From the President's Desk
Well, we’ve made it through Stage I of the holiday season--fully sated by overgenerous meals, perhaps a bit too much togetherness, and an impressive amount of mail seeking support for worthy courses. Several of us started to get back into shape as we regathered into EPIC’s yoga class. The “gentle” chair yoga is also now underway. Thank you to our instructor, Professor Emerita Ginny Papaioannou, for her dedication and talented leadership.
This Thursday is the last Graduate Scholars talk of the semester. We welcome Megan Todd, a postdoc at the Aging Center, Mailman School of Public Health, on the "The Biology of Disadvantage: The Immune System and Social Inequality.”
Her talk is both a timely topic and a part of EPIC’s
continued collaboration with the Aging Center.
Please let us know f you plan to attend
so we can order lunch appropriately.
Last Tuesday we held our first venture into increasing the visibility of the academic emeriti community on campus by co-hosting a Tuesday Talk with a “home” department. Professor Emeritus Mischa Schwartz delivered a talk on the history of engineering at a very well attended meeting at the School of Engineering--a great start to this initiative.
EPIC’s Music Initiative is also moving forward. Small groups have already met to make music together and a larger event is being planned for January.
Please let us know if you would like to be added to our musicians’ list
so that you can be kept informed and can also find other musicians to play with. Thank you Prof Emerita Carolyn Greenberg for spearheading this!
And, of course,
SAVE THE DATE,
December 12, for EPIC’s annual winter buffet luncheon. Walter Frisch, H. Harold Gumm/Harry and Albert von Tilzer Professor of Music, will talk to us about his widely acclaimed multimedia book
Over the Rainbow
. Five copies will be offered as door prizes. Given the state of the world, we are all probably longing for some sort of rainbow to appear, with, of course, a slightly better qualified wizard at its end. Good company, good food and some intellectual stimulation is at least a partial recompense. Do come.
And, here is another important service initiative that Prof Emerita Fran Pritchett is spearheading: working with Columbia’s Double Discovery program that helps local high school students from less privileged backgrounds prepare for college. See below for more details and to let us know if you are interested,
Finally, full-time retired officers of instruction who audit Columbia courses, remember these dates:
- December 8, 2017 – submit applications
- January 8, 2018 – projected registration date
- January 26, 2018 – final date to obtain instructor approval
Have a good day.
Jeanne Mager Stellman, President, EPIC
Professor Emerita & Special Lecturer
Mailman School of Public Health
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Thursday, December 7
"The Biology of Disadvantage:
The Immune System and Social Inequality"
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Please join us for December's First Thursday Graduate Scholar Talk, presented by Megan Todd, Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Columbia Aging Center, Mailman School of Public Health.
First Thursday Graduate Scholar Talks take place the first Thursday of each month during the academic year. The talks provide Ph.D. candidates preparing to defend their dissertations an opportunity to make a generalist presentation on their research to a cross-disciplinary audience ready to listen carefully and ask good questions. EPIC members help give the Ph.D. students a useful learning experience and at the same time learn about something that may be well beyond their own scholarly interests.
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12:15 - 2:00 p.m.
Ward H. Dennis Room
602 Lewisohn Hall
Guests welcome!
A sandwich lunch is provided. RSVP to insure an appropriate catering order.
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Tuesday, December 12
"Somewhere over the Rainbow"
Holiday Buffet
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From the Publisher
:
Frisch "traces the history of Arlen and Harburg's song from its inception during the development of
The Wizard of Oz
screenplay to its various reinterpretations over the course of the twentieth century. Through analysis of the song's music and lyrics, this
Oxford Keynotes
volume provides a close reading of the piece while examining the evolution of its meaning as it traversed widely varying cultural contexts. From its adoption as a jazz standard by generations of pianists, to its contribution to Judy Garland's role as a gay icon, to its re-emergence as a chart-topping recording by Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, "Over the Rainbow" continues to engage audiences and performers alike in surprising ways. The book is accompanied by Featuring a companion website with audio and video supplements, this book leaves no path unexplored as it succeeds in capturing the extent of this song's impact on the world."
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11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Faculty House, Garden Room 2
Guests welcome!
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EPIC Opportunities with Double Discovery
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Since 1965, Columbia has operated a program called "Double Discovery" that helps local high school students from less privileged backgrounds prepare for college.
Now in its 52nd year, the Double Discovery Center has flourished in making college access a reality for more than 15,000 alumni. By providing services such as one-to-one advising, workshops, homework help, tutoring, academic classes, internships, college trips, and special events ranging from career days to science labs, DDC’s students are showing great results.
Annually, ninety percent of DDC high school seniors graduate from high school on time and enter college the following fall semester--far surpassing city, state and national outcomes for low-income, first-generation college-bound and minority students.
Currently the program draws volunteers primarily from the Columbia undergraduate population. We are trying to create a productive way in which EPIC members can effectively participate as tutors and mentors. If this is something you might be interested in,
please let us know and we can get the process started.
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The Spring 2018 semester is around the corner, and we are finalizing programs for EPIC members. Mark your calendar!
First Thursday Graduate Scholar Talks:
February 1: "The Magnetic Milky Way," Susan E. Clark, Ph.D. 2017 (Astrophysics); Hubble Fellow, Institute for Advanced Study
March 1: "The Fitness Benefits of Social Connection over the Lifespan of Blue Monkeys," Nicole Thompson, Ph.D. candidate, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology
April 5: "Neurobehavioral Predictors of Risk and Resilience following Early Adversity," Michelle Van Tieghem, Ph.D. candidate, Department of Psychology
Alternate Tuesday Talks
January 23
February 6
February 20
March 6
March 20
April 10
April 24
March 27: Social Media Workshop
For those curious about Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and other social media, a presentation and workshop with support for opening and using accounts
May 8: Annual Reception
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