The sense of smell is in the air this week, of course, and other Picks include Congressman Schiff on cybersecurity, two Wallach Gallery openings, programs on knowing, proving, and seeing, the neuroscience of movement and the dynamics of race and health  Enjoy and remember to share your story.

REMINDERS

April 11: The New York Premiere Film Screening of Light and Brazilian Democracy: Challenges and Perspectives (livestreamed here)
April 13: The Human Sense of Smell and Neutrinos are Us!
April 14: #StartupColumbia 2017 Festival  

SPECIAL PICK

April 22
3 – 6 p.m.
School of the Arts | Wallach Art Gallery
Public Opening and Reception: 2017 MFA Thesis Exhibition
The first exhibition in the Lenfest Center for the Arts, the new home of the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery, will showcase the work of 29 student artists. Curated by Wallach director Deborah Cullen. Exhibition runs April 23 to May 21. 615 West 129th Street in Manhattanville.

PICKS

April 11 – 12
Columbia University Libraries
The Art of Data Visualization: Art or Knowledge?
Is data visualization art? Is it knowledge? Or is it some combination of the two (and more)? This two-day conference will explore these questions and showcase work from a range of data visualization practitioners. A keynote entitled Data Humanism will be given by Giorgia Lupi, author of Dear Data. Other topics include Conflict Urbanism: Visualizing Conflict Data Through Mapping and Spatial Analysis and Visualizing Social Interactions in Social Networks. Register here. For workshop locations and program visit here. (Data and Society)

April 13
11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Mailman School of Public Health
Race, Racism, and Health in the Trump Era: Realities and Evidence-Based Projections
A seminar by David R. Williams, Florence and Laura Norman Professor of Public Health and professor of African and African American studies and sociology at Harvard. Williams developed the Everyday Discrimination Scale, one of the most widely used measures of discrimination in health studies. RSVP here. 722 West 168th St. 532, Allan Rosenfield Building. (Just Societies)

April 18
6 – 8 p.m.
Wallach Art Gallery | Critical and Curatorial Studies in Art History and Archaeology
Opening Reception – Invisible Cities: Moda Curates 2017
An exhibition taking viewers on a journey through various media—photography, film, and digital—as it examines the “relationship between representation and mediation” in works expressing “the imagined dreams, the hidden anxieties, and the real desires of contemporary culture.” Curated by Page Benkowski ’17GSAS, Taylor Fisch ’17GSAS, and Georgia Horn ’17GSAS. Exhibition runs April 18 to May 20 at the Morningside Campus location of the Wallach Art Gallery. Schermerhorn Hall, 8th floor. Tour with curators on April 27.

April 19
4 – 5:15 p.m.
Columbia Law | Center on Global Governance | Roger Hertog Program on Law and National Security
The Cyber Threat to our National Security and Privacy
A discussion with congressman Adam Schiff, US representative for California’s 28th district and ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Reception to follow. Jerome Greene Hall, Room 103. (Data and Society, Just Societies)

April 20
5 – 7 p.m.
Columbia Precision Medicine Initiative
Precision Medicine and Popular Media
Precision Medicine—an emerging approach for disease treatment and prevention that takes into account individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle for each person—raises a myriad of cultural, political, and historical questions that the humanities are uniquely positioned to address. Discussion with Sandra Soo-Jin Lee, senior research scholar and medical anthropologist at Stanford school of medicine, as part of the Columbia Precision Medicine Initiative series, Precision Medicine: Ethics, Politics, and Culture. Columbia Law School, Jerome Greene Hall, Case Lounge, Room 701. (Precision Medicine)

April 21 – 22
Center for Science and Society | Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy
Evidence: An Interdisciplinary Conversation about Knowing and Certainty
With leading Columbia faculty, academic scholars, public policy makers, non-governmental advocates, and media experts. Panelists will examine the use of evidence—from massive data sets to individual case studies. Registration required here. Columbia Law School, Jerome Greene Hall. (Data and Society)

April 25
6:30 –  8 p.m.
Zuckerman Institute
The Neuroscience of Movement
Thomas M. Jessell, co-director of Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute and Claire Tow Professor of Motor Neuron Disorders, discusses the factors that regulate neuronal diversity and their clinical implications. Jessell will also provide examples of the way in which manipulation of the activity of neurons permits insight into the design of circuits involved in motor control. RSVP here. Faculty House. (Future of Neuroscience)

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

April is the fullest month: too much, too varied, too great to be too picky! Take a long look at our long list. Remember to share your story.

