Mid-November Events & Opportunities List

A newsletter full of happenings during the month of November: Virtual, Boston/Cambridge, and San Francisco | Data x Direction, FHTT, and beyond!

Hello Greater JOPRO Community! Here’s a quick run-down of the most interesting events happening across our community this week and in the near-future. There is so much we decided to make one message containing everything, with other project & working group updates to follow.

We’ve grouped them across Virtual, Boston/Cambridge, and San Francisco, spanning everything from AI salons and complexity science to moral ambition, brain aging research, and a new gallery of researcher-creatives.

If you’re attending any of these, feel free to drop reflections or notes in the comments — or let us know if you’d like to meet others who will be there.

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Virtual Events

The Future of Funding R&D — with Jim O’Shaughnessy & Atman Pandya (Computational Philosophy / Polymath Salon)

Jim O’Shaughnessy and Atman Pandya of O’Shaughnessy Ventures (OSV) joined the Polymath Salon to discuss emerging models for funding R&D in the arts and sciences—especially for creators, researchers, and founders working between or outside traditional academic categories.

🗓 Mon, Nov 10 — 12:30–2:30 PM ET
🔗 Event: luma.com/oshaughnessy
🎥 Replay: YouTube via ekkolápto
🔗 OSV: www.osv.llc

Jesse Parent comments: “Worth checking out the video, and following Jim O'Shaughnessy’s writings and podcast. I’m a fan of his combination of optimism and sobriety, and would encourage our community to check out opportunities from OSV proper, as well as the network present within this conversation. Thanks to Addy & Co for organizing the event — and do check out the Computational Philosophy Club at MIT for more topics; more ahead with this blossoming collective.”

Brain Inspired: Complexity Group — Discussion on Minsky (1961)

A reading and dialogue session unpacking Marvin Minsky’s “Steps Toward Artificial Intelligence,” led by Darren Lott.
🗓 Wed, Nov 12 — 12:30 PM ET
🔗 Zoom, semi-regularly, replays available via Brain Inspired - Complexity Group.

Jesse Parent: “Paul Middlebrook (Brain Inspired) is courageously leading us as we deep dive through David Krakauer’s (Santa Fe Institute) Complexity Papers, alongside many intriguing figures (Kevin Mitchell, Anna Riedl, Luiz Pessoa, and many more!) It’s intense but if you’re interested in understanding the roots of modern complexity science, they are invaluable discussions.”

Emergence of Natural & Artificial Patterns (FAU / MPCR)

This session is kindly brought to you by the Machine Perception and Cognitive Robotics Lab at Florida Atlantic University hosted at the Sandbox AI Center at Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton Campus.

🗓 Wed, Nov 12 — 6:00 PM ET
🔗 Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/@mpcrlabs9710/streams

Playtest: Small Hassles Court — Metagov Governable Space-Makers Fellows (Plot Twisters)

A live playtest session of Small Hassles Court, a digital game that helps players practice interpersonal conflict resolution and self-governance, developed by the Plot Twisters collective as part of their developing Twisterland project; hosted through Metagov’s playtester community.

🗓 Fri, Nov 14 — 11:30 AM–12:30 PM ET
💻 Zoom (RSVP Required)
🔗 Event: https://luma.com/
🔗 Fellowship Info: Metagov (on Substack)

Jesse Parent: “Check out our sister group’s progress on one component of Twisterland, our forthcoming EdTech gameworld! There will be multiple iterations of this event, so if this Friday doesn’t work, check Luma for other events. All participation and feedback is welcomed; we’re looking to build something new and quite timely! Last year, we presented at Oxford Internet Institute’s Inclusive Gaming Conference, so check out the latest developments at these playtesting events.”

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Boston + Cambridge

Civil Discourse Series — What Ties a Nation Together? (Harvard Safra Center for Ethics)

A panel discussion hosted by the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics exploring the cultural, political, and social forces that hold a nation together, with a virtual Q&A component and full livestream access. Attendees must verify registration (HUID if applicable), and accessibility accommodations are available upon request.

