Massachusetts Named Most Energy Efficient State for Sixth Consecutive Year

Massachusetts Named Most Energy Efficient State for Sixth Consecutive Year

Shares Top Spot with California on American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy Scorecard

BOSTON – September 27, 2016 –The Baker-Polito Administration today announced that the Commonwealth has been named the most energy efficient state in the nation by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) for the sixth consecutive year. This year, Massachusetts is joined by California at the top of ACEEE’s annual scorecard that ranks states on their energy efficiency policies and programs. Earlier today Department of Energy Resources (DOER) Commissioner Judith Judson joined her California counterpart, Commissioner Andrew McAllister of the California Energy Commission, on a national conference call to announce the 2016 ACEEE State Energy Efficiency Scorecard.

“The Commonwealth continues to lead the nation in energy efficiency, which remains the most cost effective method of reducing ratepayer costs and lowering emissions,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “The recently signed comprehensive energy diversification legislation will build upon our nation leading success by providing new opportunities to embrace clean energy and energy efficiency.”

“From combined heat and power to electric vehicles and energy storage, our administration is committed to embracing innovative technologies and policies that will continue to allow us to build a resilient, clean and affordable energy future,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “Our continued success in this ranking wouldn’t be possible without our policies that support energy efficiency as a way to reduce energy costs and address challenges like peak demand and building a flexible, resilient energy grid.”

The ACEEE Scorecard measures states on six categories of energy efficiency policy and programs, including utility programs, transportation, building energy codes, combined heat and power, state government policies, and appliance standards. Contributing to Massachusetts’ ongoing leadership is its utility-run nation-leading energy efficiency programs. The Baker-Polito Administration recently announced that the state’s 2013-2015 Three-Year Plan Energy Efficiency Plan exceeded its savings goals and set a new savings record in 2015. The current 2016-2018 Three-Year Plan, approved earlier in 2016, sets nation-leading goals for energy savings, with goals of 2.94% of electric sales and 1.24% of gas sales.

“As we look to our clean energy future, Massachusetts’ ambitious current Three-Year Energy Efficiency Plan is a clear commitment to ensuring that we continue to lead the nation on energy efficiency,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton. “We are committed to building upon our longstanding partnership with utilities to ensure that all ratepayers, from residential and commercial to low-income, are able to access greater energy efficiency.”

“The Commonwealth continues to lead by example in embracing energy efficiency in state operations, from LEED certified state building requirements to providing technical assistance for government to maximize the energy savings benefits of performance contracting,” said Department of Energy Resources Commissioner Judith Judson.  “Additionally, by adopting the most recent national model building energy code and the Massachusetts’ stretch code, we’ve given our construction industry and local municipalities the tools they need to continue to incorporate energy efficiency into the next generation of buildings.”

The 2016 ACEEE scorecard recognized the continued leadership of the Commonwealth on embracing energy efficiency in state operations and facilities. Massachusetts currently has over 55 state buildings across 29 state agencies that have achieved LEED certification recognizing advanced energy and environmental design. The LEED standard, established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), awards certifications in Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum levels for clean energy, energy efficiency and environmental design integration. Over 60% of the state certified buildings are certified at the top two levels of Gold or Platinum.

“Massachusetts has led the nation in energy efficiency for the past six years. This year the Bay State showed continued commitment reducing energy waste by increasing its savings targets for utilities to close to 3%, the highest in the nation,” said ACEEE Executive Director Steven Nadel. “By setting ambitious goals, Massachusetts helps keeps energy bills low for residents and businesses, fosters economic opportunity, and ensures a cleaner and more resilient energy future for the state.”

In July, the Massachusetts Board of Building Regulations and Standards voted unanimously to adopt the latest national model building energy code together with a streamlined update to the Massachusetts stretch energy code. This code update keeps the Commonwealth on the leading edge in adopting the latest national model energy code, allowing Massachusetts to attain full points in this ACEEE Scorecard category, as well as offering towns and cities the opportunity to adopt a stretch energy code. To date 178 municipalities have elected to adopt the Stretch energy code, a key component of receiving a “Green Communities” designation. 