REMINDERS

April 4: Practices Starting a Biotech: Lessons Learned from Industry Leaders
April 5: Data Science Day 2017
April 6 – 7: The Fourth Annual Harriet Zuckerman Conference at the Mellon Biennial
April 7: Surveillance and the Mosque and Cities and Climate Action: New Orleans, Rio, NYC

SPECIAL PICK

April 14th
9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Columbia Entrepreneurship
#StartupColumbia 2017 Festival  
Panelist will tackle innovations around truth in the media, ways to save the planet, and the burgeoning life sciences scene in NYC. Includes Jacob Weisberg, chairman and editor-in-chief of Slate, University Professor Jeffrey Sachs, and closing keynote by will.i.am, member of the Black Eyed Peas. Complimentary tickets provided for VIP alumni. Please contact Yvette Miller at [email protected] for tickets and more information. Alfred Lerner Hall, Roone Arledge Auditorium.

PICKS

March 30
6 – 9 p.m.
SIPA
20th Annual David N. Dinkins Leadership and Public Policy Forum
Addresses issues in urban ecosystems including mass incarceration, education, the environment, labor, tourism, immigration, and fiscal crises. Keynote address by John R. Lewis, US Representative for Georgia’s 5th Congressional District. Opening remarks by President Lee C. Bollinger, Dean Merit E. Janow, and David N. Dinkins, professor of professional practice at SIPA and the 106th Mayor of the City of New York. Panelists will discuss Reframing Economic and Political Citizenship. Livestreamed here. Miller Theatre. (Just Societies, Climate Response, Global)

April 3
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Heyman Center for the Humanities | The University Seminars
New Books in Political and Social Thought
Celebrating the recent work by University Seminars and Society of Fellows alumni David Armitage, Civil Wars: A History in Ideas; Jeffrey Barash, Collective Memory and the Historical Past; and Teresa Bejan, Mere Civility Disagreement and the Limits of Toleration. Includes Mark Mazower, director and chair of the Heyman Center. Faculty House, Ivy Room. (Just Societies)

April 5
6 – 8 p.m.
SIPA
Human Rights, Rule of Law, and the Challenges of Civil Society Activism
A lecture by Navanethem Pillay, former United Nations high commissioner for Human Rights and former president and judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. RSVP here. International Affairs Building, Room 1512. (Global, Just Societies)

6 – 8 p.m.
The Harriman Institute | Graduate School of Journalism
Follow the Money: Offshore Finance, Russia and Beyond
Panel discussion with Irina Malkova, Russian Civil Society fellow and editor-in-chief of the Russian online newspaper Republic; Paul Klebnikov, Russian Civil Society fellow; Giannina Segnini, director of the master of science data concentration program at the Journalism School; Jason Sharman, Sir Patrick Sheehy Professor of International Relation at the University of Cambridge; and moderated by Alexander Cooley, director of the Harriman Institute. RSVP here. Brown Institute for Media Innovation, Entry floor, East Wing. (Global)

April 5 – 8
Center for Science and Society | Weatherhead East Asian Institute | Department of History
Weaving: Cognition, Technology, and Culture
This conference, demonstration, and workshop will raise questions about the economic, social, and cultural significance of weaving, as well as broader issues about craft as cognition, cognitive change over time, innovation in craft, and the role of “traditional” crafts in the modern era. Panelists include psychologist Daphna Shohamy; Andrew Goldman, presidential scholar in Society and Neuroscience; Pamela H. Smith, Seth Low Professor of History and director of the Center for Science and Society; and more. Registration required here. Faculty House. (Future of Neuroscience)

April 6
5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Mailman | HITLAB Seminar Series
Using Big Data to Achieve the Triple Aim
Tina Brown-Stevenson, senior vice president of health systems analytics and decision support at UnitedHealth Group, will be in discussion. Reception to follow. Registration required here by April 5. Livestreamed here. Allan Rosenfield Building, Hess Commons. (Data and Society)

6:30 p.m.
GSAPP | Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture | Orbit Books
New York 2140
A presentation by Kim Stanley Robinson on the release of his latest novel, New York 2140. Through the eyes of the varied inhabitants of one building Robinson shows us how one of our great cities will change with the rising tides. In 2008, Robinson was named a “Hero of the Environment” by Time magazine. Includes a discussion with Dean Amale Andraos and Reinhold Martin, Buell Center director. Pulitzer Hall, World Room. (Climate Response)

April 7
10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Co-sponsors here
Race, Law, and Exception
What is the relationship between race, law, and states of exception? What are the deep historical roots and global configurations of this relationship? This conference brings together scholars and practitioners from across disciplines to reflect on these and other questions. Maison Française, Buell Hall, East Gallery. (Global, Just Societies)

April 10
6 – 9 p.m.
Mailman Office of the Dean | Office of Diversity, Culture, and Inclusion
Medical Apartheid
A lecture by Harriet A. Washington ’13JRN, science writer, ethicist, and fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine. Washington’s books include Infectious Madness: The Surprising Science of How We “Catch” Mental Illness and Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Experimentation from Colonial Times to the Present. RSVP here. 50 Haven Avenue, Bard Hall, Lounge, 1st floor. (Just Societies)

