Featured Events

Wednesday, November 4

Reinventing the Automobile: Personal Urban Mobility for the 21st Century
Speakers: Larry Burns, Former Vice President of Research & Development, General Motors; Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director, The Earth Institute, Columbia University
Time: 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Location: Columbia University, Schapiro CEPSR Building, Davis Auditorium
Contact: Carey Russell, crussell@ei.columbia.edu or call 2128510241
RSVP: Register

Thursday, November 5

Earth Institute Seminars on Sustainable Development - Focus on Climate: Managing Carbon
Speakers: Ruth DeFries, Denning Family Professor of Sustainable Development; Columbia University; Klaus Lackner, Director, Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy, The Earth Institute, Columbia University
Time: 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Location: Columbia University, Morningside Campus, Faculty House, Garden Room 1, First Floor
Contact: Betsy Ness-Edelstein, en2109@columbia.edu
RSVP: Register
Web Site: http://www.earth.columbia.edu/articles/view/2552

This Week’s Events

Wednesday, November 4

Columbia Water Center Seminar: Mercury Methylation in Biofilms and Rapid Detection of Microbial Pollution in Water - Two Issues Relevant to Public Health Worldwide
Speaker: Jennifer A. Jay, Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California at Los Angeles
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Location: Columbia University, Morningside Campus, 924 Seeley W. Mudd Building
Contact: Samantha Tress, st2424@columbia.edu
RSVP: Register
Web Site: http://water.columbia.edu

CERC Information Session: Evening Certificate in Conservation Biology
Speaker: Desmond Beirne, Program Associate, Evening Certificate Program in Conservation Biology, Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC)
Time: 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
Location: Columbia University, Morningside Campus, Schermerhorn Extension, Room 1015
Contact: Desmond Beirne, djb2104@columbia.edu or call (212) 854-0149
Web Site: http://www.cerc.columbia.edu

LDEO MG&G and SG&T Seminar Series: The Effects of Data Quality in Travel-Time Tomography - Application to the Alpine Region
Speaker: Tobias Diehl, Post-Doctoral Research Scientist, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, The Earth Institute, Columbia University
Time: 12:10 to 1:10 p.m.
Location: Columbia University, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Marine Biology/Seismology Building, Seminar Room, 2nd Floor
Contact: Eunseo Choi, echoi@ldeo.columbia.edu or call (845) 365-8813

Reinventing the Automobile: Personal Urban Mobility for the 21st Century
Speakers: Larry Burns, Former Vice President of Research & Development, General Motors; Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director, The Earth Institute, Columbia University
Time: 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Location: Columbia University, Schapiro CEPSR Building, Davis Auditorium
Contact: Carey Russell, crussell@ei.columbia.edu or call 2128510241
RSVP: Register

From Thursday, November 5 through Friday, November 6

Fourth Columbia International Investment Conference: Foreign Direct Investment - The Global Crisis and Sustainable Recovery
Speakers: Lee C. Bollinger, President, Columbia University; Meg Kinnear, Secretary-General, International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID); Karin Lissakers, Director, Revenue Watch Institute; Robert Orr, Assistant Secretary-General, Strategic Planning Unit, Executive Office of the Secretary-General, United Nations; Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director, The Earth Institute, Columbia University; Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development, Columbia University; Manfred Schekulin, Chairperson, OECD Investment Committee; Joseph E. Stiglitz, University Professor, Columbia University; Kari Tapiola, Executive Director, International Labour Organization
Time: All Day Event
Location: Columbia University, Morningside Campus, Columbia Law School, Jerome L. Greene Hall, 435 West 116th Street at Amsterdam Avenue, Registration - Lobby Level, Conference - Mezzanine Level, Drapkin Lounge
Contact: Lisa Sachs, lsachs1@law.columbia.edu
Web Site: http://vcc.columbia.edu/events/

Thursday, November 5

Earth Institute Seminars on Sustainable Development - Focus on Climate: Managing Carbon
Speakers: Ruth DeFries, Denning Family Professor of Sustainable Development; Columbia University; Klaus Lackner, Director, Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy, The Earth Institute, Columbia University
Time: 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Location: Columbia University, Morningside Campus, Faculty House, Garden Room 1, First Floor
Contact: Betsy Ness-Edelstein, en2109@columbia.edu
RSVP: Register
Web Site: http://www.earth.columbia.edu/articles/view/2552

Friday, November 6

Columbia Water Center Seminar Series: Complexity and Emergence in Ecohydrologic Process Networks
Speaker: Praveen Kumar, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Time: 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Location: Columbia University, Morningside Campus, 833 Seeley W. Mudd Building
Contact: Samantha Tress, st2424@columbia.edu
RSVP: Register
Web Site: http://water.columbia.edu

LDEO Earth Science Colloquium: Why Scientists Are The Greatest People In This Or Any Other Universe and Why They Should Tell People About it?
Speaker: Claudia Dreifus, The New York Times
Time: 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Location: Columbia University, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Monell Building Auditorium
Contact: Scott Nooner, snooner@ldeo.columbia.edu
Web Site: http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/news-events/earth-science-colloquium/2009-2010

I am writing to alert you to efforts underway this morning to zero out a large portion of the science funding from the Senate American Reinvestment and Recovery Act as a part of a $77.9B reduction effort led by Senators Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Susan Collins (R-ME).

As you know better than most, science and technology are responsible for half of the economic development of the United States since WWII and yet, if current trends hold, some, such as the Business Round table, have predicted that 90% of all scientists and engineers will live in Asia within 5 years.

The United States simply MUST renew our investment in the single greatest economic engine this country has ever known. Small federal investments in scientific research have helped produce things like the internet and the transistor that have consistently delivered multi-trillion dollar economies.

The United States is at a critical juncture, and if this concerns you we suggest now would be a time to contact your Senators and urge them to support science funding. Here is what is being proposed to be cut from the bill, according to TPM:

NASA exploration $750,000,000 = 50%

NSF $1,402,000,000 = 100%

NOAA $427,000,000 = 34.94%

NIST $218,000,000 = 37.91%

DOE energy efficiency & renewable energy $1,000,000,000 = 38% DOE office of science $100,000,000 = 100%

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/Collins-Nelson-Cuts/?resultpage=1&

The Gaming Krib

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