Matt Clemons

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New Student Photo Series 2010 – Entry #9

Posted by Matt Clemons

· Monday, June 28th, 2010

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Thank you to all of the new students that have been sending in photos. It can take me a bit to catch up as they come in so thanks for your patience. For new students that want to contribute, please see this entry for instructions.

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The first set of photos were submitted by Fabiano Silva, an incoming MIA student.

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All pictures were taken this year at Unini River (1˚ 40’ 25.80’’ S, 61˚ 31’ 35.25’’ W / Amazonas State), a tributary of the Rio Negro in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. Rio Negro is not only the largest black water river basin in the world but also one of the most biodiverse places in the planet. I have been working in the region for 5 years with social-economic development projects and these are some of the great moments I would like to share with my SIPA colleagues.

UapéAçu is a research boat from Fundação Vitória Amazonica, the place I work at. It’s our home during the 20 to 30 day expeditions we go on every 2 or 3 months. This picture was taken at Floresta 2 community in Jaú National Park.

While I was distracting kids away from a meeting about Community based Tourism at Lago das Pombas Community in Jaú National Park.

This was a night meeting with community leaders at Patauá Community in Unini Multiple-use Extractive Reserve. We were working on a participatory tourism diagnosis in order to plan community based initiatives and income generation projects.

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The second set of photos come from Michelle Chahine, an incoming MIA student.

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I’ll be starting the MIA program in the fall, most likely concentrating in Urban and Social Policy and definitely specializing in International Media, Advocacy and Communications. Below are descriptions of the photos that match the titles of the files attached.

I took these photos in 2007 and 2008, right around the big shift to digital, with a film camera and developed them in a dark room. I scanned them recently to share them online.

Carving Cedar: This photograph was taken near the Cedars Forest in the mountains of Lebanon. Locals in villages near the Cedars Nature Reserves and mountain resort carve cedar wood, that can be up to 2000 years old, and sell their crafts at stands. The logs they carve have usually fallen naturally or were trimmed strategically. No trees are cut down anymore.

Fifth Avenue: I took this photograph on Fifth Avenue. I love the contrast of the old and the new in Manhattan.

The Women of New York City 3: During a trip to New York City, I photographed the extravagant window displays on Fifth Avenue and at Macy’s. I titled the series “The Women of New York City.” This is my favorite one.

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Categories : Academics, Admissions, Columbia University

Tags : art, culture, photography, Travel

Summer Reflections 2010 – Post #4

Posted by Matt Clemons

· Saturday, June 26th, 2010

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John Hughes just graduated from SIPA and during his second year of study worked in our office. He is spending the next two months in the office to assist with projects and help fill in for a staff member on maternity leave. John is set up for a job in Washington, D.C. and will be moving there in August (our second largest alumni network in the world is in D.C if you were interested).

I asked John to reflect a bit on his experience as a SIPA student and contribute to the blog over the summer. This is his fourth entry.

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I, like many of you I’m sure, have been avidly following the first round of the World Cup over the last couple of weeks. I’m ecstatic that the U.S. managed to make it through to the next round, and look forward to watching the match against Ghana on Saturday.

I know people often use the cliché of the World Cup as a symbol of international unity that brings people together in a shared experience. Though this vision is sometimes overhyped, I think it holds true in many ways. The World Cup, unfortunately, is only a month long once every four years. Here at SIPA, however, we similarly bring people together from all over the world in a shared experience every day. Admittedly, this too may be a cliché about international affairs schools, but after having spent two years at SIPA (and doing quite a bit of research on our rival schools before deciding to come here) I can honestly say that the multicultural, shared experience is an absolute positive for the program and one that truly sets SIPA apart.

When I go to watch the US/Ghana game tomorrow I’ll do it with the perspective of having quite a few friends from SIPA from Ghana and having had extensive conversations with some of them about what the country is truly like. Though this won’t necessarily change how I watch the game, it certainly adds a perspective that I would not have had if I had not come to SIPA. And this is just one example. SIPA has students from over 70 countries each year with backgrounds and interests as varied as you can imagine. Every student brings something else to the school, each enriching classroom discussions, group work and general social situations in his or her own way.

In a school of International and Public Affairs I wouldn’t want it any other way. This is not a place where Americans discuss world “problems” from an American perspective. Though we Americans certainly have opinions and voice them regularly, these opinions are joined by those from South Korea, Argentina, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Spain, Tanzania and China to name a few.

Similarly, when events happen around the world it is likely that somebody from the country in question will be present to give a valuable perspective. A discussion on financial reforms in “emerging markets” takes on a whole new perspective when more than half the class comes from such places and many will likely help shape the very reforms being discussed in the future. Similarly, when the topic of security along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border comes up it is invaluable to have classmates from both countries chime in.

Many international affairs schools tout the diversity of their student body. However, I am certain that very few come close to having students from as many countries as SIPA, or can boast that international students make up half the student body. Though the academics at SIPA are certainly top-notch, I found that the truly international student body was what really made the experience great for me.

