FOOLS is such a harsh word. But enjoy the rites of almost spring!

Special Picks co-conspirators: Brian Chapman and Carolina Castro

Cancer breakthroughs on the little screen, climate change and nuclear power on the big, conversations with acclaimed choreographers, the independence of comics, and the responsibilities of capitalism—check all calendars, it’s full-blown spring!

March 30 – 31, April 1
9 – 11 p.m.
TV Broadcast Pick
Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies
Airing tonight – the beginning of a three-part documentary on PBS by executive producer Ken Burns and director Barak Goodman (’86JRN). The series is based on the 2010 Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee, assistant professor of medicine at the Columbia University Medical Center. The series tells the story of cancer knowledge and treatment and the dawn of an era in which cancer may become a chronic or curable illness. (Reminder)

April 7
6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Maison Française
Beyond Piketty (and Before the Deluge): Natural Capital in the Twenty-First Century
Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century is a major contribution to economics, economic history, and our understanding of fundamental social and political issues we face today. A panel including Claude Henry, professor of sustainable development and president of the Scientific Council of IDDRI; Geoffrey Heal, the Donald C. Waite III Professor of Social Enterprise at the Business School; and Peter Kelemen, chair of the department of earth and environmental sciences will discuss natural capital that will shape the future of mankind. Buell Hall, East Gallery.

April 8
7:30 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Columbia Coalition for Sustainable Development | Ferris Reel Film Society
Next Generation Nuclear Power, the Solution to Climate Change?
A screening of the film Pandora’s Promise by academy award nominated director Robert Stone. Followed by a discussion on nuclear energy between Stone; Andy Revkin, New York Times writer; Gernot Wagner, lead senior economist at the Environmental Defense Fund; and a keynote speech by Bill Nye. Purchase tickets here. Lerner Hall, Roone Arledge Auditorium.

April 9
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
School of the Arts
Story/Time: Conversation with Bill T. Jones and Carol Becker
Acclaimed dancer, choreographer, and director Bill T. Jones reflects on his art and life as he discusses with Dean Carol Becker the genesis of Story/Time, a recent dance work and now book, inspired by the modernist composer and performer John Cage. Moderated by Rich Blint. RSVP here. International Affairs Building, Altschul Auditorium.

April 13 – The day everything happens…
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.  
Columbia University Medical Center
Transforming the Diagnosis and Treatment of Mental Illness
As part of the Samuel Rudin Distinguished Visiting Professorship program, Thomas R. Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, will share his knowledge of mental disorders and treatment. Reception to follow. CUMC Alumni Auditorium, 650 West 168th Street, 1st Floor.

6:30 p.m.
Barnard College
Twyla Tharp on Dance
A discussion with Twyla Tharp, artist and Barnard alumna, the Distinguished Guest Artist for 2014-2015 at Barnard College. Tharp has created more than 160 works ranging from concert, television, and Broadway dances to best-selling books. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including a Tony Award and two Emmy Awards. RSVP here. 305 Barnard Hall.

6 p.m.
Columbia University Libraries
Comics, Underground and Above: The Story of Kitchen Sink Press
A panel discussion with comics scholar Jim Danky, Denis Kitchen, Howard Cruse, Maggie Galvan, and David Hajdu, on the seminal forces in independent comics. In honor of the Rare Book & Manuscript Library’s acquisition of the Kitchen Sink Press archives. Reception to follow. Butler Library, Room 523.

Picks are campus or NYC events of high general interest to alumni, donors, and prospects. By design, regrettably, much more is omitted than featured. For RSVP, ticket availability, and other details, follow the links. I always appreciate hearing from you about future events! 

April is a taxing month on several ways, one of those times when everything happens at Columbia, so check all calendars, including those on our DIY Picks list. A highly selective gleaning follows, with speakers ranging from Jeffrey Sachs to Colm Tóibín to Joel Klein on saving our schools. 

March 30
6:15 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
School of Continuing Education
What is a Moral University in the 21st Century?
Universities today face a myriad of ethical challenges concerning issues from high tuition and overseas investments to sexual assault and scientific fraud. Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute, will lead the discussion. RSVP here. Hamilton Hall, Room 517.

March 31
6 – 9 p.m.
Columbia Business School
Green Business Summit on Sustainable Food
In the face of rising demand and environmental constraints, how will food supply chains and consumer tastes need to change? What are innovative companies doing to lead that change and capture new opportunities? A panel discussion with representatives from Chipotle, Whole Foods, Six Foods, Local Food Lab, and more. Keynote speech by Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown. Followed by a reception with food and drinks. Purchase tickets here. Hepburn Lounge, Uris Hall, 1st Floor.

