Startup from the bottom, now the whole team here!

On a rainy February 2, I along with other members of CloEve Demmer’s  team made a trip to SoHo to attend the Founders Series workshop featuring Jamie Hodari ’04CC at the Columbia Startup Lab. After hearing about Columbia Entrepreneurship at the last Prospect Roundtable and seeing the event opportunity featured in Jerry’s Picks, my curiosity piqued and I was inspired to learn more.

Some context: our team has realized the benefit of experiencing Columbia and knowing what new and amazing things are happening here. We have kicked off our “team field trips” at the Startup Lab. Using Jerry’s Picks as a resource for events we hope that this becomes a regular opportunity.

Prior to the workshop we were treated to a tour by Hayley Katz, coordinator for the Startup Lab. Hayley enlightened us on the Startup Labs selection process and highlighted various entrepreneurial projects that our talented Columbians are leading.

startup lab 1The energy at the lab is palpable! At 5,100 square feet with more than 40 startups from all around campus, the lab serves as a true testament to Columbia’s commitment to collaboration and to supporting the flourishing entrepreneurial community. This is the result of a unique partnership between the deans of Columbia College, the Business School, Engineering, Law, and the School of International and Public Affairs.

Jamie Hodari ’04CC, co-founder and co-CEO of Industrious, was the speaker of the nstartup lab 2ight. He shared firsthand knowledge of what it takes to make it in the startup world. Prior to Industrious, Hodari was the co-founder and CEO of Kepler, a rapidly growing experimental university that Scientific American called a “daring global experiment” to bring “top-tier instruction to the neediest parts of the planet.”

Jackie Morton attended joined us that night and shared that she “really enjoyed seeing such a cool place and hearing the presentation by such a successful young man, who tied in raising money for his ventures with fundraising for nonprofits.”

Hayley mentioned several exciting events on the horizon for Columbia Entrepreneurship, including the #StartupColumbia Festival, April 28-29, a two-day conference that highlights Columbia’s global entrepreneurship community. Read more here.

Thanks to Hayley and to Chris McGarry who helped organize the tour for our team and to all the amazing people who joined us!

The Lab welcomes the alumni and development community to learn more about the space.  If you are interested in organizing a tour or for more information, please contact Hayley Katz at [email protected].

Contributor: Fritzie Dizon, assistant director at the Office of Gift Planning

 

Jerry’s Picks 16.8 March 1 – 12

The calendar springs forward with events—too many to be too picky! Write event stories here.

REMINDERS
 
March 1: Countdown to the Election: Health Policy 2016, Pirates of the Caribbean: Roberto Clemente and the Black Sporting Diaspora
March 3: Tony Tripodi Lecture Series on International Social Work: Social Service in a Pluralistic World
March 7: Columbia Women Dean’s Colloquium: Women and Leadership in the 21st Century University

PICKS

March 1
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Wallach Art Gallery | Miller Theatre | Art History and Archaeology
Liquid Highway Revisited: Hispañola in Perspective
Artists Firelei Báez, Nicolás Dumit Estévez Raful, and Scherezade Garcia will explore the connections between the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and contemporary art. This event is held in conjunction with this year’s site-specific mural by Garcia in the lobby of Miller Theatre, In Transit/Liquid Highway. Remarks by Deborah Cullen, director and chief curator of the Wallach Art Gallery. Schermerhorn Hall, Room 612. (Just Societies, Public Square)

6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
SIPA | Earth Institute
What are Columbia’s Economic, Legal, and Moral Responsibilities to Act on Climate Change?
An opportunity to hear about the sustainability efforts across Columbia’s campuses and throughout its programs. Featuring Michael Gerrard, director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law; Todd Gitlin, professor of Journalism; Jessica Prata, assistant vice president of environmental stewardship at Columbia; Jeffrey D. Sachs, director of the Earth Institute; and Bruce Usher, director of the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise. Moderated by Lisa Sachs, director of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment. Followed by a Q&A. Jerome L. Greene Hall, Room 104. (Climate Change)
 
March 2
9 – 11 a.m.
Columbia Journalism School
The Dark Web and Its Secrets
Christopher White, principal researcher at Microsoft, will discuss the dark web and the ways journalists can use open source software to investigate crimes. White was recently a program manager at DARPA developing advanced technologies for data science, where he created DARPA’s leading programs XDATA, Memex, and the Open Catalog as part of the President’s Big Data Initiative. Pulitzer Hall, World Room. (Data and Society)

March 3
6 – 8 p.m.
Oral History Master of Arts Program | Interdisciplinary Center for Innovative Theory and Empirics
Reckoning with 100 Years of Violence on the U.S. and Mexico Border: Methods for Developing a Public Dialogue
Oral histories provide access to vernacular histories that shed light on the long histories of state sanctioned violence. What are the best methods for making these oral histories available and accessible to the public and shifting popular understandings of the past? Discussion by Monica M. Martinez, assistant professor of American students at Brown University. Knox Hall, Room 509. (Just Societies, Public Square)
 
8 p.m.
Barnard College Department of Theatre | South Asian Institute | Asian Cultural Council
Opening Night: Chokher Bali (Sand in My Eye)
The first English performance of Rabindranath Tagore’s classic Bengali novel. Play and translation by Partha Chatterjee, professor of anthropology and of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies; directed by Mahesh Dattani, Ahuja Distinguished Fellow for Spring 2016; and dramaturged by Shayoni Mitra, assistant professor of theatre. Performance followed by a talkback and reception. See schedule of performances here and purchase tickets here. Barnard Campus, Milbank Hall, Room 118.

