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:

  • Astronomy Live: Spooky Space (OFF-CAMPUS AT THE AMNH)
    • Tuesday, October 29, 7 pm, The American Museum of Natural History, Click here for more information ($13.50 for student tickets)
    • Monstrous stars, devilish explosions, and frightful collisions! Get in the Halloween spirit and join astrophysicist Jackie Faherty and presenter Mark Popinchalk for a virtual tour in the dome highlighting the universe’s scariest phenomena.
  • The Inaugural Eric R. Kandel Lecture by Dr. Kelsey Martin (Dean, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine)
    • Wednesday, October 30, 4-5 pm, The Forum at Columbia University (601 W 125 St), Click here for more information
    • Dr. Kelsey Martin, Dean, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Gerald S. Levey Chair, will be delivering the Inaugural Eric R. Kandel Lecture. The title of her presentation is “Regulating Gene Expression to Store Long-Term Memories.”
  • Science & Race: The Controversy of Race as a Variable in Research (OFF-CAMPUS IN EAST HARLEM)
    • Friday, November 1, 9 am-12 pm, New York Academy of Medicine (1216 5th Ave), Click here for more information and for free registration
    • A symposium to fully debate the utility and ethics of race as a construct in research.
  • Columbia Astronomy Public Outreach Presents “Never Ask A Star Its Age”
    • Friday, November 1, 8 pm, 301 Pupin, Click here for more information
    • These are free lectures at a public level followed by guided stargazing with telescopes (weather permitting). Lectures are 30 minutes, stargazing lasts 90 minutes. Stay only as long as you want.
    • How do we know how old a star is? Do different stars age differently? What does a star’s age mean for the planets that may be orbiting it?

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

  • “Hematopoietic stem cells in stress, disease, and aging,” Biology Department seminar by Emmanuelle Passegué (Columbia)
    • Monday, October 28, 12 pm, 601 Fairchild, Click here for more information
    • Our laboratory studies how hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) regulate blood production during the lifetime of an ever-changing organism. This fundamental question is central to tissue development, maintenance, and regeneration, and has implications for every aspect of adult physiology ranging from response to stress, development of diseases, and biology of aging.
  • “Glycans in Health and Disease,” Chemistry Department seminar by Laura Kiessling (MIT)
    • Thursday, October 31, 4:30-5:30 pm, 309 Havemeyer, Click here for more information
    • All cells on Earth possess a carbohydrate coat. Emerging evidence indicates that this coat serves as a critical conduit of information, but little is known at the molecular level.
  • “Robotics to Characterize, Retrain, and Restore Human Movements,” Data Science Institute Lecture by Sunil Agrawal (Columbia)
    • Friday, November 1, 12-1:30 pm, Northwest Corner Building Room 1406, Click here for more information
    • Neural disorders and old age limit the ability of humans to perform activities of daily living. Robotics can be used to probe the human neuromuscular system and create new pathways to characterize, relearn, or restore functional movements.

spooky space via needpix.com