“Certainly we are making great strides toward energy efficiency and a brighter renewable energy future,” said Senate Minority Leader Bruce E. Tarr (R-Gloucester). “This rating confirms our progress, and should motivate us to continue moving in a positive direction.”

“Massachusetts’ designation as the nation’s most energy efficient state by the ACEEE is a testament to the strong leadership the Baker-Polito Administration has demonstrated on this issue,” said House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading).  “With the recent signing of a comprehensive energy diversity bill, the adoption of a new Three-Year Energy Efficiency Plan, and other environmental initiatives promoted by the Governor’s office, the Commonwealth is well-positioned to continue to lead the way in providing consumers with access to clean, reliable and affordable energy sources.”

“Energy efficiency brings great benefits to our Commonwealth, both by saving ratepayers money and providing clean energy jobs,” said Representative Thomas A. Golden, Jr. (D-Lowell), Chairman of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy.  “I applaud the administration’s work with the utilities and the energy efficiency advisory council.  In addition, the recently signed energy legislation not only includes a commercial property assessed clean energy program, but also contains provisions regarding energy storage and fuel cells, allowing us to utilize our existing resources to the fullest extent possible.”  

The recently signed comprehensive energy diversification legislation includes support for commercial ratepayers by establishing a commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program. The PACE program, facilitated by MassDevelopment and the Department of Energy Resources, will enable commercial and industrial property owners across the state to finance comprehensive energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades that are repaid through a property tax assessment on their building.

台灣經濟部攬才團請各界善用Contact Taiwan

經濟部投資業務處副處長王劍平(左)送禮物給駐波士頓台北經濟
文化辦事處處長賴銘琪，感謝他接待攬才團。(周菊子攝)

經文處處長賴銘琪(右)和道會的哈佛大學醫學院魏曉英博士交換
聯絡資訊。(周菊子攝)

            (Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓報導) 臺灣經濟部投資業務處與外貿協會率廠商及機構代表，9月26日到波士頓舉辦攬才洽談會。波士頓經文處經濟組長石大玲稱波士頓為生化、金融重鎮，建議攬才團每年都來波士頓。

            駐波士頓經濟文化辦事處處長賴銘琪為確保來自台灣的年輕人都知道，善用這一機會，25日晚在波士頓龍鳳酒樓設宴，以龍蝦餐為攬才團接風，並邀請台商會，專業人員協會及同學會代表等出席。

            經濟部投資業務處王劍平副處長率領的「2016年美國攬才團」，今年走訪矽谷，波士頓兩地。波士頓這一站，有鴻海精密，廣達電腦，信邦電子，台新金控，益邦製藥，台新金控，工業技術研究院，資訊工業策進會等逾14家廠商參加，帶來100多個職位。

            設址麻州的北美祥茂企業(醫療器材)，E-Ink，以及紐約的金石娛樂等美國本地公司，也都派人到場面試。

經文處經濟組組長石大玲說明台灣攬才團9月26日在劍橋市Le Meridien
酒店的Hunsaker Ballroom舉行。(周菊子攝)

            經文處處長賴銘琪表示，波士頓的金融業佔全美27%，生物科技業在全美排名數一，數二，攬才團到波士頓，絕對是明智選擇。

李政欣博士分享他對台灣攬才團應關注事項的意見。

            王劍平指出，台灣的經濟及企業發展現正面對少子化，人才外流等挑戰，政府因而訂定「攬才」、「競才」、「留才」等三大策略。攬才分兩部分，一是針對台灣五大創新產業等，向歐美尋求高科技人才，一是新南向政策，需要會當地語言的各方面人才。台灣政府為加速攬才效果，也已於今年6月18日設立了”聯絡台灣(Contact Taiwan)”，http://www.contacttaiwan.tw/main/index.aspx?lang=2，這能夠發揮自動媒合功能的網站，現在已有800多家企業，3000多人才在這平台上交流。

            中華經濟研究院所長陳信宏曾經和當年的次長尹啟銘一起到波士頓攬才。如今台灣的政治、經濟都有變化，人才需求也略不同於以往。他以”台灣轉型契機，人才商機舞台”為主題做了闡述。