March 8
1 – 2 p.m.​
SIPA
New York, Global City: Recovery and Transformation Since the Great Recession
Rosemary Scanlon, former New York State Deputy Comptroller and divisional dean of the NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate, will discuss the diversification of New York City’s economy after the Great Recession.  Register here. International Affairs Building, Room 1510.

5 – 6:30 p.m.
Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race | Center for Ethnomusicology | Louis Armstrong Jazz Performance Program | Weatherhead East Asian Institute
Jon Jang: The Sounds of Struggle
Music from the 1960’s Black Liberation Movement to the 1980’s Asian American Movement with Jon Jang, jazz composer and pianist. Part of the Transnational Asian American speaker series. Dodge Hall, 701C. (Just Societies, Public Square)

March 9 – 12
School of the Arts
Undrown’d: Seeking Asylum
A play about immigration, imagination, and survival inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest, contemporary news media, and accounts from refugees. Directed by Benita de Wit ’16SOA. Free with a valid CUID, purchase tickets here for general admission. The Connelly Theatre, 220 East 4th Street. (Public Square)
For RSVP, ticket availability, and other details, follow the links. We always appreciate hearing from you about future events!

Jerry’s Picks 16.7 Feb. 23 – March 9

Cuba, Russia, Istanbul, museums, and Puerto Rican baseball—plus a conversation with Columbia’s women deans—and the Neiman Center for Print Studies. What’s in the Columbia world? What isn’t?

Write event stories here.

SPECIAL CONCERT SERIES

Miller Theatre celebrates the music of Romania with a series of two Pop-Up Concerts on March 1 and March 3, with a Composer Portrait featuring Iancu Dumitrescu on March 5.

REMINDERS

February 23: One Righteous Man: Samuel Battle and the Shattering of the Color Line in New York, Free Expression in the Age of Security Threats: A View from the Catbird Seat, and Income Inequality, the Media, and the 2016 Presidential Election
February 26: Real Women, Real Voices and Opening Reception of New Prints with Kiki Smith
March 1: Countdown to the Election: Health Policy 2016
March 3: Tony Tripodi Lecture Series on International Social Work: Social Service in a Pluralistic World

PICKS

February 23
6 p.m.
Columbia University Club Foundation
A Conversation: Cuban Ambassador Rodolfo Reyes Rodríguez and Provost John H. Coatsworth
Rodolfo Reyes Rodríguez is the ambassador and permanent representative of Cuba to the United Nations. A reception will follow. Purchase tickets here. Columbia University Club, 15 West 43rd Street. (Global)

February 24
4 – 7:30 p.m.
Harriman Institute | Overseas Press Club of America
Russia Hands Reunion: Covering Moscow Under Communism, Yeltsin, and Putin
A conference featuring journalists who covered Russia and the USSR. Welcoming remarks by Charles Wallace, governor of Overseas Press Club of America, and Alexander Cooley, director of the Harriman Institute. Moderated by Robert Kaiser, former managing editor of the Washington Post and Moscow correspondent. Full list of speakers and schedule here. Register here. International Affairs Building, Kellogg Center, Room 1501. (Global, Public Square)

February 24
6:30 – 8 p.m.
Columbia Global Centers
Open Museums: Thelma Golden, Paulo Herkenhoff, and Vasif Kortun
How is the role of the museum changing in today’s global art capitals? How are curators around the world reimagining the relationship between museums and the public? Thelma Golden, director and chief curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem; Paulo Herkenhoff, former director of Museu de Arte in Rio de Janeiro; and Vasif Kortun, director of research and programs at SALT in Istanbul/Ankara, will be in discussion. Anne Higonnet, professor of art history, will moderate. Simone Douglas, associate professor of photography at Parsons, and Sharon Marcus, dean of humanities at Columbia, will introduce the event. RSVP here. Parsons School of Design and the New School, 63 Fifth Avenue, University Center, Starr Foundation Hall, Room UL102. (Global, Public Square)

February 26
12:30 p.m.
GSAPP | Institute for Research in African-American Studies | Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture
Critical Dialogues on Race and Modern Architecture
Race has been integral in shaping architectural discourse. Panelists will explore how race has been deployed to organize and conceptualize the spaces of modernity, from the building, to the city, to the nation, to the planet. Discussion includes Mabel O. Wilson, associate professor of architecture, planning, and preservation, and Saidiya Hartman, professor of English and comparative literature. GSAPP, Wood Auditorium. (Just Societies)

February 27
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery
Leap into Contemporary Art: the Wallach Art Gallery’s Community Day
Tours of the exhibition Open This End – with the artwork of Andy Warhol, Paul McCarthy, Kehinde Wiley, and many more contemporary artists – and workshops on sculpture and other art-making activities. RSVP required here. Schermerhorn Hall, Wallach Art Gallery, 8th floor.

