James Baldwin’s essays, Columbians in film, fighting corruption, guiding energy policy, grasping climate change, and what marshmallows tell us about self-control and the brain—such is the bounty of a Columbia spring!
This week, especially for us: Picking Partner Susan Woolhandler enlightened us about the Rabi-Warner Concert Series, a noon-hour classical music series at the Faculty House sponsored by the Office of the Provost. The last spring concert takes place on April 29 with members of the Juilliard School of Music Chamber Music program. Interested in being a Picking Partner? E-mail [email protected].
April 23
6:30 p.m.
School of the Arts
Phillip Lopate and Kiese Laymon in Conversation: Notes of a Native Son
James Baldwin’s debut collection of essays, Notes of a Native Son, announced him as a major force in the genre of the American essay. The volume remains a resonant analysis of subjects at once literary and political. Phillip Lopate, essayist and School of the Arts professor, and Kiese Laymon, novelist and Vassar College professor, will discuss the significance of Notes and Baldwin’s exceptional career as a non-fiction writer. Introduction by Imani Perry, professor at the Center for African American Studies, Princeton University. RSVP here. Teachers College,125 Zankel Building, Milbank Chapel.
April 23–25
Center for the Advancement of Public Integrity
Global Cities: Joining Forces Against Corruption
High-level officials from cities around the world discuss the challenges of fighting municipal corruption and share successful strategies. Speakers include Miguel Ángel Mancera Espinosa, mayor of Mexico City; Georgios Kaminis, mayor of Athens; Lev Pidlisetskyy, member of the Ukrainian Parliament; and Mark Peters, commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation. Register here. Columbia Law School, Jerome Greene Hall, Room 106.
April 28
1:15 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
The Center on Global Energy Policy
2015 Columbia Global Energy Summit
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 Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper; Jason Furman, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers at the White House; Sheikh Nawaf S. Al-Sabah, CEO at 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. (Reminder)
April 30
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
The Earth Institute
Writing about Global Science for the International Media
Naomi Oreskes, co-author of Merchants of Doubt, will discuss how advertising, marketing, and economics have come to dominate public policy debates on science matters such as climate change, ozone depletion, acid rain, and even tobacco use. Oreskes is one of more than a dozen scientists working on climate change issuesinterviewed for the May edition of More magazine. Introduction by Lesley Jane Seymour, editor in chief of More magazine. Registration required. Hamilton Hall, Room 516.
May 1–7
School of the Arts
Columbia University Film Festival
A week-long program of screenings, screenplay and teleplay readings, and special panels. Panel topics include film studies in the past, present, and future; DIY comedy; and a live creative pitch competition. Program and schedule here. Tickets available Tuesday, April 21. Purchase here. 165 West 65th Street, Film Society of Lincoln Center, Walter Reade Theater.
May 5
6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Zuckerman Institute
How Mind and Brain Enable Self-Control: The Marshmallow Test and Beyond
Why is it so hard to resist temptation? What makes it easier? Psychologist Walter Mischel’s research on how preschoolers manage to wait for two marshmallows later rather than settle for just one immediately has illuminated the mechanisms that enable willpower. Mischel will examine the personal and public policy implications of the marshmallow experiments and the mind and brain mechanisms that allow us to overcome “the weakness of the will.” RSVP here. 515 Malcolm X Boulevard, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
May 6
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The Earth Institute
Extreme Weather and Climate: Hazards, Impacts, Actions
Speakers from across the University will provide an interdisciplinary perspective on extreme weather and climate. Discussions will range in topics, including hurricanes, droughts, disease transmission, and energy resilience. Introduction by Adam Sobel, professor of applied physics and applied mathematics and of Earth and environmental sciences. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Registration required. Lerner Hall, Room 555.
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.