April 6
6 – 7 p.m.
Columbia University Medical Center/Columbia University Bookstore
The Ethics Police?: Book Discussion and Signing
Dr. Robert Klitzman, professor of psychiatry at the Columbia University Medical Center will discuss and sign copies of his new book The Ethics Police?: The Struggle to Make Human Research Safe. In his book, Klitzman examines the morality of morality, at how the bodies set up to protect research subjects can end up injuring us all. Columbia University Bookstore, 2922 Broadway.

April 7
6:15 p.m.
Heyman Center for the Humanities
States of Division: Borders and Boundary-Formation in the Cold War and Beyond
This panel brings together experts on historical and current border and conflict zones in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, including Mark Mazower, director and chair of the Heyman Center; Sagi Schaefer, assistant professor of modern European history at Tel-Aviv University; Charles K. Armstrong, Korea Foundation Professor of Korean Studies in the Social Sciences; and George Gavrilis, author and consultant. The Heyman Center, Common Room, 2nd Floor.

7 p.m.
School of the Arts
Russell Banks and Caryl Phillips in Conversation: Giovanni’s Room
Acclaimed authors Russell Banks and Caryl Phillips explore James Baldwin’s second novel, Giovanni’s Room, on the perils and necessity of the human connection, the dangers of American innocence, and the experiential torment that too often accompanies the label of homosexuality. Introduction by Mary Gordon, Millicent C. McIntosh Professor in English and Writing. RSVP here. Barnard College, 418 Barnard Hall, the James Room.

April 9
6:15 p.m.
Heyman Center for the Humanities
Colm Tóibín and Roy Foster in Conversation
Renowned author Colm Tóibín and Roy Foster, professor of Irish history, will discuss subjects addressed in their upcoming works, both set in Ireland. Tóibín’s new novel Nora Webster dramatizes the life of a woman and her family in a small town in Ireland in the late 1960s. Fintan O’Toole, author and literary editor of The Irish Times, will serve as moderator. Barnard Hall, Sulzberger Parlor.

April 13
6 – 8 p.m.
Graduate School of Journalism
Lessons of Hope: How to Fix Our Schools
Former Chancellor of the New York City Board of Education, Joel Klein (’67CC), will be introducing his new book Lessons of Hope: How to Fix Our Schools. Klein will be in discussion with Steve Coll, Dean and Henry R. Luce Professor of Journalism. Reception to follow. RSVP here. Graduate School of Journalism, Pulitzer Hall, 3rd Floor.

Picks are campus or NYC events of high general interest to alumni, donors, and prospects. By design, regrettably, much more is omitted than featured. For RSVP, ticket availability, and other details, follow the links. I always appreciate hearing from you about future events! 

Precision medicine, finance and carbon, Robinson’s Lila, antibiotics in history, presidential prerogatives, and a neuroscience fair—two weeks to feed and explore your brain.

March 18
2 – 5 p.m.
Zuckerman Institute
Community Brain Expo
Celebrate Brain Awareness Week with the Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute. The public, family, and friends are invited to test, trick, and learn about their brain with demonstrations by scientists. Space is limited. RSVP here. New York State Psychiatric Institute, Main Lobby, 40 Haven Avenue.

March 19
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Columbia University Medical Center
Genes, Genomes, and the Future of Medicine
Richard P. Lifton, Sterling Professor of Genetics and Internal Medicine and chair of the department of genetics at the Yale School of Medicine, will speak as part of the Distinguished Lectures in Precision Medicine series. Open to Columbia students, faculty, and staff. Reception to follow. CUMC Alumni Auditorium, 650 West 168th Street, 1st Floor.

March 23
5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Center on Global Energy Policy
The Transition to a Low-Carbon Future: Can it be Financed?
What can we learn from past technological revolutions when state programs and financial speculation combined to mobilize capital at an enormous scale? Are past patterns of investment relevant to the challenge of addressing climate change? William “Bill” Janeway, senior advisor at Warburg Pincus, will lead the discussion, with a panel including Dr. Kristina Johnson, co-founder, chairwoman and CEO of Enduring Hydro. RSVP required. International Affairs Building, Room 1501.

March 30
6 p.m.
Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library
The Antibiotic Era: Reform, Resistance and the Pursuit of a Rational Therapeutics
During the post–World War II “wonder drug” revolution, antibiotics were viewed as a panacea for mastering infectious disease. Physician-historian Scott H. Podolsky will discuss the history of antibiotics, focusing particularly on reform efforts that attempted to fundamentally change how antibiotics are developed and prescribed. Refreshments served at 5:30 p.m. Russ Berrie Pavilion, Room 1.

