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.

  • “Proceed with Caution: Using Digital Epidemiology in the Fight to End HIV” by Robin Stevens (UPenn)
    • Tuesday, November 12, 4-5:30pm, School of Social Work Room C05, Click here to reserve your seat
    • Robin Stevens will discuss her research investigating associations between offline and online sexual risk behavior among African American and Latino youth. She will also discuss her ongoing Virus to Viral study, which seeks to characterize HIV risk and prevention behaviors on Twitter with the goal of offering insights on effective messaging strategies that leverage social media, as well as her approach to conducting community-engaged, theory-driven digital epidemiology.
  • “The Metabolism of Planet Earth” by Yadvinder Malhi (Oxford)
    • Tuesday, November 12, 5:30-6:30pm, Pulitzer Hall World Room, Click here to reserve your seat
    • Dr. Malhi will examine human influence on the natural world through the concept of metabolism: how much energy flows through human societies compared to how much flows through the biosphere. He will first look at the biological metabolism of the planet, how it is measured and how it is distributed over the Earth. He will then explore how these energy flows have changed through human history and prehistory, and scenarios for how they may change over this century.
  • Leveraging Big Data to Manage Extreme Weather Risks
    • Tuesday, November 12, 5-7pm, Maison Française, Click here to reserve your seat
    • Extreme weather episodes such as Hurricane Sandy of 2012 and California Wildfires of 2018 led to significant human displacement and billions of dollars of economic damage spread across utility, real estate and other commercial sectors… A number of distinguished speakers and panelists will explore whether we can leverage big data from satellite images and machine learning algorithms to manage these risks in real time.
  • Prehealth Summer Opportunities Panel
    • Wednesday, November 13, 6pm, 401 Lerner, Click here to register
    • The Office of Preprofessional Advising presents an informative panel with tips about how to begin your search for summer opportunities… You will have the chance to hear from Preprofessional Advising and your premedical peers who have each had interesting and rewarding summer experiences.
  • Understanding Climate Change on the Tibetan Plateau: Environmental Conservation Research and Climate Science Approaches
    • Thursday, November 14, 12-1:30pm, IAB Room 918, Click here for more information
    • The Tibetan Plateau is the largest high-altitude region in the world and is incredibly important as a source of water, biodiversity, and mineral resources on the Asian continent. This also makes it one of the most sensitive areas to climate change.
  • “Genomics in the Classroom: Disability, Giftedness, and Enhancement” by Stephen Latham (Yale)
    • Thursday, November 14, 5-7pm, Schermerhorn Extension Room 754, Click here for more information
    • Precision medicine-an emerging approach for disease treatment and prevention that takes into account individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle for each person-raises a myriad of cultural, political, and historical questions that the humanities and social sciences are uniquely positioned to address.
  • Climate Conversations: Future of Climate Change
    • Thursday, November 14, 7:45pm, Diana LL103, Click here for more information
    • Hear perspectives of scientists, legal experts, and activists in a panel conversation with one another… oin this interdisciplinary conversation and learn how climate change is more than just a battlefield on the federal level, and what kinds of scientific and political solutions are still open for anyone (even on an individual level) to pitch in.
  • Columbia Astronomy Public Outreach presents “Spacetime Telescope”
    • Friday, November 15, 8pm, 301 Pupin Hall, Click here for more information
    • Light rays bend and trace the curvature of spacetime warped by the presence of masses… Learn how astronomers use this “gravitational lensing” to discover planets orbiting other stars, make a census of black holes floating in intergalactic space, study galaxies too faint to be observable with the largest telescopes, and map the expansion history of the universe.

image via jpl