And so the fall semester arrives, in all its cornucopic splendor, as Columbians take on social memory and activism, sustainable development, brain health, and lighting up the Morningside night. Enjoy the picks – campus and NYC events of high general interest – and invite alumni, donors, and prospects. Be sure to share your event stories here or by writing us!
September 10
9:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Center for the Study of Social Difference | Women Creating Change
Women Mobilizing Memory: Collaboration and Co-Resistance
This international conference will analyze strategies by which artists, scholars, and activists have succeeded in mobilizing the memory of political and social violence to promote social justice and a democratic future. Roundtables will address protest actions and their efficacy, ranging from the “Saturday Mothers” to “Black Lives Matter”; strategies for mobilizing political action around memory sites in Santiago, Istanbul, and New York; and how lives touched by political violence can be reanimated through writing and art. Conference and public art exhibition details here. Buell Hall, East Gallery. (Related to: Just Societies, Global, 21st Century Public Square)
Also see the September 8 Women Mobilizing Memory art exhibition Collaborative Archives: Connective Histories with an artists’ roundtable moderated by Carol Becker, dean of the School of the Arts.
September 15
6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Columbia University
Columbia Global Reports Launch
Celebrate the founding of Columbia Global Reports and the release of the program’s first book, Shaky Ground: The Strange Saga of the U.S. Mortgage Giants. Author Bethany McLean will join hedge fund manager William Ackman of Pershing Square Capital Management and former Fannie Mae CEO Franklin Raines in a conversation moderated by Columbia Global Reports director and journalism dean emeritus Nicholas Lemann, with opening remarks by President Bollinger. RSVP here (login required). Low Memorial Library, Rotunda. (Related to: Global, 21st Century Public Square)
September 16
4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Mailman School of Public Health
What Does it Take to Ensure Population Health?
Join Dean Linda P. Fried for Dean’s Grand Rounds with Jay Walker, Priceline founder and chairman of TEDMED, a global community of people from every field who focus on unlocking imagination in service of health and medicine. Broadcast live online: participate using #FuturePublicHealth on Twitter. Alumni Auditorium, 650 West, 168th Street.
September 17
6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Zuckerman Institute
Heading Off Damage: New Insights in Traumatic Brain Injury
How does brain damage happen? What effects can it have in the days afterward? What are the long-term consequences to the health of the brain? Barclay Morrison III, associate professor of biomedical engineering, will explore these questions as part of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Brain Insight Lectures. RSVP here. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 515 Malcolm X Boulevard. (Related to: Zuckerman Institute and the Future of Neuroscience)
September 23 – 24
Earth Institute
International Conference on Sustainable Development
This conference will aim to identify and share practical solutions that can support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will be agreed upon at the United Nations following the conference. Speakers include Peter Bakker, president of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development; Femi Oke, journalist; Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland; Johan Rockstrom, director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre; and Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute. Register here. Alfred J. Lerner Hall. (Related to: Global, Climate Change, Just Societies)
Also see the September 23 event Music for a Sustainable Planet, a musical interpretation of Climate Change, featuring The Kronos Quartet, ÆON Music Ensemble, and Vladislav Boguinia premiering a piece inspired by data revealing the state of our oceans. Purchase tickets here.
September 19 – 26
School of the Arts
Morningside Lights: New York Nocturne
A week of free community arts workshops culminates in a procession of handmade lanterns inspired by New York City after dark. See the schedule of daily lantern-building workshops here. Illuminated procession on September 26 at 8 p.m. Morningside Park, 116th Street and Morningside Avenue.
Events are now tagged where appropriate with University-wide Big Ideas: Precision Medicine, Global, Climate Change, Big Data, Just Societies, 21st Century Public Square, and the Zuckerman Institute and the Future of Neuroscience. Through Big Ideas, faculty and students from multiple schools and campuses collaborate for transformative impact, addressing major issues of our time.
For RSVP, ticket availability, and other details, follow the links. We always appreciate hearing from you about future events!