June 2016
Exploring the Philosophy of Émilie du Châtelet
This conference brings together prominent international scholars to offer a thorough evaluation of Châtelet's ideas and contributions.
Find out more »Science and Capitalism: Entangled Histories – Workshop for 2018 Osiris Volume
Registration is required. Please contact wcl2111 (at) columbia.edu to be added to the participant list. The histories of science and capitalism have always been bound up together. As far back as the 17th century, if not before, precise and detailed empirical knowledge has been valued by those seeking commercial gain. It is therefore no surprise that modern scholars have taken a keen interest in tracing the connections between the production of natural knowledge and development of commercial networks, between matters of…
Find out more »August 2016
Isabella Aboderin – Understanding Later Life Adversity and Resilience in Low Resource Urban Settings in Nairobi
Co-sponsored by the Columbia Aging Center, the Columbia Global Centers|Nairobi, and the Urban+Health Initiative of the Mailman School of Public Health, this seminar by Dr. Isabella Aboderin will be held on August 23rd. The event will be in Room 440 of the Mailman School's Allan Rosenfield Building, 722 W. 168th St. RSVPs are requested: [email protected]. Dr. Isabella Aboderin is a Senior Research Scientist and Head of the Program on Aging and Development at the African Population and Health Research Center…
Find out more »September 2016
Janette Sadik-Khan – Book Talk, Streetfight: Handbook for an Urban Revolution
As New York City's transportation commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan managed the seemingly impossible and transformed the streets of one of the world's greatest, toughest cities into dynamic spaces safe for pedestrians and bikers. Her approach was dramatic and effective: Simply painting a part of the street to make it into a plaza or bus lane not only made the street safer, but it also lessened congestion and increased foot traffic, which improved the bottom line of businesses. Real-life experience confirmed that if you know how to read the street, you can make it function better by not totally reconstructing it but by reallocating the space that's already there. In this talk, Sadik-Khan will draw on many themes of her recent book, Streetfight, to offer real-world strategies for reclaiming city streets.
Find out more »Robert Westman – Copernicus and the Astrologers – Columbia University Seminar in the Renaissance
This event is part of the Columbia University Seminar in the Renaissance. Seminars are open to the public; however, RSVP is required. Please see instructions, below, to register. Speaker: Robert Westman, Professor of History, University of California, San Diego Nicolas Copernicus’s hypothesis that the earth is a planet revolving together with five other planets around a stationary sun is one of the best known claims in the history of science. First announced publicly in print in 1543, Copernicus’s proposal is often…
Find out more »Science, Technology, and Society Discussion Series – Geopolitical Science and the Logic of Preventive War
In this lecture and roundtable, the Ecole Polytechnique and Columbia University aim to explore issues concerning science and technology in war.
Find out more »Between ‘Deadly Doses’ & ‘Miraculous Cures’: Reassessing Poisons and Antidotes in the Atlantic World
Speakers: Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Columbia University Benjamin Breen, Columbia University This talk examines the role of poisons and antidotes in slave societies throughout the Atlantic world. It will compare accounts of poisons, curses, and remedies used by Africans and indigenous Americans in regions including Virginia, Angola, and Guiana, questioning how European fears of tropical poisoning shaped colonization and the construction of natural knowledge in the seventeenth and eighteenth century Atlantic basin. The goal is to better integrate the history of poisons…
Find out more »James Tabery: Historical Perspective on Personalized and Precision Medicine
This event is part of the Columbia Precision Medicine Initiative’s series, Precision Medicine: Ethics, Politics, and Culture. Speaker: James Tabery, University of Utah 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. As part of its overall Precision Medicine Initiative, Columbia is undertaking a broad based exploration of questions that…
Find out more »Publishing in Bioethics 101
The Bioethics Program at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies is delighted to offer a special workshop, "Publishing in Bioethics 101" to provide advice, tips and insights to help students. Writing is a key part of being a bioethicist, and many of our students have successfully published their work, greatly advancing their careers. Core faculty from the Columbia University Bioethics program and the Managing Editor of the American Journal of Bioethics will discuss tips and insights into the writing,…
Find out more »Martine Lappé – Postgenomic Parenting: Genetics, Environmental Factors, and Parent Understandings of Autism
This seminar is part of the Seminar on Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of Genetics series. Autism spectrum disorder is estimated to affect 1 in 68 children in the United States. In the context of growing information about genetic and environmental risk factors, this seminar focuses on how parents conceptualize the causes of autism and how this information shapes their decisions before, during, and after their child is diagnosed. Dr. Martine Lappé will draw on interviews with parents of children diagnosed with…
Find out more »