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Categories : Columbia University, News

Tags : culture, diversity

Best Public Service Annoucement Scholarship Video Contest

Posted by Matt Clemons

· Friday, June 25th, 2010

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A graduate of Columbia College who works for the company below passed along an opportunity to earn a scholarship for a video related to public service. I confirmed that it is open to graduate students. If you decide to enter, feel free to share your video with the Admissions Office as well. Simply email us a link to your YouTube video.

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Indigo Productions Scholarship
$1,000 scholarship award for best
video Public Service Announcement

Indigo Productions, a New York City video production company, invites Columbia students to compete in a scholarship contest which will be awarded to the student or group of students who create the most original and effective video PSA (Public Service Announcement).

First prize: $1,000
Second prize: $500
Deadline: September 15, 2010
Eligibility: Contestants must be students attending an accredited college or university in the continental U.S. at any point during 2010.
Length: Video can be up to 2 minutes long
Subject matter: Any health or safety issue that is of importance to the public (e.g. obesity, addictions, STDs, school bullying).

“We are looking for edgy and original approaches that capture people’s imagination,” says Max Rosen, President and Founder of Indigo Productions (CC ‘84)

To enter, simply upload your finished PSA video to YouTube and fill out the form below.

All videos will be judged by a panel of professionals selected by Indigo based on 5 criteria: Concept, Creativity, Execution, Artistic merit, and Viral potential. The winning student or group will be announced on October 15, 2010.

To apply for the scholarship, please visit: http://www.indigoprod.com/VideoProductionScholarship

For information about Indigo’s Viral Video Production Workshop at New York University, please visit: http://www.indigoprod.com/ViralVideoWorkshop Classes run 4 consecutive Sunday’s starting September 26th.

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Categories : Columbia University, News, Paying for SIPA

Tags : Financial Aid, public service, scholarship

New Student Photo Series 2010 – Entry #9

Posted by Matt Clemons

· Thursday, June 24th, 2010

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The first set of photos was submitted by Carmela Zuniga, an incoming MIA student.

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The first picture was taken at Miyajima, Japan at dusk. The torii, or gate, marks the entrance to Itsukushima Shrine. When the tide is low, you can actually walk up to the torii.

The second picture was taken in Acapulco, Mexico. With the vendors’ backs turned, it seemed the perfect opportunity for those pelicans to snatch some fish.

The third picture was taken at Zabriskie Point in Death Valley National Park, one of my favorite places to go for vacation.

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The second set of photos were submitted by Xiao Jing, an incoming MIA student.

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I’m from a small city in Jiangsu Province in China. I’ve seen extreme poverty during my visit to the poorest towns in Jiangsu Province and I’m sure there are many more poor people in China than American normally see. The real China is different from the one you see from The 2008 Olympic Game or 2010 world expo. Millions of people still live below the poverty line in rural areas.

The first one was taken in summer 2008 during my trip to a primary school in Xuyi county in Jiangsu Province. The scene is the only class room for all students in this primary school from grade 1 to grade 6. The roof leaks and eight students share one desk.

The second picture is the headmaster and the only teacher there. Mr. Ye has been teaching there for 10 years. His salary is 200RMB($28) per month. During my interview he said that he would like to dedicate his life to the education of kids in rural China. Teachers are in great demand there but not a single university graduate is willing to go due to the poverty which has haunted the villagers there for decades.

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Categories : Admissions, Columbia University

Tags : art, culture, photography, Travel

New Student Photo Series 2010 – Entry #8

Posted by Matt Clemons

· Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

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The first set of photos was submitted by Jessemin Sheyda-Losick, an incoming MPA-DP student.

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Adam’s Peak, Sri Lanka – one of the few sites that is holy for Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, and Muslims alike. I look forward to seeing that religious diversity reflected in the SIPA student body. Hiking through the night with thousands of pilgrims to arrive at dawn, shivering, at the summit of the 7360 foot peak was an exhausting experience, but to see the sun cast a shadow of the peak on the clouds below (visible in pic behind bell ringer) was nevertheless incredible. you can ring the bell the number of times you’ve made the pilgrimage up the mountain. I rang once.

Lhasa, Tibet. Kids breakdancing in the street. At one point while I was watching these kids break it down two older Tibetan women came by twirling their prayer wheels. They stopped and stared in bewilderment at these representatives of the next, younger generation. A clear sign of an odd cultural gap forming in this traditional land.

Gold mine approximately 1 hour drive outside of Bolgatanga, Ghana. I followed these 10-12 year old kids through the manhole-sized entrance and clambered down 300-400 feet of sketchy wet slippery logs to the bottom of this gold mine. It was dark, vertical, narrow and dangerous to say the least….and I thought my first jobs mowing lawns and working at Dunkin’ Donuts and McDonald’s were bad.

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The second set of pictures was submitted by incoming MIA student Dominic Kalms.

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This is a picture taken on Las Vegas Boulevard, I was walking with friends and I turned to my right and saw the Bellagio Water show start up and it was amazing. The water shot 100 feet into the air and splashed down with such force making the sound echo all the way up and down the strip for minutes. The water rose so high it actually touched the top of the hotel, truly amazing!

This is a picture taken at the Mirage Aquarium in Las Vegas of the Dolphin Exhibit. The Dolphins came right up the class to say hello and it was very amazing to see them so close, truly a spectacle!