Open Thread 448

This is the weekly visible open thread for the website, where users are encouraged to discuss any topic they desire or ask questions. The website has an unofficial subreddit, Discord channel, and local meetups held worldwide. Most content is accessible to everyone, but some is reserved for subscribers. Interested individuals can subscribe to gain access to additional content.

The website is actively seeking organizers for EA college meetups, particularly at universities such as MIT, Claremont, Northwestern, Carnegie Mellon, Amherst, Notre Dame, Duke, CalTech, Georgetown, UCLA, Dartmouth, Vanderbilt, Harvard, NYU, Williams, GWU, American University, Rutgers, and UNC Chapel Hill. If you attend any of these institutions and are interested in organizing a meetup, the post provides details on how to get involved.

The Boston meetup group has recently released a voting guide for the upcoming primary election in Greater Boston. Early voting will take place in August, with the actual election scheduled for September 1. The group believes that sharing voting guides from meetup groups in major cities is valuable.

Jacob Trefethen, a representative of the OpenAI Foundation, is currently seeking grantmakers for the organization. Several program roles are available, including Head of Econ Lab, Program Director for Formal Methods, Program Officer/Director on High-Burden Diseases, and Program Officer/Director on Catalytic Deployment. These positions may be suitable for individuals who are Substack users or lurkers. Detailed information regarding each role, along with salary ranges, can be found on the job descriptions.

Additionally, the thread highlights an advertising opportunity for MATS, a research fellowship focused on AI alignment, interpretability, security, and governance. MATS is a 12-week program running from January 19 to April 10, 2027, with locations in Berkeley and London. Fellows will receive a $6,400 monthly stipend, an $8,000 monthly compute budget, housing, meals, and travel expenses.

The program covers various tracks, such as Empirical, Theory, Strategy & Forecasting, Systems Security, Policy & Governance, Biosecurity, and Founding & Field-Building. Applications for MATS close on September 6, and interested candidates can apply via the provided link.

Lastly, the thread also advertises Inkhaven, a learn-to-blog bootcamp held at the rationalist conference venue Lighthaven. The bootcamp runs from November 10 to December 11, with a registration fee of $3500. The organizer, the author, will be teaching a short session and offering occasional advice on participants' drafts. More information can be found on the official website, along with anecdotal evidence from previous attendees.