🗓 Wed, Nov 12 — 4:30–6:00 PM ET
📍 Smith Campus Center Commons, 1350 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge
💻 Also online
🔗 Event Info: @ Harvard Ethics | YouTube Livestream

Measuring Aging Within the Human Brain — Salon with David Bennett (Hosted by MIT Prof. Manolis Kellis)

A dinner salon hosted at the home of MIT Professor Manolis Kellis featuring David Bennett, creator of the 30-year ROSMAP aging-brain cohort, discussing insights from thousands of human brains, the architecture of long-term cohort science, and his new PARDoS initiative expanding diversity and molecular depth in aging research.

🗓 Wed, Nov 12 — 6:30–8:30 PM ET
📍 Brookline, MA (private residence)
🔗 RSVP: https://forms.gle/

Redefining Success: A Conversation with Rutger Bregman on Moral Ambition @ Harvard

Hosted by David Jaffin & Laura Clancy, this talk challenges students to rethink conventional career ladders and embrace “moral ambition,” drawing on historical disruptors and launching the new $15,000 Harvard Moral Ambition Fellowship. Early attendees receive signed pre-release copies of Moral Ambition.

🗓 Fri, Nov 14 — 4:30–5:30 PM ET
📍 Harvard Science Center Room 309A
🔗 Event: https://luma.com/

Harvard x School for Moral Ambition — JOPRO Social (Hybrid)

Following the Rutger Bregman talk, JOPRO Director Jes Parent and community members will host an in-person + virtual discussion on moral ambition, alternative career pathways, and aligned initiatives JOPRO is supporting. Harvard event attendance is recommended but not required; online link provided.

🗓 Fri, Nov 14 — 5:30–6:30 PM ET
📍 Harvard Science Center Plaza, Cambridge (and forthcoming virtual component)
🔗 Event: https://luma.com/

Jesse Parent: “See you there! I’ve been a supporter and almost worked on this project; glad to see very intentional Alternative Crafting, particularly for young folks. Stay tuned for similar efforts at Princeton, Stanford - and perhaps a university by you? Or, would you like support making your own event even outside of SMA? We can help - let’s talk!”

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San Francisco

VOLUME 1: The Rise of the Researcher-Creative Opening Gala

We have a special message from Jolie Gan of Distressed Scientists Dept.:

“There’s a quiet revolution happening in scientific research.

The Distressed Scientists’ Department opens Volume 1: The Rise of the Researcher Creative, the first creative research exhibit in San Francisco on Mon, Nov 17 -- a 3-day exhibition gallery for researcher-creatives who bring their work beyond papers into tangible artifacts.

Expect code as sculpture, EEG as fashion, and bioengineered flowers, plus gallery walkthroughs, short on-stage conversations with the next generation of researchers, and a printed passport-style booklet to stamp and get signed. If you fund, create, or simply love frontier research made public, this room is for you.”

🗓 Fri, Nov 17-19
📍 Pebblebed, 1417 15th St, San Francisco
🔗 RSVP here: luma.com/

Jesse Parent: “This looks to be a wonderful event - I wish I could attend in person! SF crew, please show up and support this. Perhaps we can do a similar event in Boston next year? Augmentation Lab, ekkolápto looking at you!”

FrontierTower

Multiple Events. Too many to list! Check out the many things going on at Frontier Tower, perhaps best by following them on Luma!

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That’s a wrap

There’s everything on our radar for this week — but we’re sure we’ve missed something. If you’re hosting an event, know of one we should include, or want help coordinating a gathering in your city or university, reach out or drop a note in the comments.

A Sneak Peak at 2026

Stay tuned for JOPRO at Princeton Envision (February) and New York Celebration of Women in Computing (April). The development of the JOPRO Futures Center is also underway — stay tuned for forthcoming newsletters around such.

Get involved!

And if you’d like to collaborate with JOPRO, connect with folks in the network, or explore hosting aligned programming (moral ambition, alternative career paths, operator labs, futurist practice), we’re always happy to talk.

Interested in any of these opportunities — or would you like to collaborate on related projects or initiatives? We’ll send RFPs, dates, and materials as they open. We look forward to hearing from you.

👉 One step for everything: [Interest Form]

See you out there — and keep us posted on what you’re building.

— The JOPRO Team

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