在麻省理工學院念企管碩士的廖威宣指出來自台灣，在美國念過
MBA的人，已在網上組成群組，可以幫攬才團做很多事。

            陳信宏表示，根據InterNations，台灣對外籍人士來說是最好的國家。英國大廠到台灣建研發中心，日本高鐵要走進國際，找台灣做夥伴等，都是台灣軟實力的證明。目前台灣的新產業政策是5+2，包括綠能科技，亞洲矽谷，生技醫療，智慧機械，國防產業，以及關注農業科技與食品安全的新農業，關注6R經濟永續發展模式的循環經濟。新南向政策則是要開發互利共贏的新合作模式。

            在鏈接矽谷上，台灣有意向物聯網做包括軟硬體的全面轉型升級發展，希望仿效矽谷或麻州128公路精神，來強化台灣的努力和國內外連結。

            陳信宏指出，台灣生技產業經過廿，三十年來的發展，已經進入收割期，台灣在國內外進行臨床階段的產品，已高達158項，獲得美國FDA許可進入臨床實驗的廠商新藥也有73項。

麻省理工學院媒體實驗室的鄭昭仁分享看法。

            台灣還在打造創新綠能科技園區，已訂在台南沙崙建研發中心。台灣也因離岸風力發電廣受矚目，正在發展千架海陸風力機計畫。

            為了”讓人才走進來，留下來”，台灣也推出許多政策，包括設立連接海內外的攬才窗口，發創業家簽證，放寬僑生居留就業條件等。

            經文處經濟組組長石大玲指出，他到波士頓五年多以來，這才是第二次接待攬才團，希望攬才團今後每年都來波士頓，才能奠定台灣攬才這品牌的名聲，更有效的吸引大波士頓的各類人才。

            E-Ink公司投資管理長張嗣源，祥茂企業副董事長黎煥忠，企業項目主任林朝仲，麻省理工學院媒體實驗室研究員鄭昭仁，企管碩士研究生廖威宣，創辦了電子醫療病歷公司的陳立洋等人，當晚分別為台灣將來攬才進言。

經濟組組長石大玲(立者)介紹邀請到會的本地社團首長，波克萊台灣
商會會長蘇鴻昌(坐者左二)等人。

經文處處長賴銘琪強調攬才團這類活動，他儘量邀請年輕人出席。

BPS Celebrates Twelve Schools Rising to Level 1 Status in New DESE Accountability Data

BPS Celebrates Twelve Schools Rising to Level 1 Status in New DESE Accountability Data

District reaches a major milestone as 46 schools are designated in the state's top two tiers