April 11
5 – 6:30 p.m.
Global Centers | Rio de Janeiro | Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies
Brazilian Democracy: Challenges and Perspectives
A discussion by Dilma Rousseff, former president of Brazil, on the political and economic challenges facing Brazil. Rousseff will provide her perspective on the current state and future of democracy, progressive politics, and economic growth in Brazil. Introduction by provost John H. Coatsworth and Q&A with the audience moderated by Thomas J. Trebat, director of the Global Center in Rio. Registration for this event is now closed but it will be livestreamed here. Italian Academy. (Global)

April 18
4 – 5 p.m.
Mailman
Statistical Methods for Linking Big Data with Precision Health
A lecture with DuBois Bowman, chair of biostatistics, whose research spans numerous areas including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, schizophrenia, and cocaine addiction, among others. Reception to follow. Roy and Diana Vagelos Education Center, Clyde and Helen Wu Auditorium, Room 201. (Data and Society, Precision Medicine)

6 p.m.
School of the Arts | Society of Fellows and the Heyman Center for the Humanities | Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity
Resistance as Music
Vijay Iyer, Grammy-nominated composer-pianist, will be in conversation with students and faculty as part of the Artist at the Center series. Manu Vimalassery, term assistant professor of American studies at Barnard, will lead the discussion and Neferti Tadiar, director of the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race, will moderate. Barnard College, Diana Center, Event Oval. (Arts and Imagination, Just Societies)

April 19
4 – 5:30 p.m.
Department of Epidemiology
The Sociopolitical and Medical Import of “Recreational” Genetics
A Epidemiology Grand Rounds with Alondra Nelson, dean of social science and award-winning author. Nelson’s work explores the intersection of science, medicine, and social inequality. Allan Rosenfield Building, Auditorium, 8th floor. (Just Societies, Precision Medicine)

6 – 7:30 p.m.
General Studies | School of the Arts | International Students and Scholars Office | Columbia College
The Global Poets Series: Sholeh Wolpe and Yuyutsu Sharma
A celebration through poetry of Columbia’s diverse global community. Includes Sholeh Wolpe, an Iranian poet whose verses explore violence, culture, and gender, and Yuyutsu Sharma, distinguished poet, translator, and journalist from Kathmandu, Nepal. Lewisohn Hall, GS Student Lounge. (Global, Arts and Imagination)

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

Neutrinos to neurons, creating Chinatown to launching startups, Columbia considers the human and the humane, the perceptible and the possible. Remember to share your story.

REMINDERS

March 28: Book Talk – Selling the Future
March 29: Environmental Impacts on Health Disparities
March 30: Mortality Mansions and Refugees and Gender Violence: Media and the Arts
April 5: Narrative Medicine Rounds: On the Telling of Stories

SPECIAL PICK

April 13 – 14
9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Columbia Entrepreneurship
#StartupColumbia and Columbia Venture Competition
Columbia-founded startups, panels discussing the latest trends in technology, and a notable keynote speaker. Complimentary tickets provided for VIP alumni. Please contact Yvette Miller at [email protected] for tickets and more information. Alfred Lerner Hall, Roone Arledge Auditorium.

PICKS

March 29
4 – 5:30 p.m.
Columbia Law School | Institute for the Study of Human Rights
Socio-economic Rights in Times of Crisis
Can human rights serve to safeguard the dignity of all people, even in times of crises? Panelists will discuss how human rights advocates can confront worrying trends and why socio-economic rights are now more important than ever, both internationally and in the United States. Includes Aoife Nolan, professor of international human rights law at the University of Nottingham; Colette Pichon Battle, executive director at the US Human Rights Network; and Ignacio Saiz, executive director of the Center for Economic and Social Rights. International Affairs Building, Room 1302. (Just Societies)

March 30
6 p.m.
Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery
First-Year MFA Exhibition and Panel Discussion: Making Art in Times of Political Unrest
A discussion with Laura Miller ’13SOA, Yoav Horesh ’05SOA, and Leah Wolff ’11SOA. Moderated by Emily Liebert. Exhibition dates are March 25–April 8. RSVP here. The Judith Lee Stronach Center, Schermerhorn Hall.

April 4
4 – 7:30 p.m.
Columbia Precision Medicine Initiative
Practices starting a Biotech: Lessons Learned from Industry Leaders
The second in this seminar series on Best Practices Starting a Biotech: Lessons Learned from Industry Leaders with Tom Maniatis, director of the Precision Medicine Initiative, and Charles Zuker, scientific founder of the Precision Medicine Initiative. Topics include Basic Biology, Clinical Application, Pre-Clinical Development, and Intellectual Property. RSVP here. Roy And Diana Vagelos Education Center, 104 Haven Ave. (Precision Medicine)

April 11
5 p.m.
Co-sponsors here
The New York Premiere Film Screening of Light
Dance, memory, music, and poetry collide in a visual and aural landscape in Light, illuminating the lives of women who were forces in the creation of the New York Chinatown community in the early 1900s. Discussion with Tatsu Aoki, filmmaker and musician; Lenora Lee, choreographer; and Francis Wong, composer. Includes Tony Award-winning playwright and SOA faculty David Henry Hwang. Casa Hispanica. (Just Societies, Arts and Imagination)

