China’s impact, Cuba’s jazz, the Pope on climate, sports online – and that’s just for starters. Be sure to share your event stories!

September 17
11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
University Programs and Events | Committee on Global Thought
The Rise of China and its Impact on the Global Order
This World Leaders Forum and Global Thought Lecture features the Honorable Kevin Rudd, president of Asia Society Policy Institute and former prime minister of Australia; Steve Cohen, executive director of the Earth Institute; and Vishakha N. Desai, special advisor for global affairs to President Bollinger. Followed by a Q&A with the audience. Registration required here. Low Memorial Library, Rotunda. (Related to: Global)

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)(Reminder)
 
September 23
7 p.m.
Center for Jazz Studies
Re/mapping Jazz: How Cuba Changed Everything
John F. Szwed, director of the Center for Jazz Studies, will be in discussion with Ned Sublette, composer and musicologist. Sublette is known for fusing country-western and Afro-Caribbean styles, such as salsa, cumbia, and rumba. The event will include a live performance by The Pedrito Martinez Group. Earl Hall, Auditorium. (Related to: Global)

September 24
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Institute for Religion, Culture, and Public Life
Pope Economics / Pope Ecology
In anticipation of the 2015 Paris Climate Conference and Pope Francis’ visit to the U.S., Edouard Tetreau, economic consultant; Andrew Revkin (PACE); Erin Lothes (College of St. Elizabeth); and Anthony Annett (Earth Institute) will discuss the implications of the papal letter on climate change and the Pope’s call for drastic changes in lifestyle. Moderated by Laura Flanders, host and founder of GRITtv with Laura Flanders. Maison Française, East Gallery, Buell Hall. (Related to: Climate Change)

6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Oral History Master of Arts Program
Roots and Fruits of Activism in Washington Heights and New York City
Since the 1950s, few topics have roiled New York City more than public education, with its powerful connections to demands for racial justice, struggles for economic mobility, and changing definitions of community. Long-time residents and activist in northern Manhattan—Laura Altschuler, coordinator of the League of Women Voters of the City of New York, and Sixto Medina, founding member of the Alianza Dominicana and the Tamboril Community Center in Washington Heights—will share their memories and reflect on the “school wars.” Moderated by Robert W. Snyder, author of Crossing Broadway: Washington Heights and the Promise of New York City. 606 W. 122nd Street, Knox Hall, Room 509. (Related to: Just Societies, 21st Century Public Square)

September 25
6 p.m. – 8 p.m. 
The Earth Institute
2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP21): What to expect and what should follow?
Laurence Tubiana (SIPA) and Scott Barrett (The Earth Institute) will discuss the expectations, hopes, and possible outcomes of the upcoming climate negotiations at the UN’s Climate Change Conference in December. RSVP here. Morningside Campus, Buell Hall. (Related to: Global, Climate Change) 

September 29
4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
School of Nursing Alumni Association
New York Times Columnist Theresa Brown in Conversation with Dean Berkowitz
Brown will read from her newly published book, The Shift: One Nurse, Twelve Hours, Four Patients’ Lives, followed by a discussion with Dean Bobbie Berkowitz, with a reception to close. Register here. Faculty Club.

6 p.m. – 9 p.m. 
Columbia Entrepreneurship
Sports, the Digital Bellwether
The first live televised sporting event in the U.S. took place on May 17, 1939 at Baker Field. Since then, innovations in TV delivery continue to change the viewer experience and social media is fostering new relationships among athletes, leagues, and fans. Big League digital innovators of the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB will be in conversation with NBA Commissioner Emeritus David J. Stern ’66LAW. Purchase tickets here. If alumni relations and development officers would like to use this event as an engagement opportunity, please contact Christopher McGarry at [email protected] to request complimentary tickets. 125 W. 18th Street, Metropolitan Pavilion.

Events are now tagged where appropriate with University-wide Big Ideas: Precision Medicine, Global, Climate Change, Data and Society, 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!

Can we agree on climate? Should we agree on Iran? New views of Nina Simone, Rembrandt, and the latest Miller Theatre mural—all in the weeks ahead. Be sure to share your event stories here or by writing us!

September 10
6 p.m. – 8 p.m. 
European Institute | Wallach Art Gallery
Exhibition and Reception: Rembrandt’s Changing Impressions
Rembrandt manipulated his copperplates in unprecedented ways to achieve printed images that were often in flux. This exhibition will highlight 18 of his most notable prints (on view through December 12). Wallach Art Gallery, Schermerhorn Hall, 8th floor.

September 10
12:15 p.m. – 2 p.m.
SIPA | Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies
The Iran Agreement: Good Deal, Bad Deal, or No Deal?
A panel discussion on the pros, cons, ins, and outs of the Iran deal, featuring Richard Betts, director of the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies; Stuart Gottlieb, adjunct professor of international and public affairs; Robert Jervis, the Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Politics; Richard Nephew, program director at the Center on Global Energy Policy; and Gary Sick, adjunct professor. RSVP here. International Affairs Building, Room 1501. (Related to: Global)

September 15 
5 p.m.
School of the Arts | Miller Theatre
Artist Talk and Reception with Scherezade Garcia: In Transit/Liquid Highway
This year’s site-specific mural in the lobby of Miller Theatre is Scherezade Garcia’s In Transit/Liquid Highway. Garcia will joined by Deborah Cullen, director and chief curator at the Wallach Art Gallery, to discuss her process and influences, the relationship between New York and the Dominican Republic, and the strong role of women in Dominican art. Miller Theatre. (Related to: Just Societies, Global, 21st Century Public Square)

