Welcome back to Science Fair, Bwog’s weekly roundup of science events happening around campus. As always, email science@bwog.com if you want your event featured.

Mothers, Midwives and Reimagining Birthing in the South Bronx

  • Monday, December 11, 4 to 6 pm
  • In-person at ​​Columbia School of Nursing, 7th floor event space. Registration required. 
  • “It is a tragic and unjust paradox that the United States, the highest income country in the world and the country with the largest budget for perinatal care, has rising rates of maternal mortality that disproportionately affect women of color. Jennifer Dohrn examines the systems that perpetuate disparities in care, from global to local, and describes essential components needed for change, using oral histories as evidence for the way forward towards maternal health as a human right. Hear the stories and experiences of twelve women who received care at the birthing center that changed their lives.​” More information here. 

Zuckerman Institute Event: Shahzia Sikander, Alan Kanzer Artist-in-Residence

  • Monday, December 11, 4 to 5 pm 
  • In-person at the Jerome L. Greene Science Center (9th floor lecture hall). Registration required. 
  • “The Mortimer B. Zuckerman Institute invites you to a special discussion featuring the 2023-2024 Alan Kanzer Artist-in-Residence, Shahzia Sikander. The discussion will center on interdisciplinary pursuits in visual art and neuroscience that lead to deeper understanding of the mind and brain. The event will be followed by a reception.” More information here.

Dan Bouk – Independent Accounts: How the NYC Budget Came to Look Like a Lever for Change

  • Wednesday, December 13, 6 to 7:30 pm
  • Online over Zoom and in-person at New York University. Registration required. 
  • “In June of 2020, New York City was reeling as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, an extraordinary medical emergency that some believed might also require severe cuts to city services at precisely the time when so many ordinary people were already hurting. Uncertainty loomed over the city’s finances while the deadline for a new budget approached, and just then a series of global protests against police violence followed the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others. In NYC, activists occupied a park across from City Hall demanding deep cuts to the NYPD and more money for other services. This talk revisits that moment in recent history and investigates some of the larger historical forces that made the budget process a site to focus protests and calls to reimagine the city and society.” More information here. 

From Tatooine to Endor: the Climate of M-dwarf Planets

  • Thursday, December 14, 4:05 to 4:35 PM
  • In-person at Pupin 1402
  • “In the race to detect life beyond the Solar System, rocky M-dwarf planets are increasingly observable and offer exciting prospects. […] In this talk I will show how these results, combined with observational advantages for arid planets, indicate land-planets will be attractive candidates for early detections of habitability.” This seminar will feature Dr. Ana Lobo, UC Irvine. More information here. 

Curating Bodies: The Changing Responsibilities of Museums

  • Friday, December 15, 11 am to 12:30 pm
  • Online over Zoom. Registration required.
  • “What should contemporary museums do with the skulls, skeletons, bodies and body parts in their collections and exhibits? Addressing this question now requires addressing new laws about the repatriation of human remains, new appreciations of the conditions under which the collections grew, new relationships with and among the communities which museums serve, as well as new expectations about the roles of museums. Join a discussion of how three museums are working to address such questions.” More information here. 

Science Fair via Giovanni de la Rosa