April 13
4:15 – 6:15 p.m.
The Italian Academy | Presidential Scholars in Society and Neuroscience Program
The Human Sense of Smell
How does our brain make sense of scents and flavors? Panelists will explore the human sense of smell in its perceptual, neural, and cultural dimensions. Includes Avery Gilbert, smell scientist, entrepreneur, and author; Stuart Firestein, professor of biological sciences; and moderated by Ann-Sophie Barwich, presidential scholar in Society and Neuroscience. Italian Academy. (Future of Neuroscience)

7 p.m.
Nevis Science Center
Neutrinos are Us!
After the Big Bang, a small amount of matter has survived annihilation with antimatter, making up what remains today as our visible universe. But why? This lecture, featuring Georgia Karagiorgi, assistant professor of physics, will describe an ambitious experiment that aims to get to the bottom of one of science’s biggest mysteries. RSVP here. Science Center at Nevis Laboratories, Irvington, New York, 136 S. Broadway.

April 14 – 15
Heyman Center for the Humanities | Society of Fellows in the Humanities | Graduate School of Journalism
The Unplugged Soul: A Conference on the Podcast
An exploration of a new art form—the podcast—liberated from mass media’s customary limitations. Speakers include Devon Taylor, editor of Millennial; Christopher Lydon, host of Open Source; Rachel Zucker, host of Commonplace; and others. RSVP here. Journalism School, Common Room, 2nd floor. (Arts and Imagination)

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

From surveilling mosques to selling the future, the daring of data to the music of mortality, a chorus of Columbia ideas in this week’s Picks.

REMINDERS

March 23: Struggling to Keep the Lights on: Understanding Why Energy Insecurity Matters for Health and Equity in the US and Keywords: Justice
March 28: Book Launch and Discussion: Making Sense of Science

SNEAK PEEK

April 7 – 9
Race, Violence, and Justice: The Need For Narrative
A narrative medicine workshop with George Yancy, author of Black Bodies, White Gazes: The Continuing Significance of Race; Mindy Fullilove, community psychiatrist, author and urban planner; Sayantani DasGupta, writer, pediatrician, and professor of narrative medicine; and Topher Sanders, investigative journalist.

PICKS

March 28
4 – 6 p.m.
SIPA | The Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies
Book Talk – Selling the Future
Ariel Colonomos, senior research fellow at the National Center for Scientific Research and research professor at Sciences Po in Paris, discusses his book, a look at  the modern marketplace of ideas where those who can predict revolution or state failure are highly sought. Moderated by Jack Snyder, Robert and Renee Belfer Professor of International Relations. International Affairs Building.

March 30
7 p.m.
Heyman Center | Program in Narrative Medicine | Barnard Center for Research on Women | School of the Arts
Mortality Mansions
Donald Hall, the 2006 US Poet Laureate, and Grammy award-winning musician Herschel Garfein present Mortality Mansions. This song cycle explores themes of love, sexuality, and bereavement in old age. In this world premiere, tenor Michael Slattery and Metropolitan Opera pianist Dimitri Dover will perform the cycle accompanied by reflections on the work by poets, musicians, and scholars. Mortality Mansions was commissioned by Sparks and Wiry Cries, which funds the creation of new art song collaborations between poets and composers. Register here. James Room, Barnard Hall.

April 5
5 – 7 p.m.
School of Professional Studies
Narrative Medicine Rounds: On the Telling of Stories
A talk by Richard M. Zaner, Stahlman Professor Emeritus at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Zaner’s writing focuses on human life, pursued through a philosophy of medicine, biomedical research, and ethics in clinical life. Faculty Club, P&S Building, 630 W. 168th St., 4th floor.

April 5
9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The Data Science Institute
Data Science Day 2017
Demos and lightning talks by Columbia researchers presenting their latest work in data science. Keynote speech by Alfred Spector, CTO and head of engineering at Two Sigma, entitled Opportunities and Perils in Data Science. Purchase tickets here. Lerner Hall, Roone Arledge Auditorium. (Data and Society)

April 6 – 7
INCITE | The Mellon Interdisciplinary Fellows Program
The Fourth Annual Harriet Zuckerman Conference at the Mellon Biennial
Features panels entitled Non-Bureaucratic Logics in the Modern State, Culture, Difference and Globalization, Western Scholarship in Non-Western Lands?, Emergence of Knowledge, and Gendered Networks. Columbia Law School, Jerome Greene Hall, Annex, Room 107.

