館有一半座落在波士頓市,一半座落在劍橋市,所以他和劍橋市長都有幸來分享喜悅。他指出,彭博的父母也是移民,起初住在奧斯頓,後來才搬到麥德福。
右起,科學館館長Ioannis Miaoulis和彭博及其家人等合影。
彭博表示,自己小時候常來科學博物館,卻從沒想過有一天會為了以父母之名來命名館內中心而來,相信他父母也沒想到過。他強調,要不是科學博物館帶給他的啟發,他不會有今日。科學博物館教會他思考的價值,以及別怕問問題。因此他給年輕人的忠告是得比其他人還要勤奮,那是成功的關鍵,要丟掉我(I, me)這個字,另以我們(we, us)來取代,而且敢於站起來說"我不懂,你能解釋嗎?",這筆捐款主要是希望更多小孩有他當年的經驗。
彭博致詞時發生的一段趣事是,當年進科學博物館是免費的。他轉頭問現在是否還免費時,科學博物館館長很不好意思的搖了搖頭。惹得全場大笑。
彭博強調,啟發,喚醒兒童有創新思考,對國家的未來是那麼重要。年輕人在這博物館裡學到的東西,將在許多方面改善他們。他認為科學博物館迄今做得很好。
嘉賓合影。
很多人都知道,今年已74歲的彭博曾經做了三任紐約市市長,但不少人還不知道,其實彭博是在麻州麥德福(Medford)市長大的,小時候幾乎每週六都自己搭地鐵到科學博物館自修。彭博因此強調,他很清楚科學博物館對一個年輕人的影響,可能有多重大。
威廉及夏洛蒂蓬勃科學教育中心(William and Charlotte
Bloomberg Science Education Center
)揭幕。(周菊子攝)
彭博的慈善基金並不是第一次眷顧波士頓,今年8月才捐了3200萬美元,在哈佛大學設立了”彭博哈佛城市領袖計畫 (Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative)”,要在未來五年內培訓300名市長,如何把他們的工作做好。
彭博也不是第一次捐款給已有186年歷史的科學博物館。他曾經在2011科學博物館翻修查理士海頓(Charles Hayden)天文館時捐款,然後又捐款支持實習項目,以及評估該館展覽及活動空間重新設計的需求等。2014年時,科學博物館頒發了Bradford Washburn傑出貢獻獎給彭博。
彭博(右)與蓬勃談話。(周菊子攝)
據說,這筆捐款將使科學博物館收受的捐款總額增加40%。由於這筆款項將用於支援教育項目,不是拿來蓋房子,對博物館來說格外有用。 
波士頓的科學博物館據說是小學工程課程的最大生產者,過去10年中就曾為1050萬兒童,12萬2400名教育從業人員提供了服務。
科學博物館館長Ioannis Miaoulis表示,通常來說,大額捐款總是花落藝術博物館,彭博的捐款對他們來說真的是意義非比尋常
彭博本人從霍普金斯大學取得工程學位,從哈佛大學取得企管碩士學位,其後以金融資訊服務在華爾街打造出他的個人品牌與帝國,成為世界上最有錢的人之一。據估計,他擁有的資產額超過400億美元。
彭博曾經宣誓,要在辭世前把他所有的錢都捐出去。迄今,他以捐出大約43億美元。去年,他才捐了1億元給紐約市裏的康乃爾科技園(Cornell Tech Campus),今年9月又捐了3億元給約翰霍普金斯彭博公衛學院(Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)。
儘管彭博已在紐約落地生根,但過去這10年,他常回波士頓,捐款給蘿絲甘迺迪綠路(Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway)的母親的步道(Mother’s Walk),支持波士頓前市長萬寧路(Tom Menino)的打擊非法槍枝行動。
在揭幕式後,科學博物館還為彭博舉辦了一場午餐會,放映一段特地製作,回顧彭博一生的短片,展示了彭博當年最喜歡,博物館裏有2000年年輪的巨大紅杉木,蜂窩,以及彭博年輕時喜歡收集蛇的癖好。代表麻州的國會參議員馬基(Ed Marky)也特地出席,和彭博聊了至少十幾分鐘。


Bloomberg gives $50M to Museum of Scienceunveiling

Getting ready to unveil the William and Charlotte Bloomberg Science Education Center . (By Chutze Chou)

