From the President's Desk
Our Graduate Scholar talk on the magnetic Milky Way by astrophysicist Dr. Susan Clark, Columbia ‘17, could serve as a model for presenting highly technical information in a clear and engaging manner. One excellent
bon mot was her comment about the term “interstellar medium,” which she likened to calling the ocean “inter-fish medium,” thus providing an instant understanding of the importance of the interstellar matter she is studying. Her enthusiasm for space dust was contagious!
On Tuesday we will plant our feet firmly into the dark side of planet Earth, with Dr. Mark Heath’s presentation on medical, legal and moral aspects of lethal injection.
I recently ran across data showing that in some counties of Texas, the execution rate exceeds the murder rate and there is a geographic arbitrariness to the likelihood of being sentenced to death. Mark is playing an important role in tackling the issue, such as writing for a wide audience in
The Guardian recently.
You can read that piece here and at the link below.
As usual EPIC yoga, led by Prof. Emerita Ginny Papaiannou, continues on Thursday mornings with two session options, mat at 10 AM or “gentle”/beginner chair format at 11:15.
Have a good day.
Jeanne Mager Stellman, President, EPIC
Professor Emerita & Special Lecturer
Mailman School of Public Health
|
|
Tuesday, February 6
"Execution by Lethal Injection"
|
Dr. Mark J. Heath, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, studies the interface between clinical anesthesiology and the drugs and techniques used in lethal injection. In his research, he has interviewed executioners, wardens, physicians, nurses and death row prisoners; inspected 10 lethal facilities; and provided legislative testimony in multiple states and the United Kingdom House of Lords. He serves as an expert witness on behalf of condemned prisoners facing execution by lethal injection.
In a recent opinion piece in
The Guardian, Heath writes, "Oklahoma and other states should not be executing prisoners with midazolam; they should not proceed in the absence of qualified medical practitioners; they should only use FDA-approved drugs, and they should abandon the barbaric, outmoded and unnecessary use of chemical paralysis – even if just to be in compliance with the laws governing veterinary euthanasia. All of these conditions are readily achievable and, if they were to adhere to them, it would be difficult to mount an effective or realistic criticism of their current execution practices. The public and the courts could then return their attention to the more important questions and debate surrounding the death penalty enterprise, and those who support it, those who oppose it and those who adjudicate it could perhaps then focus and unite to achieve their shared goal of ensuring that innocent and mentally incompetent victims of the complex, time- and resource-intensive and imperfect death penalty institution are reliably and meaningfully protected from unjust government-imposed deprivation of liberty and life.
|
|
(
U.K.)Department of Corrections official Scott Crow talks behind the newly renovated death chamber at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary during a media tour of the facility in McAlester. Photo: Sue Ogrocki/AP; The
Guardian
|
After the talk,we continue discussion in the Faculty House Dining Room at the EPIC discounted price.
RSVP to let us know if you will join for lunch.
12
:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Faculty House, Seminar Room 1
Guests welcome!
|
|
Tuesday, February 20
"Rethinking Rural Health Care Delivery: A Nigerian Diaspora-Town Union Partnership"
|
Dr. Ferdinand Ofodile,
Clinical Professor Emeritus of Surgery, will share experience and insights from the Nnobi USA Diaspora Health Group.
Dr. Ofodile, who hails from Nnobi, Nigeria, conceived the initiative to address the long neglected health care situation in Nnobi, a town in Idemili Local government area of Anambra State. The free health fairs and screening offered by the group across Nnobi has benefited over 1000 people. Out of that number, 607 were treated on the spot, 280 for malaria, 290 for high blood pressure and 37 for diabetes.
In the summer of 2017, friends and supporters donated over $11,000 to support the initiative. The fundraiser was part of the 2017 Nnobi Union North America’s convention held at Adria Hotel in New York City.
|
|
Nnobi USA Diaspora Health Group Screening Site.
Photo: Dr. Ferdinand Ofodile.
RSVP to let us know if you will join for lunch.
12
:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Faculty House, Seminar Room 1
Guests welcome!
|
|
EPIC Yoga Spring Schedule
|
|
Professor Emerita Virginia Papaioannou, a registered teacher with the Yoga Alliance, continues to lead EPIC Yoga Thursdays in Faculty House in the Spring 2018 semester.
No prior experience is required to join. Yoga can benefit people at all levels of physical training and health, but it is always wise to consult with a physician before undertaking any new exercise regime. Modifications will be offered to any participants with specific limitations arising from recovery from injury, arthritis, limited movement, or other causes.
Two one-hour classes are offered each week.
The 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. class practices breathing techniques and moves through some basic yoga poses, concentrating on alignment, balance, and flexibility. Those with experience move more deeply into the poses.
From 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., we practice gentle/chair yoga, which is ideal for those of more limited mobility or flexibility. Classes include breathing, stretching, and yoga poses, done either seated in a chair or standing. No yoga mats are required for this class.
Please see the EPIC events calendar for schedule details.
|
|
Morningside Gardens Speaker Series
Begins February 21
|
|
In 2017, EPIC launched the Morningside Gardens Speaker Series in collaboration with
Columbia’s School of Professional Studies. Coordinated by Professor Emerita Jo Shepherd and Morningside Retirement and Health Services, the series is free and open to the public. Talks take place at 100 LaSalle Street, Room #MC. For more information, please call 212-666-4000 or email
ronb@mrhsny.org.
Spring 2018 Program
February 21, 7:00 p.m.
“Yoking Up Yoga” Where does Yoga come from and where is it going? Is Yoga an important part of Hinduism? Some answers to these questions may surprise you.
Speaker: Frances Pritchett, Professor Emerita of Modern Indic Languages, Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies, Columbia University
March 14, 7:00 p.m.
“The Diaspora and The Medically Underserved: A Case for a New Approach” This is an illustrated talk about Professor Ofodile’s experience working with Diaspora groups to provide medical aid in Africa and the Caribbean.
Speaker: Ferdinand Ofodile, Clinical Professor Emeritus of Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center
April 18, 7:00 p.m.
“Eve and Adam in the Gardens” For millennia, readers have interpreted the story of Adam and Eve by pandering to him and blaming her for their expulsion from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2-3). But there are more excellent ways to understand the story. This talk will undercut the traditional reading by exploring anew the story of Eve and Adam as they enter the Gardens of Morningside.
Speaker: Phyllis Trible, Baldwin Professor Emerita of Sacred Literature, Union Theological Seminary.
May 16, 7:00 p.m.
“Columbia University on Morningside Heights – The Early Years in Postcard Views” As the title implies, Mr. Susi takes us on a tour of Morningside Heights using vintage postcards he began collecting more than 20 years ago.
Speaker: Michael V Susi, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs, Columbia University; local historian and postcard collector.
|
|
EPIC Conversation
March 6
Victor Navasky, Publisher Emeritus of
The Nation, in Conversation with Professor Michael Rosenthal
Tuesday Talks
March 20
Professor Dickson Despommier
"The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century"
April 10
Professor Justin Golub
"How Age-Related Hearing Loss Affects the Brain"
April 24
Professor Sunil K. Agrawal
Lecture and Tour: Robotics and Rehabilitation (RoAR) Lab, Columbia University
First Thursday Graduate Scholar Talks
March 1
Nicole Thompson, Ph.D.Candidate, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology
"The Fitness Benefits of Social Connection over the Lifespan of Blue Monkeys"
April 5
Michelle Van Tieghem, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Psychology:
"Neurobehavioral Predictors of Risk and Resilience following Early Adversity"
Social Media Workshop
March 27
Annual Reception
May 8
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