Boston, MA. - Monday, September 26, 2016 - Working toward closing the achievement gap in the Boston Public Schools, several schools around the city demonstrated improved performance in various key assessments, according to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's 2016 accountability results. Altogether, 12 schools in the Boston Public Schools system this year rose to top Level 1 status for meeting assessment targets, bringing the total number of BPS schools presently in that top accountability level to 21. In addition, BPS now has 25 schools designated as Level 2. The combined 46 schools in either Level 1 and 2 are the most for the district since 2012.   The newly designated Level 1 schools include: Boston Arts Academy, Boston International and Newcomers Academy (BINcA), Bradley Elementary, Fenway High, Harvard/Kent Elementary, Umana Academy, McKay K-8, Mildred Avenue K-8, Mozart Elementary, New Mission High, Otis Elementary, and Quincy Elementary. "Our top priority is creating a public school system that gives all of our young people an opportunity to succeed," Mayor Martin J. Walsh said. "I am proud of the improvements we have made across so many of our schools as a result of the hard work of our students, teachers and staff. We will continue working everyday so that every single one of our schools has the resources to prepare our students for a bright future." Six schools moved from Level 3 to Level 1, the state's top accountability designation for schools: Boston Arts Academy, the city's public high school for the visual and performing arts, experienced strong gains in the performance of Hispanic/Latino students, who outperformed 94% of students in similar schools statewide in English Language Arts (ELA)  and 92% of students in Math. Boston International Newcomers Academy, a Dorchester high school, achieved an increase of 7.8 points over the past year in ELA in the Composite Performance Index (CPI), which measures the performance of a given group of students. This helped boost the school's proficiency rate in ELA by 23 percentage points, from 66 percent to 89 percent. Harvard/Kent, a Charlestown elementary school, increased its overall CPI in ELA by 11.9 points and its overall Math CPI by 10.1 points. In ELA, every student subgroup experienced "high" levels of growth, indicated by a median Student Growth Percentile (SGP) of 60 or higher. McKay, a K-8 school in East Boston, increased its overall CPI in ELA by 10 points and its overall Science CPI by 13.6 points. Every student subgroup in this school similarly experienced "high" levels of growth. Mildred Avenue, a Mattapan K-8 school, continued to meet performance targets for all students and the high-needs student group for the second year in a row. Mozart, a Roslindale elementary school, was formally commended by the state for narrowing proficiency gaps. In ELA, the "all students" subgroup experienced an exceptionally "high" level of growth, achieving a median SGP of 70. The overall CPI for every subgroup increased by more than 10 points, with economically disadvantaged students showing the greatest gain, moving up 16.8 points to 85.2. "Our most improved schools are serving some of our most vulnerable populations, which shows that Boston Public Schools is a leader in this work," Boston School Committee Chairperson Michael O'Neill said. "Our teachers in all of our schools are fearless in tackling challenges and doing everything possible to close the opportunity and achievement gaps." Guided by BPS' three core values of equity, coherence and innovation, schools are continuing to find ways to support students throughout the district. "Our schools are empowering talented teams of educators who consistently collaborate to ensure every student succeeds," BPS Superintendent Tommy Chang said. "Our newly designated Level 1 schools serve as bright spots for the district as we enhance student achievement." PARCC, MCAS, and ACCESS Scores The district also saw improvement in its PARCC, MCAS, and ACCESS scores. The English Language Arts proficiency rates for all 10th-grade BPS students on MCAS improved to 83 percent, part of a promising 19-percentage point increase since 2009. Proficiency rates improved across most subgroups, including economically disadvantaged students, English Language Learners (ELLs), and students with disabilities. The increase in the percentage of ELLs scoring Proficient or Advanced on MCAS jumped 7 percentage points in 2016 to 58 percent, making the proficiency rate 42 percentage points higher than in 2009. In addition, 61 percent of ELLs made progress toward attaining English language proficiency, as measured by preliminary results from the ACCESS for ELLs Assessment. The median student growth percentile for ACCESS (SGPA) was 60 in 2016, indicating "high growth," continuing an upward trend of a 50 SGPA in 2014 and 54 in 2015. Grade 10 Black and Hispanic students also experienced gains in 10th-grade ELA MCAS in the 2015-16 school year, helping to close the achievement gap. The proficiency achievement gap in ELA between White and Latino students shrunk from 16 percentage points in 2015 to 10 percentage points in 2016, while the gap between White and African American/Black students narrowed from 15 percentage points to 7 percentage points during that same period. In the lower grades, the district also continued an improvement trend. The percentage of grade 3-8 students in the district "meeting" or "exceeding expectations" on PARCC increased from the prior year, rising to 40 percent in ELA and 37 percent in Mathematics. More School Accountability Results While a number of BPS schools have made significant strides, some have experienced setbacks. DESE has chosen to move Brighton High School and Excel High School in South Boston into Level 4 status, which will require the Superintendent and his team to develop turnaround plans for rapid improvement at both schools. The Mattahunt Elementary School in Mattapan has been deemed "Level 4 -- under review." Mattahunt has been in Level 4 status for the past three years and has not experienced the rapid improvement necessary in order to exit that status. The district awaits further communication from DESE Commissioner Mitchell Chester and his team regarding next steps. The English High School, which had made significant gains in MCAS scores in the 2014-15 school year, did not improve enough this past school year to exit Level 4 status. The state moved the school into underperforming status in 2010. Any Level 4 designation is at the discretion of the DESE commissioner. Additionally, the accountability levels for Boston Latin School, Boston Latin Academy, and Clap Innovation School dropped from Level 1 to Level 2 because each school tested less than 95 percent of students in one or more student subgroups, in one or more subjects. In order for a school to be classified as Level 1 - in addition to meeting gap-narrowing targets for all students and "high needs" student groups -  the test participation rate for all groups in the school must be 95 percent or higher. For Boston Latin School, White students had test participation rates of 94 percent in ELA and 93 percent in Mathematics. The low participation rate for the White student subgroup in both subjects is primarily due to 13 students whose parents/guardians requested that their children be opted out from PARCC testing and two students who were absent during PARCC testing due to medical reasons. At Boston Latin Academy, students with disabilities had a PARCC test participation rate of 97 percent in ELA and 90 percent in Mathematics. The low participation rate is due to absences from three out of 29 students in the students with disabilities group. For the Clap School, two out of 29 students did not take the PARCC ELA test, resulting in a 93 percent assessment participation rate, which is below the 95 percent threshold. Boston Public Schools has formally appealed to DESE to reconsider the lower classifications of Boston Latin School and Boston Latin Academy, at the request of those schools.