April 7  
1 p.m.
GSAPP
Cities and Climate Action: New Orleans, Rio, NYC
A discussion about the critical role that cities play in driving the agenda on climate change and the steps federal governments must take to assist them in their efforts to respond to the vast environmental, economic, and cultural impacts. Featuring Adam Freed, principal at Bloomberg Associates and former Deputy Director of NYC Mayor’s Office of Sustainability; Jeffrey Hebert, deputy mayor and chief resilience officer at the City of New Orleans; Kate Orff, associate professor and director of the Urban Design program; Rodrigo Rosa, visiting research scholar and legislative consultant at the Brazil Federal Senate; and Weiping Wu, professor and director of the Urban Planning program. Moderated by Michael Kimmelman, architecture critic at the New York Times and adjunct professor. Avery Hall, Room 114. (Climate Response, Global)

April 7
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Institute for Religion, Culture, and Public Life
Surveillance and the Mosque
A discussion of the methods and strategies of surveillance and its role in constructing “good Muslim/bad Muslim” stereotypes. Includes artists, academics, activists, community leaders, lawyers, journalists, targets of surveillance, and those charged with conducting said surveillance. Venue TBA. (Just Societies)

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

Pretty much just Just Societies. Remember to share your story.

REMINDERS

March 18: Saturday Science: What Makes a Sense?
March 22: Book Talk: No Friends but the Mountains

SNEAK PEAK

April 13 – 14
9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Columbia Entrepreneurship
#StartupColumbia and Columbia Venture Competition
A two-day conference that brings together the Columbia entrepreneurial community in celebration of innovation, entrepreneurship, and the creation of new ventures. Featuring Columbia-founded startups, panels discussing the latest trends in technology, and a notable keynote speaker. Purchase early bird tickets here. Find more information here. Alfred Lerner Hall, Roone Arledge Auditorium.

PICKS

March 20
5 – 6 p.m.
SIPA | Graduate School of Journalism
The Return of Strongmen: India, Turkey, and the US
What are the signs of an authoritarian leader and how should people respond? Steve Coll, dean of Columbia Journalism; Basharat Peer ’07JRN, opinion editor at the New York Times; and David Phillips, director of the Peace-building and Rights Program at Institute for the Study of Human Rights, will discuss how autocratic regimes can damage civil liberties and create chaos in communities. Moderated by Vishakha Desai, senior advisor for Global Affairs. Pulitzer Hall, World Room. (Just Societies)

March 22
4:20 – 6 p.m.
Co-sponsors here
The Constitution in the Age of Trump
Panelist will address the impact of the recent election on the constitutional dimensions and governance of the media, internet, press, national security, and human rights. Featuring Thomas Merrill, Charles Evens Hughes Professor of Law; Cristina Rodriguez, Samuel Rubin Visiting Professor of Law; Jessica Bulman-Pozen, professor of law; and Jameel Jaffer, director of the Knight First Amendment Institute. Moderated by Gillian Metzger, Stanley H. Fuld Professor of Law. Jerome Greene Hall, Room 103. (Just Societies)

March 23
4:30 p.m.
Center for the Study of Social Difference | Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Council
Keywords: Justice
An interdisciplinary examination of the word justice. Includes Mark Hatzenbuehler, co-director of the Center for the Study of Social Inequalities and Health; Kathryn Kolbert, Constance Hess Williams Director of the Athena Center for Leadership; Carla Shedd, assistant professor of sociology; and Rachel Adams, director of the Center for the Study of Social Difference. Butler Library, Room 203. (Just Societies)

6 – 7:30 p.m.
Center on Global Energy Policy’s Women in Energy Program
Struggling to Keep the Lights on: Understanding Why Energy Insecurity Matters for Health and Equity in the US
Panelists will discuss energy insecurity, including economic, physical, and behavioral-related outcomes,  and implications for policy and advocacy. Featuring Diana Hernandez, assistant professor of sociomedical sciences; Dana Bourland, vice president of the environment program at the JPB Foundation; Dana Harmon, executive director at the Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute. Pulitzer Hall, World Room.

March 28
6 – 8 p.m.
Earth Institute
Book Launch and Discussion: Making Sense of Science
Cornelia Dean, former editor of the New York Times/Science Times, talks about her recently published book, Making Sense of Science. The book aims to provide critical tools to evaluate the scientific claims and controversies that shape our lives. To register, e-mail Katherine Sullivan at [email protected]. Hamilton Hall, Room 517. (Climate Response)

March 29
4 – 5:30 p.m.
Mailman
Environmental Impacts on Health Disparities
Investigating the role of the environment in chronic disease to improve population health. A Dean’s Grand Rounds with Ana Navas Acien, professor of environmental health sciences. Livestreamed here. Alumni Auditorium, Physicians & Surgeons, 630 West 168th St. (Just Societies)

March 30
4:10 – 6 p.m.
Women Creating Change | Center for the Study of Social Difference
Refugees and Gender Violence: Media and the Arts
Part of the Reframing Gendered Violence series, a two­-year initiative bringing together scholars, artists, and activists to examine broadly what constitutes gendered violence. Featuring Bikem Ekberzade, photojournalist from Turkey; Susan Meiselas, photographer at Magnum Photos; and Sarah Stillman, New Yorker writer and project director of the Global Migration Project at Columbia. Butler Library, Room 523. (Just Societies)

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

Your alumni and donor friends may want to check out the Saturday Science family event at the new Zuckerman Institute Education Lab or learn about perspectives on medicine and the self. And if you, yourself, attend something great, remember to share your story.