March 1
6 p.m.
Barnard College | Barnard Forum on Migration
Pirates of the Caribbean: Roberto Clemente and the Black Sporting Diaspora
What can the study of sport offer migration and diaspora studies? Frank Guridy, visiting associate professor in history, examines the career of Roberto Clemente, the legendary Afro-Puerto Rican baseball player of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Clemente’s migratory experiences illustrate the links between the vibrant sporting cultures of the Caribbean and the racialized political economy of professional baseball in the United States. Barnard Hall, Sulzberger Parlor, 3rd floor. (Just Societies, Global)

March 7
4:30 – 6 p.m.
Virginia Kneeland Frantz Society for Women Faculty
Women and Leadership in the 21st Century University
A colloquium of women deans at Columbia University, includes Amale Andraos (GSAPP), Bobbie Berkowitz (Nursing), Mary C. Boyce (Engineering), Linda Fried (Mailman), Merit E. Janow (SIPA), Alondra Nelson (Social Science), Jeanette Takamura (Social Work). Moderated by Lee Goldman, executive vice president and dean of the faculties of health sciences and medicine chief executive of CUMC. Reception to follow. RSVP here. Alumni Auditorium, P&S, 630 West 168th St. (Public Square)

March 9
6:30 – 8 p.m.
Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery
Open This End: Art, Ethics and Philanthropy Roundtable
A discussion featuring art collector Blake Byrne ’61MBA and moderated by Bruce Kogut, Sanford C. Bernstein & and Co. Professor of Leadership and Ethics at Columbia Business School. Registration required here. Special exhibition viewing from 5 to 6 p.m. RSVP here. Uris Hall, Room 301. (Public Square)

For RSVP, ticket availability, and other details, follow the links. We always appreciate hearing from you about future events!

Jerry’s Picks 16.6 Feb. 17 – March 3

From outer space to cyberspace, March is coming in like a (Columbia) lion.

Write event stories here

REMINDERS

February 12: BRICS 2.0: Challenges of Global Governance and Growth
February 18: Richard L. Kauffman: Reforming the Energy Vision
February 19: The Future of Racial Morality After Black Love and Black Rage
February 23: One Righteous Man: Samuel Battle and the Shattering of the Color Line in New York

PICKS

February 17
8 p.m.
Columbia Engineering | Columbia Space Initiative
Extreme Engineering Presents: Inside the Helment
A talk with NASA geologist Dean Eppler. Part of a weeklong series of talks with NASA astronauts and engineers.  Northwest Corner Building, Room 501.

February 22
6 – 7:30 p.m.
SIPA | Columbia Entrepreneurship | Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center
A Fireside Chat with Neil Blumenthal, co-founder of Warby Parker
Neil Blumenthal and Warby Parker are leading the way for socially conscious businesses. Blumenthal will be joined in conversation by Seisei Tatebe-Goddu ’13SIPA director of operations and marketing at Dumbo Dorm Productions. Followed by a Social Innovation Happy Hour. RSVP here. SIPA, Room 1501.

February 23
5 – 7:30 p.m.
Harriman Institute
Free Expression in the Age of Security Threats: a View from the Catbird Seat
Dunja Mijatović, representative on freedom of the media at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), addresses the major issues affecting free media in the OSCE region including journalists’ safety, Internet freedom, and propaganda as a tool for war and hatred. Pulitzer Hall, 3rd floor. (Global)

6 – 8 p.m.
SIPA
Income Inequality, the Media, and the 2016 Presidential Election
A panel discussion with Patricia Cohen, reporter at the New York Times; Michael Massing, author and contributor to the New York Review of Books; and Joseph Stiglitz, University Professor and co-founder of the Initiative for Policy Dialogue. Moderated by Anya Schiffrin, director of the International Media, Advocacy, and Communications specialization. RSVP here. International Affairs Building, Room 1512. (Just Societies)

February 26
4 – 7 p.m.
Public Humanities Initiative
Real Women, Real Voices
Features currently and formerly incarcerated women discussing the impact of incarceration on their lives, and the lives of their children and families, as well as the need for changes to policy as it relates to women and incarceration. This is a pre-launch event in advance of the 2016 Beyond the Bars Conference. Law School, Jerome Greene Hall, Room 103. (Just Societies)

5 – 7 p.m.
School of the Arts
Opening Reception of New Prints with Kiki Smith
An exhibition of new prints published by the LeRoy Neiman Center for Print Studies, featuring David Altmejd ’01SOA; Ernesto Caivano ’01SOA; Mark Dion, visual arts mentor; Edward Mapplethorpe; and Kiki Smith, adjunct faculty. Dodge Hall, LeRoy Neiman Gallery.

