November 2016
Data Collection in Transdisciplinary Research: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches
Research on complex problems is frequently transdisciplinary, requiring teams of investigators with expertise in diverse area, and development of protocols for data collection in such studies can be challenging. This is especially true in studies addressing the ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) of genomic medicine, which may require expertise in such fields as psychology, sociology, epidemiology, law, bioethics, philosophy, molecular genetics, and clinical genetics. This short course will provide an overview of data collection methods for transdisciplinary research, including how…
Find out more »Fabian Kraemer – The Two Cultures Avant La Lettre: The Sciences and the Humanities in the Nineteenth Century
Fabian Kramer will trace the emergence of the dichotomy between science and the humanities with a particular focus on the German academic system in the nineteenth century.
Find out more »Eric Kandel – Reductionism in Art and Brain Science
In his new book, Dr. Eric Kandel demonstrates how science can inform the way we experience a work of art and seek to understand its meaning. He illustrates how reductionism—the distillation of larger scientific or aesthetic concepts into smaller, more tractable components—has been used by scientists and artists alike to pursue their respective truths. Dr. Kandel draws on his Nobel Prize-winning work revealing the neurobiological underpinnings of learning and memory in sea slugs to shed light on the complex workings of…
Find out more »December 2016
Vegard Skirbekk – Differences in Aging Across Cultures: A Global Perspective
The Committee on Global Thought (CGT) Lunchtime Seminars are a forum for Columbia University faculty and visiting scholars to discuss current research characterizing and assessing issues of global importance. Open to Columbia affiliates only. No registration is required. Light lunch will be available. Vegard Skirbekk is a professor at Columbia University and a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. His work is focused on working towards understanding the links between aging and workers productivity with the goal…
Find out more »Sanyu Mojola – Race, Health, and Inequality: Producing an HIV Epidemic in the Shadow of the Capitol
Room C03, Columbia University School of Social Work Speaker: Sanyu Mojola, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Colorado, Boulder In 2009, the capitol had one of the nation’s worst epidemics; 3.2% of residents were HIV positive, and African Americans were disproportionately affected. In this seminar, Dr. Mojola will demonstrate how classic social structural processes—such as migration, racial residential segregation, concentrated poverty, the illegal drug trade, the associated legislative War on Drugs, and mass incarceration—interacted to produce an HIV risk environment…
Find out more »Ruth Leys – The Chameleon Effect: Imitation, Emotion, and Mirror Neurons
The Rifkind Room, North Academic Center 6/316, The City College of New York Speaker: Ruth Leys, Henry Wiesenfeld Professor of Humanities, Johns Hopkins University What are the stakes of the recent attempt to explain imitation in corporeal terms as caused by the automatic actions of mirror neurons in the brain? Are recent assumptions about the role of mirror neurons in emotional contagion justified in the light of empirical findings? Are human being "chameleons" or "resonance" machines? Ruth Leys is a…
Find out more »Ligo Project – Science (as) Culture: Microbiome – The 1000-year view and how to get there (Part 3)
The Microbiome – redefining the biology and culture of what it means be human Are we alone? Depends who you ask! We all have over 100 trillion microbes living in and on our body, so we’re never really alone. The microbiome, which represents the population of all the microbes – bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses – that live on and inside the human body, is important in human health and disease. New discoveries about the microbiome are revolutionizing how we…
Find out more »Sanyu Mojola – Race, Health, and Inequality: Producing an HIV Epidemic in the Shadow of the Capitol
Columbia School of Social Work, Room C03 Sanyu Mojola, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Colorado, Boulder Registration required at https://cupop.formstack.com/forms/rsvp_cprc. Lunch will be provided for those who RSVP to attend at the School of Social Work. Abstract In 2009, Washington D.C. had one of the nation’s worst epidemics; 3.2% of residents were HIV positive, and African Americans were disproportionately affected. Dr. Mojola will demonstrate how classic social structural processes—such as migration, racial residential segregation, concentrated poverty, the illegal drug trade,…
Find out more »A University Symposium: Promoting Credibility, Reproducibility and Integrity in Research
Columbia University and New York City research institution co-sponsors are hosting a day-long symposium that will showcase a robust discussion of reproducibility and research integrity among leading experts, high- profile journal editors, federal agency leaders and researchers. This stimulating program is for researchers at all stages of their careers. Featuring: - Dan Ariely, PhD (James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics at Duke University) - Jeffrey Drazen, MD (Editor-in-chief of NEJM) - Hany Farid, PhD (Professor of Computer…
Find out more »The Transmission of Knowledge: Tool Use and Cognition – Seminars in Society and Neuroscience
Why have so many animals from across the evolutionary tree evolved the ability to learn to use tools, as well as the cognitive capacity to learn from others?
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