REMINDERS

March 6: Fact Checking with Peter Canby from The New Yorker and Voices From Inside America’s Mass System of Punishment: The Freeing Power of Higher Education
March 8: The Virtual Reality Revolution – Dawn of a New Medium

PICKS

March 8
8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Columbia Business School Program for Financial Studies | Global Risk Institute | Data Science Institute
Second Annual News and Finance Conference
How does information become news in the first place? How do choices made by journalists shape the news to which markets react? Leaders from across academia, business, government, and the media explore new frontiers in the study of the dissemination of news and its influence on markets. View program details here. Reception to follow. RSVP here. Morningside Faculty House, 2nd floor. (Data and Society)

6:15 – 7:45 p.m.
European Institute | Department of History | Heyman Center for the Humanities
Empire of Things: How We Became a World of Consumers
While consumption is often portrayed as a recent American export, in fact, it is an international phenomenon with a longer and diverse history. Frank Trentmann, professor of history at Birkbeck College at the University of London,  explores our modern material world – from Renaissance Italy and late Ming China to today’s global economy.  Introduction by Sam Wetherell, lecturer in discipline in British history. The Heyman Center, Common Room, 2nd floor. (Global)

March 9
1 – 3 p.m.
Institute for Comparative Literature and Society | Center for Science and Society
Cancer Across Cultures: Defining Disease in Integrative Oncology
Can defining a disease based on its absence offer innovative forms of diagnosis and treatment? How do comparing different approaches in integrative oncology offer insight into changing conceptions of the body? Discussants include Narendra S. Bhatt, physician, researcher, and educator specializing in Ayurveda; Ting Bao, director of  Integrative Breast Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering; and Rishi Goyal, assistant professor in the division of emergency medicine. Fayerweather Hall, Room 513. (Future of Neuroscience)

5 – 7 p.m.
Center for Science and Society
Precision Medicine, Embodiment, Self, and Disability
Jackie Scully, executive director of the Policy, Ethics, and Life Sciences Research Centre at Newcastle University, will explore how genomic research and healthcare inform the cultural constructions of normality and disability, and ask how researchers might influence those constructions in ethically robust ways. Part of the Columbia Precision Medicine Initiative series, Precision Medicine: Ethics, Politics, and Culture. Jerome Greene Hall, Case Lounge, Room 701. (Precision Medicine)

March 18
1 – 4 p.m.
Zuckerman Institute Education Lab
Saturday Science: What Makes a Sense?
What are my senses? How do my sensors work? How do I interpret my world? Students, families, and community groups are invited to explore the workings of the brain through hands-on activities and demonstrations with scientists. RSVP here. Jerome L. Greene Science Center,  605 W. 129th St. (Future of Neuroscience)

March 22
6 – 7 p.m.
CJS Global
Book Talk: No Friends but the Mountains
A conversation with acclaimed war correspondent Judith Matloff, contributing editor to the Columbia Journalism Review, about her new book on the isolated mountain communities-from South America to the Middle East to Kashmir, Matloff reminds us that the drugs, terrorism, and instability cascading down the mountainside affect us all. RSVP here. Stabile Center. (Global, Just Societies)

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

In a week that includes long-time New Yorker magazine fact-checker Peter Canby, Columbia refocuses the public debate on the factual: from Russia and cybersecurity to the Affordable Care Act , climate change to incarceration.  Be sure to invite alumni and prospects as guests and share your stories.

REMINDERS

March 2: Book Launch: Governing Global Health: Who Runs the World and Why? (sold out; livestream here)
March 2–5: 2017 Beyond the Bars Conference: Transcending the Punishment Paradigm
March 6: Neuroscience in the Body: Perspectives at the Periphery and Signs, Signals, and Symbols: Suicide, Cyberbullying, and Social Media

PICKS

March 2
5 – 6:30 p.m.
Columbia Entrepreneurship | Collaboratory
Applying Data Science to Real-World Problems
A Booz Allen Hamilton seminar with Dan Liebermann, lead associate, and Ben Arancibia, lead data scientist, will discuss experiences and lessons learned from turning data science theory into reality. RSVP here. Schapiro Hall, Davis Auditorium. (Data and Society)

5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Mailman | HITLAB Seminar Series
From Repeal and Replace to Repeal and Repair: Separating Fact from Fiction
It has never been more difficult to access quality healthcare at an affordable cost. David Gruber, managing director and director of research at the Alvarez and Marsal Healthcare Industry Group, will discuss several key challenges, opportunities, and risks that the Trump Administration faces in its efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare. Reception to follow. RSVP here. Allan Rosenfield Building, Hess Commons. (Just Societies)