新英格蘭台灣學聯BBQ

奧巴馬訂10/2和影星狄卡皮歐談氣候變化

 THE WHITE HOUSE 

Here's what -- and who -- you'll see at South by South Lawn:

Earlier this year, President Obama stopped by South by Southwest ® to issue a challenge to creative thinkers, innovators, and entrepreneurs across the country:

"We are at a moment in history where technology, globalization, our economy are changing so fast," he said. "How can we start coming up with new platforms, new ideas, new approaches across disciplines and across skill sets to solve some of the big problems that we're facing today?"

On Monday, October 3, President Obama is bringing the creative thinkers and innovators who work at the cutting-edge of the changing world we live in to help answer that question. From filmmakers and artists to entrepreneurs and public leaders, the White House will host inspiring and effective people who are dedicated to change to discuss how we can leverage our newest technologies to tackle our toughest challenges.

It's called South by South Lawn -- and here's a taste of what you can expect to see.

INTERACTIVE:

President Obama in Conversation with Leonardo DiCaprio and Dr. Katharine Hayhoe

President Obama will join a conversation with Academy Award-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio and climate scientist Dr. Katharine Hayhoe about the importance of protecting the one planet we’ve got for future generations.

Following the conversation, attendees will watch the domestic premiere of DiCaprio’s new climate documentary film Before the Flood presented by National Geographic in a first-of-its-kind film screening on the South Lawn of the White House.

FILM:

SXSL presents The White House Student Film Festival

On Sunday, October 2, the American Film Institute (AFI) will welcome the young artists of the 3rd Annual White House Student Film Festival with a day to premiere some of their work. Students in grades K-12 submitted more than 700 short films on this year's theme: The World I Want to Live In. Some of these aspiring filmmakers from around the nation will be joined by professional artists who work behind and in front of the camera. Special guests will include Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer, Executive Producers Dan Cohen and Shawn Levy, and President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities member Alfre Woodard.

EXHIBITS:

6'x9

Learn firsthand what it’s like to be locked up in solitary confinement. This virtual reality experience places the viewer inside a 6-foot by 9-foot cell with little more than a bed and toilet. People can experience the psychological impacts of confinement, like blurred vision, hallucinations, and a sense of floating that may occur after long-term sensory deprivation. The Guardian used game engine technology and The Mill worked from first-person accounts of cell design and spatial audio capture to create this groundbreaking and innovative documentary.

And don't miss special musical performances by Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, the Lumineers, DJ Beverly Bond, and more!

