The Future Is...Introducing a New Mini-Series
You know we love highlighting inspiring alumni -- and this time, we’re focusing specifically on Columbia women who are at the top of their game, the leaders of today and tomorrow. That’s why we’re excited to share The Future Is… a podcast mini-series featuring interviews with alumnae who are the leaders of today and the creators of tomorrow.
We’ve curated a list of incredible women doing incredible things: you’ll hear from an award-winning filmmaker with two TED talks under her belt, from an artist-turned-climate "strategist," and four voices of the future, the top women in engineering on campus.
This podcast mini-series is produced by Shanna Crumley '18SIPA, our digital initiatives intern and a second-year graduate student in international affairs at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. Here are her thoughts on this mini-series:
"As a current graduate student at Columbia, I’m always keeping an eye out for great role models and stories that I can relate to as I start my career. As a woman, especially, I look for other women whose experiences can help me navigate the nuances of modern womanhood.
For this mini-series, I had the chance to look for women who are innovators, creating the future in a variety of fields like climate change, computer science and journalism. I found women doing cool things, and then I asked them about their work, their thoughts on their fields and what inspires them. And I promised one thing: I WILL NOT ask podcast guests what they’re wearing; I WILL ask about their ideas, opinions, jobs, plans and what makes them tick."
Stay tuned for the first episode next week on here on the blog, Soundcloud, or iTunes.
Talking Science with Brian Greene
You may have noticed that we’ve been digging into our archives a lot. To be fair, there’s a lot of interesting stuff going on at Columbia and we want to revisit some talks that haven’t gotten a lot of attention lately. One of those talks was with Columbia physicist Brian Greene. In 2014 he sat down with the writer, and award-winning TV correspondent, Gideon Yago '00CC to talk about World Science U, Columbia's Science Initiative, and some of his out-of-this-world ideas.
Read moreCan Engineers Help Deliver Babies?
Last year, Kristin Myers gave a lecture to Columbia alumni returning to campus for reunion. Myers is an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and her talk offered an engineering perspective on why women give birth preterm. Specifically, she explored the biomechanics of pregnancy and how engineers work with clinicians to try to understand why some women give birth before term and how we can stop it. You’re about to hear some excerpts from her talk.
Call the Bleach Patrol!
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.
Read moreThe 10,000 Year Forecast: Columbia and Climate
As climate continues to dominate the national conversation, Columbia's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) is a powerful player in the fight to conserve our planet. LDEO scientists are at the forefront in understanding the risks to human life and property from extreme weather events, both in the present and future climates, and on developing solutions to mitigate those risks. Hear directly from Dr. Arthur Lerner-Lam, deputy director of LDEO, as he discusses why climate research is more pressing now than ever before, and how Columbia, like no other university, is tackling the big challenges of today's climate landscape.
Read more