5 –  6:30 p.m.
SIPA | Harriman Institute | Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies
Russia and Cyber: The Way Forward
Keynote remarks by Toomas Ilves ’76CC, former president of Estonia, followed by a panel discussion with Timothy Frye, Marshall D. Shulman Professor of Post-Soviet Foreign Policy; Kimberly Marten, Ann Whitney Olin Professor of Political Science; and Jason Healey, SIPA senior research scholar. Moderated by Dean Merit E. Janow. Registration required here. Italian Academy, Teatro. (Global, Data and Society)

6:30 – 8 p.m.
New York Society for Ethical Culture
Ethics in Action: Climate Change and NYC
University Professor Jeffrey Sachs will discuss the reality and ethical dimensions of climate change—including how New York City can align with the Paris Agreement and decarbonize its energy—with one of the world’s leading climate scientists, James Hansen, former director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. RSVP here. 2 West 64th Street, New York Society for Ethical Culture. (Climate Response)

March 6
6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Graduate School of Journalism | Delacorte Lecture
Fact-Checking with Peter Canby from The New Yorker
In an era of “alternative facts,” Peter Canby, senior editor at The New Yorker and long-time chief of its fact-checking department, will discuss the magazine’s fact-checking process, how it’s changed over time, and what challenges it presents to writers, editors, and fact-checkers themselves. Keith Gessen, Delacorte professor, will join the conversation. Pulitzer Hall, Room 607B.

6:30 – 9 p.m.
School of Professional Studies | Office of Student Affairs
Voices From Inside America’s Mass System of Punishment: The Freeing Power of Higher Education
Community Scholars Lecture with Vivian Nixon, executive director of College and Community Fellowship (CCF) and Columbia University Community Scholar. Low Library.  (Just Societies)

March 8
6 – 8 p.m.
School of Professional Studies | Strategic Communication Workshop
The Virtual Reality Revolution – Dawn of a New Medium
What can we learn from the past as we look to the future? How do we escape a lifetime of traditional media consumption and explore a new medium with open minds and minimal preconceptions? Niko Chauls, director of applied technology for the USA Today Network, will explore the nexus of new technologies and storytelling. RSVP here. Faculty House, Skyline Ballroom. (Data and Society)

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

Across the board–from understanding Islam to global health, cyberbullying to mind and body–Columbia is “fostering a better conversation.” Be sure to invite alumni and prospects as guests and share your stories.

REMINDERS

February 22: Precision Public Health and Moving Forward: A Discussion of the 2016 Election and What’s Next
February 23: Complex Issues: Triangle of Resistance

PICKS

February 21
6 – 7:15 p.m.
University Programs and Events | Columbia Global Centers
Fostering a Better Conversation and Understanding of Islam: The Vital Role of Media
This World Leaders Forum program features an address by Vuslat Doğan Sabancı ’96SIPA. Sabancı will share her perspectives on the critical role that the media plays in overcoming misconceptions of Islam and advancing better conversations. Followed by a discussion with President Lee C. Bollinger and a Q&A  session with the audience. Registration required here. Low Library, Rotunda. (Just Societies)

February 23
6 – 8 p.m.
NASDAQ Educational Foundation | SIPA
Google Sidewalk Labs: How does Technology Enrich the Public Realm?
Sidewalk Labs is a new type of company founded by Alphabet Inc. and Google that works with cities to build products addressing big urban problems. Features a discussion with Rohit Aggarwala ’93CC ’98GSAS ’00BUS ’02GSAS, adjunct research scholar at SIPA and chief policy officer at Sidewalk Labs; Noelle Francois, CEO of Heat Seek NYC; Miguel Gamiño Jr., CTO of NYC. Morningside Campus, Faculty House. (Data and Society)

March 2
4:30 – 6 p.m.
Mailman | Department of Health Policy and Management
Book Launch: Governing Global Health: Who Runs the World and Why?
A launch for a new book by Chelsea Clinton ’10PH, vice chair of the Clinton Foundation, and Devi Sridhar, professor of global public health at the University of Edinburgh. Lecture followed by a Q&A with the audience and reception. RSVP here. 104 Haven Ave., Roy and Diana Vagelos Education Center, Room 401. (Global)

March 2–5
Center for Justice
2017 Beyond the Bars Conference: Transcending the Punishment Paradigm
What are the root causes of violence within communities? What is needed to makes communities safe? What are the existing narratives about people who have committed violent acts? When violence happens in the community, what are responses that decrease mass criminalization and incarceration and do not rely on the punishment paradigm? Speakers from various fields will be in discussion. Registration will open here on February 17. (Just Societies)

