The Low Down

What are we talking about when we talk about food? Or, more specifically, food sustainability. When we talk about food, we are really talking about the complex relationship between food, water, environment, technology, policy, and ethics.

Food impacts us on so many levels: from the personal to the global. Individuals, communities, and national governments have to constantly make choices about which food reaches our tables. And, for a variety of reasons—climate change, energy costs, global economic inequality—these choices are becoming more and more complicated. For this reason, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists around the world are turning their attention to this area.

To shine a light on this development, Columbia Engineering and Columbia Entrepreneurship brought together a panel of Columbia experts, who are contributing to the global dialogue on food, to discuss available solutions to feed a hungry planet.

The Ivy League made headlines in early March by announcing it would finally be adding an in-conference postseason tournament to determine its automatic berth into the NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball tournaments. It will be the very last Division I conference (out of 32) to make the change.

Of the announcement, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Physical Education Peter Pilling had this to say: 

"This is an exciting day for Columbia and the Ivy League...Having a postseason tournament will allow us to create an amazing experience for our student-athletes, alumni, and fans."

After posting a 21-win regular season record this year, Columbia Men's Basketball will aim to make noise in playoff competition when the Ivy League implements the new tournament format for the 2016-2017 season. Columbia men's basketball head coach Kyle Smith felt similarly:

They say it takes a village to raise a child. At the Columbia University Band Alumni Association, we're finding that a village of alumni can do a pretty good job of piecing together the history of an organization with a rich but largely uncollected past.

Catch up on the latest news from your Columbia alumni community this week.

March is Women’s History Month. Join the Columbia Alumni Association (CAA) and our Columbia community in proudly recognizing and celebrating the generations of Columbia alumnae who have contributed to history, and who continue to help shape the future.

As of 2018, it will be 50 years since the protests on Columbia's campus over the University's link to the war in Vietnam and the construction of a gym in Morningside Park with an alleged "back door" for Harlem residents, which culminated in the occupation of five buildings in April 1968.

Planning to make a major career transition or change from one industry to another? These Columbia alumni have had success with this—check out their insight below. 

There's a new and exclusive resource available—just for Columbia alumni. The online Alumni Community is a portal for many things, from updating your information with Columbia to group discussions. For networkers, job seekers, or hiring managers, it's an important place to establish a profile as a savvy professional, thought leader, and to leverage your Columbia connections.

Read on for 10 tips on how to optimize the Alumni Community for your job search and enhance your professional profile.

By Stacy Morford, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

Attention surfers, divers, snorkelers, and other ocean enthusiasts: Those vibrant coral reefs below you need your help. In many parts of the world, corals are getting sick in the warm water accompanying El Niño, and they’re turning bone white.

It’s called coral bleaching, and in severe cases it can kill them over time. But while scientists know that coral bleaching has been connected to changes in water temperature, many questions remain about the causes and the recovery process.

To track the evolution of coral bleaching and home in on its triggers, a group of surfer-scientists at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory has teamed up with the World Surf League and GoFlow to launch Bleach Patrol, a citizen science project and app. The app and website went live just ahead of spring break, as millions of people headed for the beaches.

Catch up on the latest news from your Columbia alumni community this week.