6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Columbia University
Columbia Global Reports Launch
This program, entitled “The Big Problem from the Financial Crisis that Still Isn’t Fixed,” celebrates the founding of Columbia Global Reports and the release of the publishing imprint’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. Opening remarks by President Lee Bollinger. RSVP here (new link). Low Memorial Library, Rotunda. (Related to: Global, 21st Century Public Square) (Reminder)
 
September 16
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
The Earth Institute
2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP21): What to expect and what should follow?
Laurence Tubiana (SIPA) and Scott Barrett (The Earth Institute) will discuss the expectations, hopes, and possible outcomes of the upcoming climate negotiations in the UN’s Climate Change Conference in December 2015. Register here. Morningside Campus, Buell Hall. (Related to: Global, Climate Change)
 
September 18
6 p.m. – 9 p.m. 
Columbia University
Film Fridays: What Happened, Miss Simone?
Kicking off Film Fridays with a documentary on the life of legendary musician and civil rights activist, Nina Simone, including never-before-heard recordings and rare archival footage together with her most memorable songs. Followed by a Q&A with Oscar nominated director, Liz Garbus. Please contact  MaryAnn Talavera at 212-854-5047 for more information. Pulitzer Hall, Lecture Hall. (Related to: Just Societies, 21st Century Public Square)

September 21
12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m. 
Columbia Law School | School of International and Public Affairs
Meeting China’s Climate Goals
Before the UN’s Climate Change Conference in December 2015, this event will look at the opportunities and challenges China faces in meeting its climate goals. Speakers include Valerie Karplus (MIT); Zhu Liu (Harvard); Kelly Sims Gallagher (Tufts); and David Sandalow, former acting undersecretary of energy at the U.S. Department of Energy. Registration required here. Faculty House, Seminar Room, 2nd floor. (Related to: Global, Climate Change)

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!

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!

June 26 – 27
The Heyman Center for the Humanities | Morningside Opera | Harlem Opera Theater | The Harlem Chamber Players
Restaging the Harlem Renaissance
A collaborative concert performance of the 1914 opera, Voodoo, by composer-librettist Harry Lawrence Freeman (purchase opera tickets here).Voodoo is at the heart of this two-day conference on African-American performing arts with panel topics on Harlem Renaissance Opera, Aesthetics, and Theater, including an exhibit of Freeman’s manuscript of Voodoo in Columbia’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library. List of speakers and schedule here. RSVP at [email protected]. Butler Library, Rooms 522 and 523.

Also see the June 28 Walking Tour: Harry Lawrence Freeman’s Harlem—High Art from Common Ground, led by Eric K. Washington, local historian and a fellow in Columbia’s Community Scholars Program. Purchase tickets here.

Picks are campus or NYC events of high general interest to alumni, donors, and prospects. I always appreciate hearing from you about future events!

Here is a special summer event worth noting. Not free, but invaluable. 

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!

Finals are coming, but the programming never ends….

April 28
6 p.m.
Graduate School of Journalism | Brown Institute for Media Innovation
Photography, Expanded: Digital Interventions
With the widespread popularity of photo-sharing platforms like Instagram, how can image-based interventions inform, activate, and strengthen communities, not only on social media, but also in the physical world? Such questions will be explored by Lance Weiler, co-founder of the Columbia Digital Storytelling Lab and director of Experiential Learning and Applied Creativity; Lina Srivastava, co-founder of Regarding Humanity; Jonathan Harris, founder of Cowbird; Christopher Allen, founder of UnionDocs Center for Documentary Arts; and moderator Chris Boot, executive director of Aperture Foundation. RSVP here. 547 W. 27th Street, Aperture Gallery and Bookstore.

Also see the April 30 event on Curating Digital Photography with Susan Meiselas, Magnum photographer and president of the Magnum Foundation, and Yukiko Yamagata, associate director of the Open Society Foundation’s Documentary Photography Project. RSVP here.

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 5
4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Mailman School of Public Health
Precision Medicine or Population Health
This discussion explores the meaning of precision medicine and population health and their roles in the well-being of people around the world. Speakers include Tom Maniatis, Isidore S. Edelman Professor of Biochemistry and director of the Columbia Precision Medicine Initiative; David Goldstein, professor and director of the Institute for Genomic Medicine; Ronald Bayer, professor and co-director of the Center for the History and Ethics of Public Health; Wendy K. Chung, Herbert Irving Associate Professor of Pediatrics; Jessica Justman, associate professor of medicine in epidemiology; Ezra Susser, professor and director of the Imprints Center for Genetic and Environmental Lifecourse Studies. Moderated by Wafaa El-Sadr, director of the Global Health Initiative. CUMC, Allan Rosenfield Building, Hess Commons.

5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
The Heyman Center for the Humanities |Center for Contemporary Critical Thought
Digits and Treasuries: How to Address the Fiscal Challenges of the Digital Economy
The digital revolution has given rise to a digital economy that challenges our concept of value creation. Startups and global companies are bringing radical transformation to all sectors of the economy. Pierre Collin, former chief adviser of the French minister for economy and finance; Martin Collet, former French minister of justice and former president of the French Constitutional Counsel; and François Ewald, professor emeritus at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers will discuss how countries might regain the power to tax profits earned by digital economy companies. Maison Française, Buell Hall, East Gallery.

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. (Reminder)

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.

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!

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. 

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!