March 1
4 p.m.
Columbia Nursing | Mailman School
Countdown to the Election: Health Policy 2016
A panel discussion with healthcare and health policy leaders to discuss health policy and impending leadership changes in 2016 at the federal, state, and local level. RSVP here. CUMC Faculty Club, Physicians and Surgeons Building, 4th floor.

March 3
6 – 7:30 p.m.
School of Social Work
Tony Tripodi Lecture Series on International Social Work: Social Service in a Pluralistic World
Columbia President Emeritus George E. Rupp will consider the profession of social service in all of its expressions, both domestically and internationally, as an interesting instance of the crosscurrents between our society’s emphasis on individualism and the need for taking collective action on behalf of, and responsibility for, the rights and freedoms of those who lack the power or ability to advocate for themselves. RSVP here. Faculty House, President’s Room 1. (Global)

For RSVP, ticket availability, and other details, follow the links. We always appreciate hearing from you about future events!

 

Jerry’s Picks 16.5 Feb. 8 – Feb. 23

February, Black History Month, brings programs focusing on race and society, as well as the usual Big Idea smorgasbord. Write event stories here

LOOKING AHEAD

February 8 – March 25
Rare Book and Manuscript Library | Institute for Research in African American Studies
On view now, an exhibit on the late Manning Marable, an author, activist, scholar, and the founding director of Columbia’s Institute for Research in African-American Studies. View hours here. Mark your calendars: exhibit, panel discussion, and reception on March 11. Butler Library, 6th floor, Chang Octagon.

REMINDERS

February 9: Human Rights Connectivity and the Future of the Human Rights System, A Diverse Nation: the French Model of Integration, and Better Git It in Your Soul: An Interpretive Biography of Charles Mingus
February 10: 99 Homes
February 11: World Leaders Forum and Embodied Cognition Workshop: Music and Neuroscience
February 13: Albert Murray—An American Original

PICKS

February 8 
6 – 8 p.m.
Mailman School
Negotiating Humanitarian Space: Experiences from the Field 
A round-table discussion about humanitarian space in conflict zones. Speakers from Doctors Without Borders will share their experiences. RSVP here. 722 West 168th St, Allan Rosenfield Building, Hess Commons. (Global)

February 10
6 – 7 p.m.
Columbia Global Reports | Committee on Global Thought
Planes, Trains, and Root Canals: The New World of Medical Tourism
Sasha Issenberg, Bloomberg Politics contributor and author of Outpatients: The Astonishing New World of Medical Tourism; Michael Doyle, director of Columbia Global Policy Initiative and member of the Committee on Global Thought; and Nicholas Lemann, director of Columbia Global Reports and journalism dean emeritus, will discuss Issenberg’s book, medical tourism, and global healthcare. Register . Columbia Law School, Jerome Greene Hall, Room 105. (Global)

February 12
9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
SIPA | Center on Global Economic Governance
BRICS 2.0: Challenges of Global Governance and Growth
This BRICLab conference will bring together academics, policymakers, and business leaders to examine how Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa are continuing to build new global governance platforms and the impact on the global political economy. Moderated by David Fergusson, CEO of the M&A Advisor and opening remarks by Jan Svejnar, director of the Center on Global Economic Governance. Registration is required here. Low Library Rotunda. (Global)

​February 18​
6 7:15 p.m.
​Center on Global Energy Policy
Richard L. Kauffman, chairman of energy and finance for New York in the office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, will discuss the strategy to build a cleaner, more resilient, and affordable energy system in New York. David Sandalow, inaugural fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy, will moderate. Registration is required . Faculty House, Presidential Room 2/3. (Climate Change, Global)

February 19
12:15 – 2 p.m.
Center for Race, Philosophy, and Social Justice
The Future of Racial Morality After Black Love and Black Rage
Christopher Lebron, assistant professor of African American studies and philosophy at Yale University, will talk as part of the speaker series. Lebron has been active in public forums discussing race, social justice, and democratic ethics – most recently he has written for the Boston Review and the New York Times. (Just Societies)

February 23
6 – 8:30 p.m.
Rare Book and Manuscript Library | Lehman Center for American History
As part of the Live from Columbia Archives series, a discussion with Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Arthur Browne. Butler Library 523. (Just Societies)

For RSVP, ticket availability, and other details, follow the links. We always appreciate hearing from you about future events!