6:15 p.m.
The Heyman Center
The Writing Lives Series: A Reading and Discussion with Marilynne Robinson
An evening with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marilynne Robinson, recipient of a 2012 National Humanities Medal awarded by President Obama. Robinson will read from her recent book, Lila, and be in discussion with Unitarian Minister, Robert Hardies. Moderated by Alexander Chee, author of The Queen of the Night. Pulitzer Hall, Room 301.

9 – 11 p.m.
TV Broadcast Pick
Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies
The beginning of a three-part documentary on the PBS channel. Presented by Filmmaker Ken Burns and Producer Barak Goodman (’86JRN). The series is based on the 2010 Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee, assistant professor of medicine at the Columbia University Medical Center. This bibliographical series features the current status of cancer knowledge and treatment —the dawn of an era in which cancer may become a chronic or curable illness rather than its historic death sentence in some forms.

March 31
6:45 p.m. – 8:15 p.m.
Columbia Business School | Columbia Law School
Debate: The President’s Constitutional Authority
President Obama has launched a sustained, long-term military campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. But did he have constitutional power to do so? This debate will include Gene Healy, vice president of the Cato Institute and author of False Idol; Professor Philip Bobbitt (law); Deborah Pearlstein, assistant professor at Cardozo Law; Jake Sullivan, lecturer at Yale Law; and moderated by John Donovan, author and correspondent for ABC News. Purchase tickets here. Miller Theater. (Reminder)

Picks are campus or NYC events of high general interest to alumni, donors, and prospects. By design, regrettably, much more is omitted than featured. For RSVP, ticket availability, and other details, follow the links. I always appreciate hearing from you about future events! 

So much more than the season is changing. This set of Picks tries to keep pace and keep the peace. Don’t miss the essay conference with masters of nonfiction. And a DIY Picks Tip: check out SIPA’s alumni events calendar, two weeks full of program covering global affairs around the world.  Visit here…

March 12-14
Columbia University Medical Center
“The Tempest” by William Shakespeare
This production draws on the creativity and skills of students and faculty from all corners of the Medical Center campus. Please contact [email protected] for more information. Tickets are $10 at the door. CUMC Alumni Auditorium, 650 West 168th Street, 1st Floor.

March 24
6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Graduate School of Journalism
Disruptive Power: The Crisis of the State in the Digital Age
Taylor Owen will discuss his new book, Disruptive Power, which provides a look at the way that digital communication technologies has given rise to a 21st century global actor – changing the workings of the institutions that have traditionally controlled international affairs. Followed by a panel discussion. RSVP here. Graduate School of Journalism, Brown Institute for Media Innovation.

March 26
11 a.m. – 7:45 p.m.
The Earth Institute
Sustaining Peace Conference
This event, sponsored by the Earth Institute’s Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict, and Complexity, brings together members from conflict and peace communities and from the greater Columbia community to explore what it means to identify and foster the conditions for achieving sustainable peace – locally and globally. Keynote speakers include: Peter T. Coleman, director of the Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution; Aldo Civico, co-director of the International Institute for Peace at Rutgers University; Armando Geller, co-founder of Scensei; Beth Fisher-Yoshida, academic director of the Negotiation and Conflict Resolution program, among others. Registration required. Teachers College, Everett Lounge.

March 28 – 29
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
School of the Arts Writing
Stalking the Essay: A Two-Day Conference
The conference, which includes many of the most influential nonfiction writers of our time, will attempt to develop a methodology for understanding the essay as an enduring, transformative, endearing, and essential creative expression. Organized by the head of the School of the Arts nonfiction program leading essayist and College alumnus, Phillip Lopate, with a variety of participants, including Hilton Als, Roz Chast, Meghan Daum, Margo Jefferson, Maira Kalman, Laura Kipnis, Jonathan Lethem, and Marilynne Robinson.  Registration is now closed but walk-ins are welcome. The Italian Academy, 1161 Amsterdam Avenue.

March 31
6:45 p.m. – 8:15 p.m.
Columbia Business School | Columbia Law School
Debate: The President’s Constitutional Authority
President Obama has launched a sustained, long-term military campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. But did he have constitutional power to do so? This debate will include Gene Healy, vice president of the Cato Institute and author of False Idol; Professor Philip Bobbitt (law); Deborah Pearlstein, assistant professor at Cardozo Law; Jake Sullivan, lecturer at Yale Law; and moderated by John Donovan, author and correspondent for ABC News. Purchase tickets here. Miller Theater.

April 1 – Springin’ forward!
6:10 p.m. – 7 p.m.
The Earth Institute
The Bicycle, Activism, and Sustainable Cities
A lecture on how low-carbon modes of transportation, including public transit, bicycling, and walking, yield environmental, economic, health, and social benefits. Paul Steely White, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, will lead the discussion on the interplay among environmental and non-environmental issues in advancing sustainability, as well as the ways in which advocacy and activism can be used to change cities. RSVP required. Havemeyer Hall, Room 209.

