Stressed by midterms? Having a bad day? It always helps to think about how tiny we truly are in this gigantic universe, and how we humans (and our problems) are really just an insignificant part of a cosmic order. Last night, Bwogger Alex Tang attended Columbia Astronomy Department’s lecture: “Black Hole Duet – Hearing the […]

On Wednesday afternoon, Nadra Rahman ventured into the black hole that is the International Affairs Building, where she heard Olesya Turkina give a talk about her book Soviet Space Dogs. The talk involved cigarette packs, canonization, and deeply engrossed grad students. Many of us associate the early days of the American space program with the […]

In some very specific conditions, electrons (you know, those tiny negatively charged subatomic particles) can run away. But how does this happen? Where do they go? Are they dangerous? We sent Senior Staffer Betsy Ladyzhets to the Plasma Physics Colloquium yesterday afternoon to find some answers. Shortly before 1pm yesterday, I ventured into the depths […]

This Monday, a panel of experts on the topic of displaced scholars gathered in Low Library to discuss how institutions of higher learning around the globe can support scholars in war torn regions whose work has been endangered. Although not quite as popular as Ralph Nader’s speech on why we need to dispose of our […]

Self-professed romance fan Nadra Rahman attended one of the Book History Colloquium events yesterday evening, titled “The Rise of the Literary Annual, Powerful Femininity, and Beautiful Books.” There wasn’t as much romance as she expected. I was the youngest person in the room by far—the average age of attendee (of which there were six, besides me) […]

Money: something we, as college students in NYC, love to think about but rarely have on hand. We sent Bwog staffer Betsy Ladyzhets to a lecture on neoliberalism and campus finance to torture her with money talk, but it ended up being an informative panel. We’ll try better next time–maybe a talk on how millennials are […]

No, Chuck Norris didn’t actually fight communists, pistols blazing in both hands. But the infiltration of Western media into the Soviet bloc definitely helped to fan anti-communist dispositions. Staff writer Gabrielle Kloppers writes about the recent documentary, Chuck Norris v Communism, and its effects on communist Romania. For many Columbia students, movies represent an escape from […]

“City And Landscape in the Ottoman Aleppo: Experiencing Architecture, Narrating Space,” was the next lecture in the Department of Art History and Archaeology’s “‘Islamic Art:’ Disrupting Unity and Discerning Ruptures series,” presented by Heghnar Watenpaugh, professor of Art History at the University of California, Davis. We sent staff writer Romane Thomas to check it out […]

Last night, Professor Claudia Dreifus hosted Editor’s Night, which boasted a great selection of editors in international and science journalism. Eager to soak up their collective wisdom, Joanna Zhang attended the event with an open mind.  As someone with no background in journalism, the one thing I took away from Editor’s Night is that it’s […]

Last night, the Columbia MFA program concluded its creative writing lecture series with Saïd Sayrafiezadeh – acclaimed writer, professor at Hunter College and NYU, and man with a nearly unpronounceable last name. Betsy Ladyzhets – significantly less acclaimed writer, student at Barnard, and girl with a nearly unpronounceable last name – attended, and thinks she might have learned something. Saïd Sayrafiezadeh […]

Sarah H. Cleveland is Columbia Law School’s Louis Henkin Professor of Human and Constitutional Rights, as well as the Faculty Co-Director of the Human Rights Institute. Her areas of expertise include National Security and International Humanitarian Law, Foreign Affairs and the Constitution, and International Law in U.S. Courts. Last night at 6 pm, she held […]

Yesterday afternoon, Prof. Timothy Frye, CU political science professor and director of the Harriman Institute, presented his new paper about the popularity of infamous president Vladimir Putin – or, more specifically, whether or not this popularity was real or a trick of the Kremlin. Bwog writer and popularity seeker Betsy Ladyzhets was in attendance to […]

A professor of Religion, a professor of Law, a professor of Anthropology, and a professor of Sociology walk into a bar—we mean book review. What happens? Staffers Romane Thomas and Jennifer Nugent cover what happens next.  Those who expected a staid and overly polite book launch were in for a surprise. On Monday evening, La Maison Francaise hosted […]

Last night, the Columbia MFA Program hosted its final creative writing lecture of the semester, in which novelist Mat Johnson (CU School of the Arts ‘99) discussed story structure – what to do, what not to do, and what’s necessary to understand before you start. Betsy Ladyzhets, Bwog writer, creative writer, and drawer of many […]

Last night in Pupin, the Astronomy Department opened its doors to both the Columbia community and the public for its regular Stargazing and Lecture series event. Bwog has sent writers to cover the last few starry Friday night programs, and this week staffer and Friday Night Lights fan Amara Banks was lucky enough to check […]