From left, Michael R. Bloomberg, MA governor Charlie Baker,
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Cambridge Mayor E. Denise
 Simmons at the Museum of Science. (By Chutze Chou)
BOSTON, Mass. - Today the Museum of Science and Bloomberg Philanthropies, founded by entrepreneur, philanthropist and three-term mayor of New York City Michael R. Bloomberg, announced a $50 million gift, the largest in the Museum’s 186-year history. The endowment will support and name the Museum's Education Division the William and Charlotte Bloomberg Science Education Center in honor of Michael Bloomberg and Marjorie Tiven's parents.
The transformational gift solidifies the Museum’s position as one of the premier educational institutions in the world by ensuring the longevity and stability of the existing education department, and supports the creation of new computational thinking and food science initiatives modeled after the Museum’s premier engineering and STEM programs. 
Michael R. Bloomberg. (By Chutze Chou)
"Michael Bloomberg embodies the best in philanthropy, public service, and technological innovation,” says Museum president and director Ioannis Miaoulis. "His generous act is an endorsement of the amazing work of our educators and dramatically expands our capacity to make science and engineering accessible to all. The gift also underlines the significance of our region. We are thrilled and honored by his belief in us and the region as a whole.  Mike has given Boston, Cambridge, and the world a tremendous gift."
Michael R. Bloomberg and his sister, daughter and
grandchildren.(By Chutze Chou)
"I know how important this Museum is and what an impact it can have on young people -- because I was one of those young people,” said Bloomberg. “My visits to the Museum inspired my interest in science and technology and forever shaped the way I think. People often remember the first teacher to have a profound impact on their lives. For me, that teacher was the Museum of Science."
Not only does the gift help the Museum inspire visitors to think, learn, and question; it significantly amplifies the Museum's ability to imagine, create, and distribute world-class exhibits and programs, K-12 curricula, engineering design challenges, and Planetarium shows on a global scale. For decades, the Museum's dynamic interactive experiences have inspired people of all ages regardless of background, gender, or learning style through diverse, engaging environments exploring the interconnectedness of the natural and engineered worlds.
The $50 million gift provides an endowment for the support of the Museum's Education Division to be named the William and Charlotte Bloomberg Science Education Center in honor of Michael Bloomberg’s parents. It also provides funds to research, design, develop, pilot-test, and disseminate computational thinking/computer science curriculum and activities, as well as funds to develop and produce high quality food-science initiatives.
The $50 million gift follows three earlier Bloomberg gifts. One supported the 2011 renovation of the Museum's Charles Hayden Planetarium; the second supported access and internship programs; the third, a planning grant, enabled the Museum to assess the investment needed to redesign exhibition and programming spaces. In 2014, Bloomberg received the Museum's Bradford Washburn Award for outstanding contributions toward public understanding and appreciation of science and the vital role it plays in our lives.
Bloomberg has a history of supporting philanthropic work in the area since the early 1990s, including support of the Boston Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, which provides a place for children to inscribe pavers with the name of a loved one; the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, which will train mayors and city leaders in innovative city leadership and executive coaching; Bloomberg Philanthropies’ What Works Cities engagement with the city of Cambridge and Boston to assist their efforts to use data to drive decision making; and Everytown for Gun Safety to study Boston’s illegal gun market. Additionally, 40 cultural organizations participate in Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Arts Innovation and Management program, which is focused on small and medium sized arts organizations. This also builds on Bloomberg's longstanding commitment to educational institutions, recently including $300 million to the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health announced in September and $100 million for the Cornell Tech Campus in New York City announced last year.
The Museum is perfectly positioned to make use of this generous gift. Its Long-Range Plan, approved by trustees in 2015, calls for expanding the Museum’s reach locally, nationally, and internationally, optimizing the visitor experience, broadening participation across the lifespan, leveraging the Museum's leadership in K-12 engineering education, and securing the Museum's future. Its mission is to become the leading science center worldwide in expanding the public's access to, understanding of, and critical thinking around engineering, technology, and the sciences. (Press release from the Museum of Science)

謝曉亮當選美國國國家醫學院院士

謝曉亮教授。(檔案照片,周菊子攝)
(Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓整理報導)美國國家醫學院(National Academy of Medicine)10月17日在年會中宣布新增79名院士。哈佛大學教授謝曉亮頂上再添光環。
美國國家醫學院是由美國國家科學院於1970年成立,具有政府功能的非牟利組織,關注健康,科學及醫藥領域的重大議題,並為美國政府及相關機構釐訂政策,提供研究數據等諮詢服務。
2014年當選為該院首名華裔院長,任期6年的曹文凱(Victor J. Dzau)在宣佈新院士的文告中表示,79名新人中,有70人為本地院士,9人為國際院士。該院院士總人數因此躍升為1947人,國際院士146人。
中國醫藥界對此消息反應非常快,藥明康德立刻在該公司的微信公眾號上發表祝賀文章,詳列謝曉亮教授一系列成就,包括早於2008年當選為美國文理科學院院士,2011年當選為美國科學院院士,2015年獲得有美國醫學院界最高榮譽之稱的阿爾伯尼醫學中心生物醫學獎(Albany Medical Center Prize in Biomedicine and Biomedical Research),現在又再當選為美國國家醫學院院士。
藥明康德指出,謝曉亮教授是室溫下單分子螢光顯微技術的開拓者之一,在單分子酶學領域有奠基性貢獻,讓科學家們得以實時觀察進行中的酶催化反應,更進一步的理解酶動力學。他與研究團隊在基因表達動力學和單細胞基因組學上,也有開創性貢獻,讓科學家能在活體細胞內定量化表達基因,並在分子水平揭示基因表達機制,讓單細胞基因組測序,精確地找點突變。
藥明康德也簡述了謝曉亮的家世背景,指出他出生於化學世家,父親謝有暢教授,母親楊駿英教授都是北京大學化學系知名學者。他自己1984年從北大畢業後,從加州大學聖地牙哥分校取得博士學位,先後在芝加哥大學與美國能源部所屬的西北太平洋國家實驗室工作,1999年才到哈佛大學當化學及化學生物教授。
他在學術界的成就,早就引人矚目,2001年就受聘為北大化學系客座教授,隨後獲邀為北大生命科學院長江講座教授,如今還是北大生物動態光學成向中心主任,中組部千人計畫專家。
最近在新英格蘭成立華人抗體協會的王守業表示,謝曉亮是歷年來第三個當選為美國國家醫學院院士的中國大陸畢業生。此前的兩人分別是加州大學洛杉磯分校的王存玉,以及哈佛大學公衛學院的胡炳長(Frank Hu)。
在今年當選為美國國家醫學院院士的70人中,從姓名看,應有3名華人,在謝曉亮之外,還有紐約市Weill Cornell Medicine的心理學教授Francis S. Lee,以及馬里蘭州Bethesda國家衛生研究院糖尿病和消化及腎臟病研究所肝臟疾病組主任和轉譯研究副主任Jake Liang。