explore some of the ramifications of social media in this week’s events

We’re back with Science Fair, Bwog’s weekly curated list of interesting STEM-related talks, symposiums, and events happening on campus. For science and non-science majors alike, our list will bring you events that will satisfy your scientific curiosity for everything from astronomy to zoology, and everything in between.

For anyone, related-majors and non-majors alike:

  • Columbia Astronomy Public Outreach: The 100 Earths Project
    • Event Information: Friday, February 15, 7pm, Pupin Hall, click here for more info
    • Event Details: Talk hosted by John Brewer – Topic involves the current search to find possibly habitable planets like Earth; lecture followed by guided rooftop stargazing, weather permitting.
  • Protecting Privacy in the Golden Age of Surveillance
    • Event Information: Monday, February 11, 12:10-1:10pm, Jerome Greene Hall Room 101, click here for more info
    • Event Details: “Join our distinguished panel as we discuss some of the fascinating and complex questions that were raised but not resolved in the Apple v. FBI showdown of 2016.” Panelists include Joan Feigenbaum (Professor of Computer Science at Yale), Bob Litt (former General Counsel for the Director of National Intelligence). “A non-pizza lunch will be served.”
  • Social Media and Populism: Lecture by Bruno Patino
    • Event Information: Tuesday, February 12, 1-2pm, Buell Hall East Gallery, click here for more info
    • Event Details: “Bruno Patino will analyze the role played by social media in recent political and social events in the United States, Europe and elsewhere in the world… Mr Patino will bring his in-depth knowledge of the media industry, casting new light on the complex genesis of populist movements, on their use of social media and on how journalistic organizations report on and analyze these movements.”
  • Presidential Scholars Research Symposium
    • Event Information: Wednesday, February 13, 4:30-6pm, Jerome L Greene Science Center, 9th floor, register Here
    • Event details: “The Presidential Scholars in Society and Neuroscience (PSSN) Research Symposium will feature presentations from two of our scholars, Federica Coppola and Noam Zerubavel, and their faculty mentors from psychology, psychiatry, law, epidemiology, and sociology.”
    • Talk topics are: “Humanizing Crime in a World of Punishment: When Criminal Justice Meets Social and Affective Neuroscience” and “No Mind is an Island: Neural Foundations of Social Relations in Real-world Groups”

  • Long-Distance Elder Caregiving
    • Event Information: Wednesday, February 13, 12-1pm, Lerner Hall Room 477, register here
    • Event Details: “There are many circumstances when aging parents and adult children find themselves living at a distance, be that an hour or two away or on the other side of the globe… This program will provide a framework for making decisions, no matter how far apart you may live, and offer tips and tricks for optimizing your caregiving across the miles.”

Intended for more advanced students of the given subject (but still open to all interested students):

  • The Grandpierre Lecture by Dr. William Dichtel, Northwestern University
    • Event Information: Thursday, February 14, 4:30-5:30pm, 209 Havemeyer, click here for more info
    • Event Details: “Removing Organic Pollutants from Water Using Polymers Derived from Corn: Organic micropollutants, such as pesticides and pharmaceuticals, have raised concerns about negative effects on ecosystems and human health… I will describe polymers based on β-cyclodextrin, an inexpensive, sustainably produced derivative of glucose that binds these emerging contaminants from water.”
  • Blockchain: A Solutions Perspective (Distinguished Lecture by Yi-Min Chee, IBM)
    • Event information: Thursday, February 14, 4-6pm, Pulitzer Hall: The Brown Institute, click here for more info
    • Event details: “In this talk, Yi-Min Chee will give an overview of blockchain and the different types of blockchain networks in existence. He will discuss why blockchain is relevant for businesses, with a particular focus on permissioned blockchain networks. He will also introduce some use cases and actual blockchain solutions that are in production today.”

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