We’re taking Picks offline for a bit of early summer break. Pick your own using the University events calendar, including the Other Calendars list, and our Jerry’s Picks DIY Sources. In the meantime, here are a few highlights ahead, from breakthrough journalism to methane abatement to ballet.

Commencement is May 20, Class Days before and after. Check out the complete schedule here and our Class Day speaker highlights here. Also, remember, undergraduate reunion is May 28-31. Enjoy! 

May 12
6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Tow Center for Digital Journalism
The Columbia Journalism Showcase
An open house for students and researchers to share their work with professional journalists, industry partners, entrepreneurs, technologists, academics, and the public. The showcase will feature data visualization, computational journalism, video and audio storytelling, and research. Register here. Brown Institute for Media Innovation, Pulitzer Hall, 2950 Broadway.

May 13
2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Center on Global Energy Policy
Reducing Global Methane Emissions from the Oil and Gas Sector
Kate Larsen, director at Rhodium Group, will present a report commissioned by the Environmental Defense Fund on the scope of methane leakage and potential for abatement. Mark Brownstein, AVP and chief counsel, US Climate and Energy Program at the Environmental Defense Fund will discuss the policy implications. Followed by a panel moderated by Center Founding Director Jason Bordoff on domestic and international opportunities to address methane emissions in the oil and gas sector, including in the Paris climate negotiations. Brownstein and Larsen will be joined by Keith Benes, program director for international climate policy at the Center on Global Energy Policy. Faculty House, Presidential Ballroom.

May 15
10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Mailman School of Public Health
And Access for All? Lessons Learned from the Global HIV Response
Join the Mailman School of Public Health for an in-depth discussion of the struggle to make life-saving HIV treatment available to millions around the world and how the lessons learned can shape the way forward in confronting other global health threats. Dr. Yusef K. Hamied, pharmaceutical chemist and chairman of Indian generics maker Cipla Ltd., will describe how his efforts made this dream a reality. Reception to follow. RSVP to [email protected]. Allan Rosenfield Building, 8th floor.

June 3
4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
The Earth Institute
Geoengineering the Earth’s Climate: Risks, Opportunities, and Governance Challenges
In this seminar, Scott Barrett, professor of natural resource economics; Michael Gerrard, director of the Center for Climate Change Law; Alan Robock, director of the meteorology undergraduate program at Rutgers University; and Richard Seager, Palisades Geophysical Institute/Lamont Research professor will discuss the climate impacts of solar geoengineering, the opportunities and risks it entails, and the international cooperation and conflict issues raised. RSVP here. Alfred J. Lerner Hall, Satow Room.

June 4
6 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
CAA Arts Access
New York City Ballet: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
A New York City Ballet dancer will guide a pre-performance tour, providing insights into the life of a dancer, discussing the performance, and sharing moments from the history of the New York City Ballet and the David H. Koch Theater. Includes a breathtaking view of the auditorium from the stage. Purchase tickets here.

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!

A HIGHER DEGREE OF INTEREST…Commencement season, Class Day speakers and the usual Columbia mind-boggle.

Commencement is May 20. See honorary degree recipients, CAA Alumni Medalists, and other honorees here.

Class Day Speaker Highlights

Here are a few notables among the many inspiring Class Day speakers. Some Class Days require tickets and seating will be limited, so check School listings.

US permanent representative to the UN Samantha Power and honorees Simi Linton, Nadia Lopez, and Diana Nyad, champion long-distance swimmer. Barnard College. May 17 at 2 p.m.

University Trustee, high-tech entrepreneur, and venture capitalist Benjamin Horowitz. Engineering School. May 18 at 5 p.m.

LA mayor Eric Garcetti. Columbia College. May 19 at 9:30 a.m.

New Yorker staff writer Jane Mayer. Graduate School of Journalism. May 19 at 10 a.m.

House of Cards creator Beau Willimon. School of the Arts. May 20 at 2 p.m.

US Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy. School of International and Public Affairs. May 21 at 3:30 p.m.

 

May 1–7
School of the Arts
Columbia University Film Festival
A week of screenings, screenplay and teleplay readings, and special panels. Panel topics include film studies past, present, and future; DIY comedy; and a live creative pitch competition. Purchase tickets here.165 West 65th Street, Film Society of Lincoln Center, Walter Reade Theater. (Reminder)

May 6
6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Kavli Institute for Brain Science | Zuckerman Institute
Getting Beyond a Blind Date with Science
Alan Alda, co-founder of the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University, will draw on personal experiences, including his years as host of the TV series Scientific American Frontiers, to explore why it is important for scientists, engineers, and health professionals to communicate effectively with the public. Introduction by Eric Kandel, co-director of the Zuckerman Institute. RSVP here. Miller Theatre.

May 7
6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Graduate School of Journalism
Report Launch: The Traffic Factories
How do analytics shape newsroom culture, internal dynamics, and daily work? How can publications create a culture around metrics that aligns with their organizational mission and values? Caitlin Petre explores these questions via ethnographic research on Chartbeat, Gawker Media, and the New York Times. RSVP here.  Graduate School of Journalism, Brown Institute for Media Innovation.

May 7
1:15 p.m.
The Heyman Center for the Humanities
Teaching from the Archive of Women’s Incarceration
How do we teach the history of imprisonment in the United States when mass incarceration continues to shape our current social landscape? Emily Hainze will speak about a curriculum project she is developing in partnership with the Prison Public Memory Project, a non-profit dedicated to recovering, preserving, and interpreting the historical artifacts and cultural memory of prisons. The Heyman Center, Common Room, second floor.

May 8
12 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
The Heyman Center for the Humanities
The Social, Legal, and Political Life of Money
Authors Joel Kaye (Barnard, history), Christine Desan (Harvard, law), Rebecca Spang (Indiana University, history), and Nigel Dodd (London School of Economics and Political Science, sociology) will share insights from their research on the legal determination of money, the political instrumentality of money, and the transformative power of a redefinition of money. The Heyman Center, Common Room, second floor.

May 14 – 15 
8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
School of International and Public Affairs
Conference on Internet Governance and Cyber-security
Academics, policy makers, entrepreneurs, technologists, and corporate executives will discuss the critical Internet policy issues both within nations and globally. Research by the Global Commission on Internet Governance (GCIG) as well as Columbia faculty will be displayed. Register here. 1161 Amsterdam Avenue, The Italian Academy. (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!