A Lion’s dozen in our high season. And many more this week—check out Picks 15.12.

April 14
6 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Columbia Journalism School
Is Freedom a Mental State?
Tim Wu, the Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, discusses cognitive liberty with Nita A. Farahany, director of Duke University’s Science and Society program; Michael Shadlen, professor of neuroscience; and an introduction by Steve Coll, dean of Columbia Journalism School. Reception to follow. RSVP is required at [email protected]. Pulitzer Hall, Lecture Hall.

April 15
6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
University Programs and Events | Center on Global Economic Governance
Europe: The Current Situation and the Way Forward
This World Leaders Forum program features an address by Wolfgang Schäuble, Germany’s federal minister of finance; SIPA Dean Merit E. Janow; and Provost John Coatsworth. Followed by a panel discussion with Alessandra Casella, professor of economics; Edmund S. Phelps, 2006 Nobel laureate in economics and director of center on capitalism and society; and Joseph E. Stiglitz, 2001 Nobel laureate in economics and University Professor. International Affairs Building, The Kellogg Center.

April 17
9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Center on Global Economic Governance
Inequality and Polarization
The past 50 years have witnessed continuing increases in economic inequality and in political polarization. Howard Rosenthal, Joseph E. Stiglitz, Sharyn O’Halloran, Wojciech Kopczuk, and Jan Svejnar address related factors including ideology, immigration, changing labor markets, technology, finance, the media, gerrymandering, and the electoral process. RSVP here. International Affairs Building, Room 1501.

April 19
8 p.m.
Columbia Music Performance Program
Jazz Ensembles Performance Featuring Armen Donelian
Armen Donelian ’72CC, pianist, Fulbright Scholar, and leader of master classes at international conservatories will perform. Directed by Chris Washburne, associate professor of music and director of Columbia’s Louis Armstrong Jazz Performance Program. 1161 Amsterdam Ave, The Italian Academy.

April 22 
11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Engineering
The Engineering in Medicine
This symposium will address four key areas of discovery and innovation where engineering meets medicine: data and health; imaging and health; regenerative medicine; and neuroengineering. Discussants include: School of Engineering Dean Mary C. Boyce; Jingyue Ju, Samuel Ruben-Peter G. Viele Professor of Engineering; Andrew Laine, Percy K. and Vida L. W. Hudson Professor of Biomedical Engineering and professor of radiology; and Matthew Bacchetta, director of the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation program. Register here. Low Memorial Library, Rotunda. (Reminder)

April 23
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
School of Continuing Education
An Inside Look at Columbia’s Endowment
N.P. Narvekar, president and CEO of Columbia Investment Management Company (IMC), discusses Columbia University’s $9.2 billion endowment during this course lecture for the Master of Science in Fundraising Management program. RSVP here. Hamilton Hall, Room 516.

April 24
8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Columbia Entrepreneurship
#StartupColumbia Festival
An entrepreneurship conference that brings together the Columbia, Barnard, and Manhattan entrepreneurial community in celebration of innovation, entrepreneurship, and the creation of new ventures. This year’s theme is “New York Innovation,” highlighting the industries that New York City is famous for in finance, advertising, media, real estate, and fashion.Keynote by Gotham Gal Ventures Founder Joanne Wilson. Visit here for a list of speakers. Register here. Barnard Hall, Diana Center, Oval Auditorium. (Reminder)

6:30 p.m.
The Italian Academy
Music of Sergei Prokofiev
This recital of rare works by Sergei Prokofiev, featuring soprano Erika Baikoff, pianists Sergei Dreznin and Barbara Nissman, celebrates the opening of the Prokofiev Archive at Columbia’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library. The musicians will be joined by members of the Prokofiev family. Pre-concert talk on the history of Prokofiev’s musical archives by Simon Morrison, Serge Prokofiev Foundation president and professor of music, Princeton University. Co-sponsored by the Columbia University Rare Book and Manuscript Library, the Serge Prokofiev Foundation, the Italian Academy, and the Columbia Department of Music. 1161 Amsterdam Avenue, The Italian Academy.

April 24
5 p.m.
Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture
Experiencing the World of Japanese Noh Theater Dance
A pioneering woman in Noh theater, Hisa Uzawa has been named a “cultural treasure” by the Japanese government. In their New York debut, she and her daughter Hikaru will introduce the dynamics and techniques of the six-hundred-fifty year tradition of dance that lies at the heart of the Noh Theater. They will perform climactic dance sequences from four plays and present behind-the-scenes details of costume and choreography. Miller Theatre.

April 28
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Mailman School of Public Health
Transforming Health in America: Policies, Communications, and Social Change
Making major improvements in health in this country requires changing the culture. Thomas A. Farley, former commissioner of health for New York City, will discuss how a transformation of this magnitude can take place through mass communications, policy changes, and the interaction among them. 722 West 168th Street, Allan Rosenfield Building, Room 532 A/B.

1:15 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
The Center on Global Energy Policy
2015 Columbia Global Energy Summit
The Summit will include keynote remarks and plenary conversations with senior energy sector leaders focused on key issues and questions at the intersection of energy policy, financial markets, the environment, and geopolitics. Speakers include Jason Furman, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers at the White House; Sheikh Nawaf S. Al-Sabah, CEO, Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company; Jason Bordoff, director of the Center on Global Energy Policy; Peter Kagan, managing director of energy at Warburg Pincus; and Charif Souki, CEO at Cheniere Energy. Register here. Low Memorial Library.

April 29
5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Oral History Master of Arts Program
Then, Now, Next: Oral History and Social Change
A multimedia interactive pop-up exhibition of stories in step with the city. Audience members will be invited to don headphones and dip into immersive community spaces. Among the exhibits: Church as Community: St. Augustine’s on the Lower East Side, a look at the vibrant African American community around St. Augustine’s Church on the Lower East Side; Word Up Community Bookshop Oral History Project, a pop-up recreation of Washington Heights’ volunteer-run bookstore allows you to browse books, enjoy music, writing, and photography from local artists, and consider the cultural significance of community bookstores in 2015; The Neighborhood Hair Salon, a simulation of the hair salon experience, with cloak, mirror, and comb. Refreshments will be served.Union Theological Seminary.

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!