ULTRA-Ex: Metabolism of Boston

Mayor Thomas M. Menino announces City of Boston Wins IBM “Smarter Cities Challenge” 2012 Grant

Charli Kerns — Mon, 28 May 2012 12:42:30 +0000

CITY OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Office of the Mayor

Thomas M. Menino

Mayor Thomas M. Menino announces City of Boston Wins IBM “Smarter Cities Challenge” 2012 Grant

Gives City Access to IBM’s Technology Experts to Analyze and Recommend Ways Boston Can Become an Even Better Place to Live and Work

Mayor Thomas M. Menino today announced that IBM has selected the City of Boston, to receive an IBM Smarter Cities Challenge grant. The grant provides Boston with access to IBM’s top experts to work on ways Boston can engage its citizens and more efficiently deliver municipal services.

“This is another example of how we are piloting innovative work in the City of Boston and sharing it with our colleagues around the world,” Mayor Menino said. “Boston is pleased to partner with IBM on the Smarter Cities Challenge.”

The IBM Smarter Cities Challenge is a competitive grant program in which IBM is awarding a total of $50 million worth of technology and services to 100 municipalities worldwide through 2013. Teams of specially selected IBM experts will provide city leaders with analysis and recommendations to support successful growth, better delivery of municipal services, more citizen engagement, and improved efficiency. For full story….

Prof. Nathan Phillips Joins Pardee Center as Newest Faculty Fellow

Charli Kerns — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:21:09 +0000

Prof. Nathan Phillips, associate professor of Geography & Environment at Boston University, joins the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future as a Faculty Fellow. The center convenes symposia and conducts interdisciplinary, policy-relevant, and future-oriented research that contributes to long-term improvements for people around the world. The center focuses longer-range visions and does not confine itself to any one issue. It seeks to identify, anticipate, and enhance the long-term potential for human progress.

New Environmental Defense Fund Supported Project

Brittain Briber — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:04:16 +0000

‘With a $66k grant from the Barr Foundation and the Conservation Law Foundation, Nathan Phillips and colleagues documented 2,945 natural gas leaks in the City of Boston, from distribution pipelines. Following on this finding, Nathan and Lucy Hutyra are BU PI’s on an $70k Environmental Defense Fund supported project that seeks to estimate the total volume and greenhouse warming potential of gas leaks in Greater Boston.’

The excerpt above and more information about this story can be found here:

Mayor Thomas M. Menino announces City of Boston Wins IBM “Smarter Cities Challenge” 2012 Grant

Brittain Briber — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:02:00 +0000

‘Mayor Thomas M. Menino today announced that IBM has selected the City of Boston, to receive an IBM Smarter Cities Challenge grant. The grant provides Boston with access to IBM’s top experts to work on ways Boston can engage its citizens and more efficiently deliver municipal services.

“This is another example of how we are piloting innovative work in the City of Boston and sharing it with our colleagues around the world,” Mayor Menino said. “Boston is pleased to partner with IBM on the Smarter Cities Challenge.”

The IBM Smarter Cities Challenge is a competitive grant program in which IBM is awarding a total of $50 million worth of technology and services to 100 municipalities worldwide through 2013. Teams of specially selected IBM experts will provide city leaders with analysis and recommendations to support successful growth, better delivery of municipal services, more citizen engagement, and improved efficiency.’

The excerpt above and more information about this story can be found http://www.bu.edu/energy/2012/03/22/mayor-thomas-m-menino-announces-city-of-boston-wins-ibm-smarter-cities-challenge-2012-grant/

Boston UltraEX in the New York Times!

Brittain Briber — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 12:37:24 +0000

Boston Ultra-Ex was recently featured in the New York Times Green Blog! Please go here for the article.

AGU Special Session Announced

Brittain Briber — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 11:36:30 +0000

American Geophysical Union (AGU) Special Session
B22: Characterizing, Modeling and Extending Urban Metabolism
Conveners: Nathan Phillips (BU), Lucy Hutyra (BU), Mark Friedl (BU), and Stephanie Pincetl (UCLA)

Submission Deadline: August 4, 2011

Description: Urban Metabolism, a biological metaphor for the coupled biophysical and socio-economic function of cities, has been a productive framework for urban biogeophysical research for decades, and current understanding of urban metabolism is evolving rapidly. However, for Urban Metabolism to grow as a useful research framework, coupled urban biogeophysical and socio-economic systems need better understanding. We invite theoretical or applied studies spanning the spectrum of urban metabolism research. Topics of interest include urban coupled-human natural interactions, urban biogeochemistry, urban hydrology and energy budgets, and spatio-temporal modeling of urban systems that examine the limits and potential of the Urban Metabolism concept.

Please see http://sites.agu.org/fallmeeting/scientific-program/session-search/108 for more information.

Longterm BU carbon dioxide time series now posted

Brittain Briber — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 17:09:00 +0000

Please go here to see newly published results of an extended time series of measured median CO₂ on Boston University’s campus.

Welcome to the new Boston Ultra-Ex Website

Christopher R Devits — Wed, 11 May 2011 18:20:09 +0000

This website is the new home of basic information, announcements, and updates relating to the Boston Urban Long Term Research Area Exploratory Award (Ultra-Ex) project. Check back often to see the status of current research and to view preliminary results.