Get all the details here to learn how you can tune in and participate in this one-of-a-kind event at the White House: www.whitehouse.gov/SXSL

全球台商返台開年會 總統籲引介外資來台

統蔡英文（立者）26日出席世界臺灣商會聯合總會第二十二屆年會暨
第三次理監事聯席會議開幕典禮致詞。

總統蔡英文26日向來自六大洲的近1200海外台商表示，為擴展台灣對外經貿，請扮演台灣招商代言人的角色，運用在地人脈，引介外資投資台灣。僑務委員會委員長吳新興則提到，明年將舉辦3場大型人才媒合博覽會，為台商找人才，也為台灣年輕人找出路。

.僑務委員會委員長吳新興（立者）26日出席世界臺灣商會聯合總會
第二十二屆年會暨第三次理監事聯席會議開幕典禮致詞。

世界臺灣商會聯合總會25日至27日在台北舉辦第二十二屆年會暨第三次理監事聯席會議，共有來自六大洲1200位台商會員與會。蔡總統26日出席開幕典禮致詞時表示，世界台商這幾年以實際行動，組團拜會美國、歐盟與東協，加速台灣加入全球經濟整合的歷程。政府也會加快腳步，致力於轉型台灣產業及改善投資環境，並做好與各國洽簽經濟合作協定的準備工作，強化台灣與全球市場的連結。

蔡總統提到，在台灣拓展對外關係時，有3件事需要台商的協助，第一是運用長期深耕的僑居地人脈資源，扮演台灣民間智庫的角色，讓世界看見台灣。其次是深化產業合作，與當地產業建立穩固的夥伴關係，為台灣產業發掘更多商機。第三，擔任台灣招商的代言人，引介外資來台布局，同時請投資故鄉，共同為台灣拼出更好的未來。她也期許世總在既有的基礎上，繼續強化會務發展，並整合全球台商力量，協助台灣向全球展現真正的經貿實力。

世界臺灣商會聯合總會青商會25日舉行第六屆年會暨第三次理監事
會議，僑務委員會委員長吳新興（左三）恭喜第七屆會長邱臣遠
（右二）及監事長畢詳笙（左二），並慰勉第六屆會長王儷靜
（右一）及監事長王筱蕓（左一）。

吳委員長表示，海外台商的優秀表現讓台灣成為「日不落國」，僑委會將持續辦理各項培訓班及參訪活動，協助海外台商提升經營知能及企業競爭力，以面對國際市場的挑戰，並將經驗傳承給僑界年輕一代。

配合政府新南向政策，吳委員長指出，僑委會除由僑商處密切聯繫亞洲與大洋洲的台商，研討推動政策的具體做法。明年4月也規劃結合東南亞台商企業，舉辦3場大型人才媒合博覽會，預計有6000位以上的台灣畢業學生及僑生參與，除了能為海外台商找到優秀人才，同時讓台灣年輕人走向全球各地拓展國際視野，台灣的競爭力也能因此更加茁壯，歡迎全世界台商一同參與這項攬才活動。

外交部政次侯清山、經濟部政次楊偉甫、立法委員羅明才、徐國勇及陳歐珀、總統府副秘書長姚人多、新北市副市長葉惠青、行政院政務顧問楊信都出席開幕典禮。世界臺灣商會聯合總會總會長李耀熊在開幕致詞時提到，蔡總統上任後面臨諸多國內外的變化與挑戰，而改革是一條艱鉅漫長的路，總會與海外台商願意成為政府的後盾，支持政府各項施政作為。

世界臺灣商會聯合總會青商會25日也舉行第六屆年會暨第三次理監事會議，會中選出第七屆會長與監事長，由僑居越南的邱臣遠當選會長、僑居法國的畢詳笙當選監事長。吳委員長出席主持監交與全體幹部宣誓，見證新一屆青商會的誕生。(僑委會堤供)

張欽棠:波士頓公校致力包容保障安全

Statement from Superintendent Tommy Chang:

““The Boston Public Schools (BPS) is committed to ensuring that Boston Latin School — along with all of our schools — fosters a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment for each and every student. We and the leadership of Boston Latin School are fully committed to implementing the recommendations in the voluntary resolution agreement reached with the United States Attorney’s Office to ensure all reports of racial bias are fully, promptly and effectively addressed at Boston Latin and every Boston public school. BPS will also continue our ongoing district-wide work to educate students and staff on adopting culturally and linguistically sustaining practices, recognizing bias-based behavior and closing opportunity and achievement gaps.”