 

What’s with February 18? Jerry’s Picks 16.4 Feb. 9 – 21

Columbia Universe-ity! Current picks include one of those banner campus days: a Wallach Gallery opening, films at SoA and Barnard, and talks on the promise of precision medicine, oral history and social justice, fetal alcohol syndrome and public health, and more — all on February 18 alone. Write event stories here

FEATURED BIG IDEA EVENT

February 18
5:15 p.m. – 8:15 p.m.
Center for Science and Society | Presidential Scholars in Society and Neuroscience
Speakers will highlight some big questions surrounding precision medicine—ethical, social, economic, and legal implications of advancing this research. With David Goldstein, director of Columbia’s Institute for Genomic Medicine, and Jonathan Metzl, director of the Center for Medicine, Health, and Society, at Vanderbilt University. Moderated by Alondra Nelson, dean of Social Science. A full list of respondents is available here. Register here. Low Library Rotunda. (Precision Medicine)

REMINDERS

February 1: Robin Bell on Antarctica
February 2: Socioeconomic Disparities, Children and Brain Development
February 3: Founders Series with Jamie Hodari ’04CC
February 5: Innovation and the Value of Privacy
 
PICKS

February 9
6 – 7 p.m.
University Lecture
Human Rights, Connectivity, and the Future of the Human Rights System
A lecture hosted by President Lee C. Bollinger and Provost John H. Coatsworth with Sarah H. Cleveland, Louis Henkin Professor of Human and Constitutional Rights and faculty co-director of the Human Rights Institute. Registration required here. Low Library Rotunda. (Just Societies, Global)

February 11
10 – 11 a.m.
World Leaders Forum
The Italian president, Sergio Mattarella, speaks on “Leadership in the Age of Change: Managing Current Developments in the Mediterranean and Throughout Europe.” Introduced by President Lee C. Bollinger and moderated by economics professor Alessandra Casella. Register here. Low Library Rotunda. (Global)

February 13
9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Center for Jazz Studies
Albert Murray—An American Original
On the occasion of the Albert Murray Centennial, panel discussions on the Harlemite Albert Murray, jazz critic, novelist, and thinker. A full schedule and list of speakers is available here. Opening remarks by Robert O’Meally, Zora Neale Hurston Professor of English. Followed by a jazz performance by the Michael Carvin Experience. RSVP to [email protected]. (Public Square)

February 17
4 – 5:30 p.m.
Mailman School
The Urban Landscape and Public Health
Join Dean Linda P. Fried for a Dean’s Grand Rounds with Jonathan F.P. Rose, president of Jonathan Rose Companies, and Mitchell J. Silver, commissioner of the New York City department of parks and recreation. For more information, please contact Kim Milian at [email protected]. CUMC Alumni Auditorium, 650 West 168th Street, 1st floor.

February 18—One of those Columbia days!
4 – 6 p.m.
Wallach Art Gallery
Open This End: Artists in Conversation
Joseph R. Wolin, independent curator and art critic, will lead a panel discussion featuring several of the artists included in Open This End. Register here.  Schermerhorn Hall, 8th floor.
 
6 p.m.
Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library
Message in a Bottle: The Making of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Spectrum Disorder
Janet Golden, professor of history at Rutgers University, ​will trace the disorder’s discovery, public health, medical, and legal ramifications, as well as its portrayal in the media in terms of race, class, and gender. Augustus C. Long Health Sciences, Hammer Building, Conference Room 103 A.

6:30 p.m.
School of the Arts
Chapter and Verse
Interdisciplinary conversation on race, justice, and the carceral continuum following a screening of Jamal Joseph’s Chapter and Verse. Speakers include Jamal Joseph, professor of professional practice; Kathy Boudin, director of the Criminal Justice Initiative; Soffiyah Elijah, executive director of the Correctional Association of New York; Carl Hart, professor of psychology; and Samuel Roberts, director of the Institute for Research in African-American Studies. Moderated by Kendall Thomas, director of the Center for the Study of Law and Culture. Miller Theatre. (Just Societies)

6 – 8 p.m.
Columbia Center for Oral History Research | Oral History Master of Arts Program
Performance into Policy: Doing Justice by Oral Histories of Place and Displacement
Hudson Vaughan, deputy director and a co-founder of the Marian Cheek Jackson Center for Saving and Making History, and Della Pollock, executive director, will discuss the process of moving from oral history as performance towards policy intervention. Knox Hall, Room 509. (Just Societies)
 
February 18 – 21
Barnard | Athena Center for Leadership Studies
6th Annual Athena Film Festival: A Celebration of Women and Leadership
A weekend of feature films, documentaries, and shorts that highlight women’s leadership both in real life and the fictional world. Includes panel discussions with directors and workshops. View the full program schedule here and venue locations here. Purchase tickets here. (Public Square)

For RSVP, ticket availability, and other details, follow the links. We always appreciate hearing from you about future events!

Git It in Your Soul: Jerry’s Picks 16.3

Calvin Trillin! Antarctic Glaciers! 99 Homes! Charles Mingus! Two brain events! Startups, data privacy, and diversity in France! Can we even find enough exclamation points? Write event stories here!!! 