March 6
4:15 – 6:15 p.m.
Seminars in Society and Neuroscience
Neuroscience in the Body: Perspectives at the Periphery
From the perspective of Ayurveda, Chinese medicine, and the science of touch, discussants will consider the physiological environments in which neurons are embedded. Includes Narendra S. Bhatt, adjunct professor at BVDU College of Ayurveda in India; Ellen A. Lumpkin, co-director of the Thompson Family Foundation Initiative in CIPN and sensory neuroscience; and Peter Wayne, associate professor of medicine at the Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center. Moderated by Lan A. Li, presidential scholar in society and neuroscience. Buell Hall, Maison Française. (Future of Neuroscience)

6:30 – 8 p.m.
School of Social Work
Signs, Signals, and Symbols: Suicide, Cyberbullying, and Social Media
For the 2017 Austin Lecture, Jonathan Singer, founder and host of the award-winning Social Work Podcast, will explore how changes in communications technology have affected how youth articulate their thoughts and feelings. Joined in conversation by Desmond Patton, assistant professor of Social Work, and Elisabeth Counselman-Carpenter, lecturer. Registration required here. Dr. Carol H. Meyer Room 311/312. (Data and Society)

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

Intelligent cars and intelligent discussants. Enjoy, and be sure to invite alumni and prospects as guests and share your stories.

REMINDERS

February 13: A Son Confronts His Father’s Death
February 22: Precision Public Health and Moving Forward: A Discussion of the 2016 Election and What’s Next
February 23: Complex Issues: Triangle of Resistance

SNEAK PEAK

March 2 – 5
Center for Justice
2017 Beyond the Bars Conference: Transcending the Punishment Paradigm
What are the root causes of violence within communities? What is needed to makes communities safe? What are the existing narratives about people who have committed violent acts? When violence happens in the community, what are responses that decrease mass criminalization and incarceration and do not rely on the punishment paradigm? Speakers from various fields will be in discussion. Registration will open here on February 17. (Just Societies)

PICKS

February 14
6 – 7 p.m.
Columbia University Libraries
Driverless: Intelligent Cars and the Road Ahead
A book talk with Hod Lipson, professor in mechanical engineering, and technology journalist Melba Kurman. RSVP here. Northwest Corner Building, Science and Engineering Library.

February 15
1 p.m.
GSAPP
The First 100 Days: Day 27
What is the role of architecture as a tool for grassroots mobilization and critical resistance? How are architects and designers engaging and empowering local communities to have a voice in urban design and policy? Speakers will present how design thinking and skills can visualize, represent, and play a critical role in shifting or creating pressure on public policy. Moderated by David Smiley, assistant director of the urban design program. Avery Hall, Ware Lounge. (Just Societies)

February 16
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Columbia Space Initiative
Apollo Exploration: To the Moon and Back
Charlie Duke, a former NASA astronaut who was the 10th man to walk on the moon, will give a talk. Teachers College, 147 Horace Mann Hall, Cowin Auditorium.

February 20
6 p.m.
Harriman Institute
Killing Memory: Ethnic Cleansing, Genocide, and the Targeting of Cultural Heritage in the Balkan Wars of the 1990s
András Riedlmayer, director of the Documentation Center of the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University, will discuss the nexus between the protection of cultural heritage and human rights in time of armed conflict, and the legal and practical challenges of bringing to justice those responsible for crimes against culture. International Affairs Building, Marshall D. Shulman Seminar Room 1219. (Just Societies, Global Solutions)

March 1
5 – 7 p.m.
School of Professional Studies
Narrative Medicine Rounds: Writing about Extraordinary Psychological States
New Yorker staff writer Rachel Aviv will talk about reporting on extraordinary medical conditions. Aviv often writes about psychiatry and bioethics and has written articles on euthanasia, psychosis, addiction, and crime. Faculty Club of CUMC, P&S, 630 W. 168th St., 4th floor.

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

A snow-day special: two events, one rescheduled, the other just remarkable enough to highlight. Dig out and enjoy! Invite your alumni and prospect guests, and remember to submit events, and share your event stories here.

PICKS

February 10
(rescheduled from February 9)
4 – 6 p.m.
Women Creating Change | Center for the Study of Social Difference
Refugees and Gender Violence: Vulnerability and Resistance
Part of the Reframing Gendered Violence series, a two­-year initiative bringing together scholars, artists, and activists to examine broadly what constitutes gendered violence. View location here. (Just Societies)

February 12
7 – 9 p.m.
Columbia Law School | Broadway Advocacy Coalition
The Invitation: The People v. Hate
What makes us hate? How does volatile and divisive rhetoric influence a nation and the actions of its people? Can fear mongering drive a person to commit an act of hate? Panelists discuss these questions in a monthly series promoting civic education, community outreach, self-care, social equality, unity, and social change. Features Tony Award-winning playwright and SoA faculty David Henry Hwang and Bernard Harcourt, Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher Professor of Law. Register here. International Affairs Building, Altschul Auditorium, Room 417. (Just Societies)

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