Nov. 14 Symposium Showcases 150 Years of Innovation, Then and Now
To celebrate its rich history of discovery and innovation through the years, Columbia Engineering is hosting a thought-provoking symposium—Columbia's Engineering Renaissance: Foundation for the Future—on Friday, November 14, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Roone Arledge Auditorium. The culmination of the year-long celebration of the School’s sesquicentennial, the symposium will feature a series of lively and informative TEDx-like talks from faculty representing all nine departments, and will showcase the School’s historic achievements and give a look into its exciting future ahead.
Click on the image to download the complete symposium program (pdf).
Fifteen topics, including data science, precision medicine, sustainable energy, nanoengineering, and molecular engineering, will be presented by pairs of professors, who will each discuss the foundational, highly impactful research of yesterday and describe related ongoing research today. The talks will be brief and engaging, and will provide a snapshot of Columbia engineers’ discoveries, accomplishments, and current research, then and now.
For example, paired together, Computer Science Professor Shree Nayar and Applied Mathematics Associate Professor Chris Wiggins will discuss data science’s revolutionary transformations through the years. Biomedical Engineering Professors Helen Lu and Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic will talk about Columbia’s pioneers of biomedical engineering and how they led the way to today’s precision medicine and the future of regenerative engineering. Chemical Engineering Professors Venkat Venkatasubramanian and Jingyue Ju, tackling the topic of global health, will talk about the major advances made by Columbia Engineering in the mass production of antibiotics and in pioneering genome technology. Other exciting “then” and “now” faculty pairings will include experts in nanotechnology, smart cities, and computational animation, among others.
“This symposium will offer a glimpse into the world of Columbia Engineering, where we've been, where we are, and where we are going—how our faculty has, and continues to, impact our daily lives across the globe,” says Dean Mary C. Boyce. “I hope the Columbia community will join our students and faculty at this exciting occasion.”
Dean Boyce has canceled SEAS classes and labs for the afternoon so that all students can attend this symposium and reception. Attendees are invited to a dessert reception immediately following the symposium. The event is open to the Columbia community and people can register here: www.eventbrite.com/e/columbia-engineering-150th-symposium-tickets-13437864013.