REMINDERS
 
January 25:  What We Can Learn from the Asylum: A Documentary Quest
January 27: A Public Health Lens on Violence
January 29: The Latino Vote: Myth vs. Reality
January 30: Brentano String Quartet and Gabriel Calatrava: Bach’s Art of the Fugue

PICKS

January 28
6 p.m. – 8 p.m. 
Columbia Journalism School
Calvin Trillin – author of Dogfight: The 2012 Presidential Campaign In Verse and numerous other books, also, a regular contributor to The New Yorker who is known for his commentary on the American scene – will speak as part of the Delacorte Lecture series. Followed by a Q&A and moderated by Eric Bates, veteran magazine editor. Pulitzer Hall, World Room. (Public Square)

February 1
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Earth Institute
Robin Bell on Antarctica
Renowned glaciologist Robin Bell, researcher at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, will speak about her team’s discoveries during their recent expedition to the ice-covered Gamburtsev Mountains, the last unknown mountain range on Earth. Purchase tickets here or e-mail [email protected]. Explorers Club Headquarters, 46 East 70th Street. (Climate Change)

February 2
6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Zuckerman Institute
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Brain Insight Lecture: Socioeconomic Disparities, Children and Brain Development
As part of a team of social scientists and neuroscientists, Kimberly Noble and her colleagues are planning the first-ever controlled trial of the effects of poverty reduction by providing a random group of low-income mothers a monthly income supplement for the first three years of their children’s lives. The team will estimate the impact on children’s cognitive, emotional, and brain development, as well as the effects on family functioning. Register here. Graduate School of Journalism, Lecture Hall. (Zuckerman Institute and the Future of Neuroscience, Just Societies)

February 3
5:30 p.m.
Columbia Entrepreneurship | Columbia Startup Lab
Founders Series with Jamie Hodari ’04CC
Jamie Hodari ’04CC, co-founder and co-CEO of Industrious, will provide first-hand knowledge of what it takes to make it in the startup world. Prior to Industrious, Hodari was the co-founder and CEO of Kepler, a rapidly growing experimental university that Scientific American called a “daring global experiment” to bring “top-tier instruction to the neediest parts of the planet.” Register here. Columbia Startup Lab, 69 Charlton Street.

February 5
9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Data Sciences Institute | Center for Leadership and Ethics
Innovation and the Value of Privacy
How can we use data to improve privacy for individuals? Can we tell how companies are using our data and which ones are offering better protection? Speakers include Kate Crawford, principal researcher at Microsoft, Abhay Edlabadkar ’07BUS, founder of RedMorph; Roxana Geambasu, assistant professor of computer science; Arvind Narayanan, computer scientist at Princeton; Deirdre Mulligan, professor of information at UC Berkeley; and Claudia Perlich, chief data scientist at Dstillery. Purchase tickets here. Schapiro Center for Engineering and Physical Science Research, Davis Auditorium. (Data and Society)

February 9
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.    
Maison Française | Alliance Program
A Diverse Nation: The French Model of Integration
Patrick Simon, director of research at INED at Sciences Po Paris; Andreas Wimmer, Lieber Professor of Sociology and Political Philosophy; and Riva Kastoryano, sociologist at Sciences Po will discuss how the French model of integration is responding to the growing diversity within French society. Moderated by Alexander Stille, San Paolo Professor of International Journalism. Pulitzer Hall, Lecture Room. (Global, Just Societies)

7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Center for Jazz Studies
Better Git It in Your Soul: An Interpretive Biography of Charles Mingus
A book with author Krin Gabbard, jazz studies faculty, about the life of Charles Mingus, renowned jazz composer. Gabbard will be joined by Boris Koslov, bassist, composer, and arranger; Alex Foster, member of the Mingus Big Band; and Freddie Bryant, member of the Mingus Orchestra. Followed by a Jazz performance by the Boris Koslov Trio. RSVP at [email protected]. Buell Hall.  

February 10
6:30 p.m.
School of the Arts | Office of University Life
99 Homes
A film screening of 99 Homes about a businessman who repossess homes and swindles the real estate market, Wall Street banks, and the government. Followed by a talk with the director Ramin Bahrani ’96CC, School of the Arts film studies faculty, and Nobel Prize-winning economist and University Professor Joseph Stiglitz. Miller Theatre.

February 11
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Center for Science and Society | The Heyman Center for the Humanities
Embodied Cognition Workshop: Music and Neuroscience
The relationship between music, embodiment, and cognition will be discussed by Luc Nijs, Ghent University and by Mariusz Kozak, assistant professor of music. Followed by a panel discussion with Carmel Raz, postdoctoral fellow at the Society of Fellows in the Humanities; Andrew Goldman, Presidential Scholar in Society and Neuroscience; and moderated by Jenny Boulboullé, lecturer in History. The Heyman Center, Common Room. (Zuckerman Institute and the Future of Neuroscience)

For RSVP, ticket availability, and other details, follow the links. We always appreciate hearing from you about future events!