Highlighted above are campus or NYC events of possible high general interest to alumni, donors, and prospects. This listing is highly selective by design — regrettably, much more is omitted than featured. For RSVP, ticket availability, and other details, follow the links. As always, I appreciate hearing from you about future events!

Galapagoan finches, writing and the body, ethics and epidemics, race and justice — picks that explore where we came from, who we are, and where we can go next…

Correction: Please note that “Improvisation in the Sciences” is taking place on March 10, not March 4 as previously listed. 

March 3
6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Zuckerman Institute
In Darwin’s Footsteps: Witnessing the Origin of a New Species in the Galapagos
Pulitzer Prize winner Jonathan Weiner tells of a team of biologists that has been observing the evolution of Darwin’s finches on a desert island in the center of the Galapagos archipelago for more than forty years. Their work throws light on many aspects of the science of life — including the science of the brain. The lecture is part of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Brain Insight Lecture series. Register here. Graduate School of Journalism, Lecture Hall. (Reminder) 

March 4
6 p.m.
Columbia University Medical Center
Writing the Body: Discovering the History of Exercise with Bill Hayes
Science writer and memoirist Bill Hayes spent a year studying alongside medical students for his book The Anatomist: A True Story of Gray’s Anatomy and is now at work on a history of exercise. Hayes will discuss his varying approaches to writing about the human body. Refreshments at 5:30 p.m. Russ Berrie Pavilion, Room 1, 1150 St. Nicholas Avenue at West 168th Street.

March 10
6:15 p.m.
Center for Justice | Heyman Center for the Humanities
The Justice Forum: Race and Justice – Past, Present, and Future
This roundtable examines the history of race-based injustices in America, how those practices have informed the criminal justice system today, and what implications they have for the future. Featuring Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; Glenn E. Martin, a national leader and criminal justice reform advocate and founder of JustLeadershipUSA; and moderated by the Dean of Social Science and Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies Alondra Nelson. Law School, Jerome Greene Hall, Room 104.

6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Center for Jazz Studies
Improvisation in the Sciences
A discussion with Martin Chalfie (biological sciences), George Lewis (music), and Michael Shadlen (neuroscience), and Milind Gajanan Watve about the universality of the two themes in Romare Bearden’s Black Odyssey – art and life as improvisation, and the urge, need, and desire to return home. The discussion will explore how these creative concepts apply to scientific research. Register here. Earl Hall. (Reminder)

March 11
4 – 6 p.m.
The Earth Institute
Ethical Issues in Responding to a Global Disease Crisis – Ebola and Beyond
This seminar, which is part of the Sustainable Development Seminar Series, will explore the current Ebola crisis and generate lessons to guide future responses. With Robert Klitzman, MD, director, Ethics, Policy, and Human Rights Core; Irwin Redlener, MD, director, National Center for Disaster Preparedness and the program on child well-being and resilience; and Jeff Schlegelmilch, MPH, MBA, managing director for strategic planning and operations, National Center for Disaster Preparedness. RSVP required. Alfred J. Lerner Hall, Satow Room.

March 12 – last chance
6 – 8 p.m.
CAA Arts Access | Black Alumni Council (BAC)
Romare Bearden’s A Black Odyssey: Bridging Classical Mythology and African American Culture
A gallery tour and discussion on the exhibition Romare Bearden: A Black Odyssey. Exhibition curator Dr. Robert O’Meally, (English and comparative literature) will be exploring the themes found in A Black Odyssey with Diedra Harris-Kelley, co-director of the Romare Bearden Foundation. Followed by a reception. Purchase tickets here. Wallach Art Gallery, Schermerhorn Hall, 8th Floor.

March 13
7:30 p.m.
Heyman Center for the Humanities
Art Spiegelman and Phillip Johnston: Wordless!
In his Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, Maus, a moving father-son memoir about the Holocaust drawn with cats and mice, Art Spiegelman changed the definition of comics forever. In “Wordless!” — a new hybrid of slides, talk, and musical performance — he probes further into the nature and possibilities of his medium. Spiegelman, a historian and theorist of comics as well as an artist, collaborates with Phillip Johnston, the critically acclaimed jazz composer who wrote all-new scores performed live with his sextet. Purchase tickets here. Miller Theatre. (Reminder)

Highlighted above are campus or NYC events of possible high general interest to alumni, donors, and prospects. This listing is highly selective by design — regrettably, much more is omitted than featured. For RSVP, ticket availability, and other details, follow the links. As always, I appreciate hearing from you about future events!