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Boston Latin School Head Master Updates September 26, 2016 Dear Boston Latin School Community, I am writing to inform you that this afternoon the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) has released a letter explaining the USAO’s findings from its now concluded review of alleged bias-based conduct at Boston Latin School (BLS) along with a resolution agreement that the Boston Public Schools has signed. BLS will fully cooperate with Superintendent Tommy Chang and the commitments he has made in regards to Boston Latin School, including working to improve our ability to prevent and respond to peer-on-peer harassment based on race or color, characteristics that are protected by federal civil rights laws. We are doing so because the BLS action plan in the agreement makes good educational sense in teaching students about how to improve the racial climate that exists throughout this country. In fact, we at BLS already had in place plans and programs to deal with this issue before the USAO proposed its consent agreement. BLS will also fully support Superintendent Chang in his effort to allow the US Attorney’s Office to monitor the plans and programs already in place at BLS. Last spring, a non-profit agency, Visions Inc., spent many hours auditing the racial climate at BLS. The agency has more than 32 years of experience in examining schools all across the country. In its final report, Visions concluded that the racial climate at BLS was comparable to many schools with similar demographics across the country. We at BLS do not want to be comparable to other schools; we want to be a leader in this regard as we are in many other educational endeavors. We welcome any efforts by BPS or the US Attorney’s Office to monitor our progress in fulfilling this commitment. Boston Latin School continues its work around building cultural proficiency with staff and students. This month we greeted returning teachers with an inspirational presentation by Dr. Robert Brooks, a national expert on building relationships with students and establishing a positive school climate. We are additionally providing sessions titled, “Courageous Conversations” around race and culture with staff through the spring. We have also increased training to ensure equitable protocol around discipline;  appointed a Diversity Officer; and added more culturally diverse coursework and texts. As BLS moves forward, we ask that everyone in the school community to unite in promoting a diverse and welcoming environment for all. We have over 2,400 outstanding young people at Boston Latin School and we, along with our dedicated faculty and staff, are committed to ensuring that every one of them feels safe, supported, and appreciated. Sincerely, Michael Contompasis                                 Jerry Howland Interim Head Master                                 Associate Head Master

海外華人企業家協會年會邀蔣華，陳叔奇分享創業經驗

波士頓僑胞歡迎前副總統吳敦義等人到訪 (圖片)

逾百名僑胞出席接待會，歡迎中華民國前副總統吳敦義。(周菊子攝)

波士頓華僑文教中心主歐宏偉(左起)，經文處副處長陳銘俊，波士頓僑界大老陳毓璇、陳毓禮和兩名波士頓僑務委員梅錫銳，蔣宗仁等人在歡迎會中合影。

中華民國前副總統吳敦義(左)和紐英倫中華公所主席陳家驊(右)互贈禮物。(周菊子攝)

吳敦義也穿上波士頓華埠巡邏隊員隊服。(周菊子攝)

到訪嘉賓全都成了波士頓華埠巡邏隊隊員。左起，蔣宗壬，羅智強，郝龍斌，李潔英，陳家驊，黃海龍，以及陳文浩(右一)，珠蘇珊(前)等人手牽手。(周菊子攝)

中華民國前副總統吳敦義(右二)拜訪紐英崙中華公所時，與中華公所主席陳家驊(右往左)，單鳳琴，余麗媖，鄺坤珍等人合影>

吳敦義夫婦(右)稱讚泰勒街上的旗幟飄揚美麗，謝陳家驊。(周菊子攝)

羅德島大學孔子學院精采表演慶中秋

羅德島大學孔子學院9月25日下午4點半，在羅德島大學金士頓校區Edwatds禮堂慶祝中秋節暨全球第三個孔子學院日，邀來中國地質大學(武漢)藝術團演出。

羅德島大學孔子學院當天準備了精緻中國菜，美味月餅，文化活動。數百名出席者在晚會開始前，有的舉筆揮毫，有的剪摺紙張，玩得不亦樂乎。

羅德島大學副總教務長Clifford Katz博士在歡迎會上致詞，感謝中國地質大學藝術團到訪，祝福到會者節日快樂。

慶祝晚會由羅德島中國文化俱樂部小朋友表演現代舞拉開序幕。接著的雙獅獻瑞，民樂合奏，二胡獨奏，傣族舞蹈，敦煌樂舞，太極、武術的中國功夫表演等等，既展現中國傳統經典，也秀出少數民族的迷人魅力。