Note to Self: Jerry’s Picks 16.2

Note to Self: Attend events! Write event stories here

REMINDERS

January 25:  What We Can Learn from the Asylum: A Documentary Quest
January 27: A Public Health Lens on Violence
January 30: Stefon Harris & Sonic Creed

SNEAK PEEK (RSVP now: Nevis programs fill up quickly.)

February 11
7 p.m.
Nevis Science Center
Science-on-Hudson: A Brief History of Chemistry in the Cosmos
A public talk with Daniel Wolf Savi, senior research scientist at Nevis Laboratories. Learn about the cosmic chemical pathway from the Big Bang, to the formation of stars and life as we know it. Followed by stargazing with astronomers from the Columbia Astronomy Public Outreach Program (weather permitting). Science Center at Nevis Laboratories, Irvington, New York, 136 South Broadway.

PICKS

January 20
7 p.m.
Zuckerman Institute
WNYC Live: Note to Self
The launch of “Infomagical” – a podcast series that explores information overload on our brains, our relationships, and our ability to generate new ideas. Participants will experiment with ways to regulate their information diet, find focus, and discover the magic of clearer thinking. Manoush Zomorodi will host and be joined in conversation by Daphna Shohamy, associate professor of psychology, and Adam Cardone, magician escape artist. Purchase tickets here. The Greene Space, 44 Charlton Street. (Data and Society, Public Square, Zuckerman Institute and the Future of Neuroscience)

January 20
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
The Office of Government and Community Affairs
Mental Health: Advances in Science to Improve Care in the 21st Century
A community forum to learn about research and mental health advances at Columbia. RSVP at [email protected]. Columbia University Medical Campus, Russ Berrie Medical Science Pavilion, Conference Room 2.

January 21 – 22
Department of History | History in Action Program
High-Stakes History: The Many Conversations of the Historian
Historical research and skills play roles in such varied fields as policy making, scientific research, entertainment, educating the public via primary sources, and popular history. This conference will reflect on the ways history participates in and shapes thinking and action beyond its disciplinary boundaries. Opening remarks by Alondra Nelson, dean of social science, with a keynote address by Jill Lepore, professor of American history at Harvard. Full list of speakers and program here. RSVP here. Maison Française, Buell Hall, East Gallery. (Public Square)

January 29
9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Graduate School of Journalism | Telemundo Network
The Latino Vote: Myth vs. Reality
Political experts will discuss the diverse demographics of Latino communities, how journalists can fact-check candidates and their positions, and understand election poll results. Panelists will comment on strategies the major parties will use in the coming elections. Full list of speakers . Moderated by Telemundo News co-anchors José Díaz-Belart and María Celeste Arrarás. Remarks by Luis Carlos Vélez, vice president of Telemundo Network, and Dean Steve Coll. RSVP here. Columbia Journalism School, Lecture Hall. (Public Square)

January 30
8 p.m.
CAA Arts Access
Brentano String Quartet and Gabriel Calatrava: Bach’s Art of the Fugue
A performance installation created by the Brentano Quartet, engineer Gabriel Calatrava, and choreographer John-Mario Sevilla. Featuring Nina Lee, cellist from Columbia’s department of music. Using instruments ranging from the quartet’s old Italian violins, to Calatrava’s 3D printer, this performance aims to bring a new approach to Bach’s Art of the Fugue. Purchase tickets here. 1395 Lexington Avenue, Kaufmann Concert Hall.

For RSVP, ticket availability, and other details, follow the links. We always appreciate hearing from you about future events!

Picky New Year! Jerry’s Picks 16.1

Welcome back! Along with climate change, Jamaica’s Queen Nanny, mental institutions, and public health, we have contemporary art at the Wallach and jazzman Stefon Harris’s good vibes at Miller Theatre. And a New Year’s resolution: attend at least one Columbia event this season and become a Jerry’s Picks event story contributor here! Still picky after all these years….

January 19
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. 
The Earth Institute | Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
What Effect Will the Trans-Pacific Partnership Have on Domestic and International Climate Change Action?
The historic mega-treaty includes provisions related to fossil fuel exports, environmental standards, investor protections, and technology. What are the implications for climate change policy? Discussion panel will include Lise Johnson, head of investment law and policy, Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment; Ben Beachy, senior policy advisor, Sierra Club; Claire E. Reade, senior counsel, Arnold & Porter LLP; and Norine Kennedy, vice president of strategic international engagement, energy, and environment, US Council for International Business. RSVP required here. Jerome Greene Hall, Room 104. (Climate Change)

January 22
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.    
School of the Arts | Office of Community Outreach and Education
Opening Reception of Renée Cox’s Exhibit: Revisiting the Queen Nanny Series
Renée Cox’s photographic series restages scenes from the life of Nanny, or Queen Nanny, the spiritual and political leader of the Maroon outpost Nanny Town, a fugitive community of previously enslaved Africans in Jamaica in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. On view January 22 to April 14. Russ Berrie Pavilion. (Public Square, Global)

January 25
4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Global Mental Health Program
What We Can Learn from the Asylum: A Documentary Quest
The film Kings Park: Stories from an American Mental Institution asks, “How do our past decisions regarding the treatment of people with mental health conditions influence and shape mental health care policy and practice today and into the future?” Filmmaker Lucy Winer will speak about her experiences at an institution that once held her captive and share highlights from her award-winning documentary. 1051 Riverside Drive, Room 6601, New York State Psychiatric Institute.