武術表演的剛柔並濟是晚會一大亮點，太極的柔與刀槍劍戟鞭等兵器演練所展現的剛猛，既形成強烈對比，也讓觀眾體會到中國武術的博大精深。其中九節鞭的表演，博得滿堂喝采。

晚會結束時，看節目看得滿心歡喜的觀眾們紛紛走上台，和各自心愛的演員合影。

羅德島大學孔子學院的萬潔華表示，今年的中秋慶祝晚會，安排了該校中文領航項目學生，維珍，丹霓，熊森和塞睦主持。他們的流利中文，幽默話語，機智反應，既展現該校中文教學的優秀水平，也博得觀眾交相讚賞。

BTBA換屆 魏曉英、郭姿杏接任會長

左起，魏曉英，郭姿杏接任波士頓台灣人生物科技協會會長，與第二任
會長杜荷洲繼續辦理認識企業部門專題腳做。(周菊子攝)

(Boston Orange 周菊子劍橋市報導)波士頓台灣人生物科技協會(BTBA)9月23日晚在哈佛大學生物科學實驗室演講廳小聚，談行業內的智慧產權專利，並宣佈下屆會長由魏曉英，郭姿杏接任。

陳昇宏與一批來自台灣的生物科技界熱心年輕人，在2012年創辦了”波士頓台灣人生物科技協會”，從四面八方吸引了300多人出席，轟動一時。

陳映嘉(左)和李曉芸(右)分享專利律師在生醫企業中的工作內容。

BTBA此後越辦越有規模，每年都能請到業內頂尖名人演講，包括時任中研院院長的翁啟惠，發明"雞尾酒療法"治癌症，聞名世界的何大一，創辦Tanox，成功開發氣喘藥物，並於2000年在那斯達克上市，以2.44億美元在當年創下全美生技公司上市最高記錄的唐南珊，創辦曾是全美第二大學名藥廠IVAX，今年被富比士(Fobes)以3億2千萬元身家排為全美富豪榜第46位的許照惠等人。

由於該會主要成員是博士後研究生，剛踏入職場的新鮮人，都才踏進產業界的BTBA第二任會長杜荷洲和今年接棒，擔任共同會長的郭姿杏，深感還在學界的博士後，剛進企業的新鮮人，可能不很清楚在自己專業領域之外的企業內其他部門都在做些甚麼，於是在會內推出系列講座，邀請不同講者分享各自的工作內容。

加入Acceleron公司做分子及細胞生物科學家的郭姿杏和在哈佛大學醫學院附屬的麻省總醫院Martinos生物醫學影像中心擔任助理教授的魏曉英表示，他們也希望藉著這認識不同部門，出席人數比較少的活動，可以讓會員們有更親切，深入的交流。

9月23日晚，BTBA現任會長，在Axcella做專利代理人的陳映嘉，以及持有專利律師資格的Axcella副總裁李曉芸，在”生物科技公司中的智慧財產角色-科學家和律師怎麼談話”的主題下，分享生醫公司專利工作者的工作內容。他們的坦率分享，讓出席者紛紛表示，原來在專利部門工作，也得接觸那麼多不同領域的人與事物，一點都不是想像中那麼的枯燥乏味。他們也聽到Axcella在成立的短短三，四年內，連續換公司名稱，研發重點從食品用生物化學，轉移到口服蛋白質新藥，員工從幾個人增加到60多人的快速變化故事，對生醫界的機會，多了很多期盼與想像。

BTBA現任共同會長中的王志傑，9月23日晚未克出席會長交接儀式。

查詢波士頓台灣人生物科技協會詳情，可上網www.btbatw.org。