January 26
4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Mailman School | Program on Forced Migration and Health
Successes and Challenges of Leading a Presidential Initiative: PMI and the Fight Against Malaria
Barack Obama’s President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), has contributed to sustained progress in decreasing malaria-related mortality in 19 focus countries and the Greater Mekong Sub-Region including Burma, Cambodia, and Thailand. Rear Admiral Tim Ziemer shares his experiences in managing the president’s global initiative. 722 West 168th St, Allan Rosenfield Building, Auditorium. (Global)

January 27
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Wallach Art Gallery | The Skylark Foundation
Exhibition Reception – Open this End: Contemporary Art from the Collection of Blake Byrne
Features both iconic and lesser-known works from some of the most significant artists of the last 50 years. The title, from a 1962 Warhol painting included in the show, suggests that the exhibition is a present to be unwrapped and shows us some of the ways we might unpack contemporary art, and how we might begin to understand these works as engaged in a series of exchanges that span genres, mediums, historical periods, and artistic styles. Curated by Joseph R. Wolin ’92GSAS, independent curator and art critic in New York. On view January 20 to March 12. Wallach Art Gallery.

January 27
4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Mailman School
A Public Health Lens on Violence
Join Dean Linda P. Fried for a Dean’s Grand Rounds with Rodrigo Guerrero, the mayor of Cali, Colombia, and a Harvard-trained epidemiologist. For more information, please contact Kim Milian at [email protected]. CUMC Alumni Auditorium, 650 West 168th Street, 1st floor. (Just Societies)

January 30
8 p.m.
Miller Theatre
Stefon Harris & Sonic Creed
Miller does jazz! Armed with marimbas, vibes, and an electrifying stage presence, Stefon Harris offers “a high-gloss, dizzyingly virtuosic blend of postbop and funk- and R&B-informed groove” (Time Out New York).  His new group, Sonic Creed, is packed with talent, including the rising-star Elena Pinderhughes, praised by the New York Times for throwing “her flute, body, and soul into Latin jazz”—at age ten. Since then, she’s flourished, bringing her bold sound on vocals and flute. Purchase tickets here. Miller Theatre.

For RSVP, ticket availability, and other details, follow the links. We always appreciate hearing from you about future events!

 

From Vertical Farms to Edible Insects, Lily Shen on the Future of Food

On December 3, I attended Columbia Entrepreneurship Night: The Future of Food Sustainability. Dean Mary Boyce of SEAS moderated a panel of experts who are leading the way in providing solutions to the challenges of food sustainability.  Here are some highlights from their presentations.

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Presenters (L-R): Dickson Despommier, Sonny Wu, David Rosenberg, Adrian Durrani, and SEAS Dean Mary Boyce

Dickson Despommier, emeritus professor in microbiology and public health. With increasing urbanization around the world, cities must produce more of their own food by growing it indoors and on rooftops, in skyscrapers—essentially vertical farming. With vertical farming, we can reduce and control food contamination and GMOs, pesticides, and agricultural runoff—a major source of pollution.

Adrian Durrani ’81SEAS, CEO of American Halal/Saffron Foods and president of Condor Ventures, a firm devoted to strategic investing in natural food companies. There is a crisis in the agricultural industry, which mistreats animals and exploits farmworkers. Overuse of hormones in animals, and toxic, polluted farmland all pose health risks. Sustainable organic farming is part of the solution and it can also provide decent wages to farmworkers.

David Rosenberg  ’02BUS, founder of AeroFarms, a clean technology company that builds and operates advanced vertical farms in urban environments. Vertical farming uses 95 percent less water and is 70 times more productive than land farms. Scientists are figuring out ways to optimize taste and nutrition density in food grown in vertical farms. Eating insects can be an alternative protein source requiring fewer resources to produce.

Sonny Wu, managing director of GSR Ventures, which focuses on investments in the new materials and new energy sectors.  In China, Wu’s home country, he has invested in a home modular system to grow food on balconies. GSR Ventures has also invested in Rosenberg’s company, AeroFarms.

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Eat Offbeat team

After the panel discussion, I enjoyed touring demo team tables staffed by food startups founded by Columbia alumni, students, and faculty, including Sharebite, a food ordering platform that allows you to make a social impact; Eat Offbeat, offers home-style ethnic meals conceived, prepared, and delivered by refugees resettled in NYC; and Untamed Sandwiches, an eatery offering food produced locally and sustainably.

I left thinking that maybe one day balcony farms and a dinner of munchable bugs won’t seem that farfetched. Clearly Columbians are at the forefront of food sustainability thinking!