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Illustration by Rose Wong of people trying to hold up a giant weight

Fall 2021

Fall 2021 cover of Columbia Magazine, with illustration by Gaby D'Alessandro of a Columbia University Lion emerging from autumn leaves
Download this issue

The Mental Weight of COVID-19

Columbia psychologists and psychiatrists prepare for a tsunami of mental-health issues caused by the collective trauma of the pandemic.

Features

The Whimsical Spirit and Positive Wisdom of Artist Ashley Bryan
Artist Ashley Bryan photographed by Matt Cosby
Arts & Humanities

The Whimsical Spirit and Positive Wisdom of Artist Ashley Bryan

The prolific children's book illustrator continued to create and inspire into his nineties 

Columbia’s New Provost Looks Forward
Columbia University provost Mary C. Boyce
On Campus

Columbia’s New Provost Looks Forward

Mary C. Boyce will put the University’s scholarship to work on some of the world’s most pressing problems

What Are They Thinking?
09_Ashkin_anim-blue
Science & Technology

What Are They Thinking?

For science educator Michelle Ashkin '04GSAS, teaching people about the minds of other species is more than a passion 

3 Eco-Innovators Tackling Pollution and Climate Change
2.21_FEAT_ECO_WEB-1
Alumni

3 Eco-Innovators Tackling Pollution and Climate Change

Columbia alumni entrepreneurs are finding new ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle

College Walk

The Mayors of Columbia
2.21_CW_Mayor
Alumni

The Mayors of Columbia

A brief history of the University’s connections to city halls across the country

Hanging Out at the Hungarian Pastry Shop
Illustration by Pearada Unahalekhaka of the Hungarian Pastry Shop in Morningside Heights, NYC
On Campus

Hanging Out at the Hungarian Pastry Shop

A fabled neighborhood fixture emerges from lockdown

A New Film Examines a Wrongful Execution
Film poster for "The Phantom" documentary
Arts & Humanities

A New Film Examines a Wrongful Execution

In The Phantom, a Columbia Law School investigation takes center stage

20 Years of Jazz Performance at Columbia
Illustration by Greg Betza of jazz musicians for Columbia Magazine, Fall 2021
Arts & Humanities

20 Years of Jazz Performance at Columbia

Since 2001, the Louis Armstrong Jazz Performance Program has allowed non-music majors to study America’s premier art form

Explorations

What This Bird Can Teach Us About Memory
a Tufted Titmouse
Science & Technology

What This Bird Can Teach Us About Memory

The brain power of the tufted titmouse has long amazed ornithologists

Can AI Explain Vaccine Hesitancy?
People protesting vaccine mandates
Science & Technology

Can AI Explain Vaccine Hesitancy?

Columbia researchers are using artificial intelligence to better understand public dissent on social media

Smog’s Threat to the Brain
Gérard Dubois illustration of a person with a cloud as a head
Health & Medicine

Smog’s Threat to the Brain

Our brains may be even more vulnerable to air pollution than previously thought

Why America’s Obsession with Civil Liberties Is Tearing the Country Apart
A sculpture holding up a red and blue weight
Books

Why America’s Obsession with Civil Liberties Is Tearing the Country Apart

A Columbia law professor offers a provocative new take on constitutional rights

Going Grey? Relax. Those Silver Strands Could Disappear
0712_Grey-Hair
Health & Medicine

Going Grey? Relax. Those Silver Strands Could Disappear

The greying process is kickstarted by stress hormones — and it may even be reversible

Excessive Jargon is a Sign of Insecurity, and Other Research Findings
Speech bubble saying "blah blah blah"
Science & Technology

Excessive Jargon is a Sign of Insecurity, and Other Research Findings

The latest studies from Columbia

Why Diamonds Are a Geologist’s Best Friend
Photo of uncut gems
Science & Technology

Why Diamonds Are a Geologist’s Best Friend

The gems could help answer fundamental questions about our planet’s early history

The Complex Legacies of Lyme Disease
09_EXPL_Tick-AI
Health & Medicine

The Complex Legacies of Lyme Disease

A new clinic at Columbia specializes in treating patients with long-haul symptoms

Network

A Unique Meditation on Birding
The Great Bird Blind Debate exhibition
Arts & Humanities

A Unique Meditation on Birding

Inside “The Great Bird Blind Debate,” an exhibition from David Brooks ’09SOA and Mark Dion

This Watch Entrepreneur Turns Time into Money
Hodinkee founder and CEO Ben Clymer
Alumni

This Watch Entrepreneur Turns Time into Money

How journalism alum Ben Clymer's quirky passion became a fulfilling career

This Pilot Wants to Get 100 Black Women to Take Flight
United Airlines pilot Carole Hopson
Alumni

This Pilot Wants to Get 100 Black Women to Take Flight

Carole Hopson ’90JRN is determined to diversify the airline industry

8 Companies that Make Parenting Easier
Samantha John pitching Hopscotch on Shark Tank in 2021
Alumni

8 Companies that Make Parenting Easier

From coding lessons to toddler fashion, alumni entrepreneurs have innovative offerings for kids

Saving Smiles Around the World
Jean Paul Laurent, founder and CEO of Unspoken Smiles, in Haiti in 2021
Alumni

Saving Smiles Around the World

Unspoken Smiles, a nonprofit founded by Jean Paul Laurent '17SIPA, brings preventive dental care to underserved children

How to Raise Your Kid to Be a Better Citizen
Beverly Leon, founder and CEO of Local Civics
Alumni

How to Raise Your Kid to Be a Better Citizen

As the founder and CEO of Local Civics, Beverly Leon ’14CC, ’20BUS encourages kids and teens to become active community members

Books

4 Great Books to Read This Fall
09_4_FALL-BOOKS-2
Books

4 Great Books to Read This Fall

All by Columbia alumni authors

Review: Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch
Cover of Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch by Rivka Galchen
Books

Review: Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch

By Rivka Galchen ’06SOA

Why the Cold War Ignited America’s Progressive Culture
Illustration by Jonny Ruzzo of Louis Menand
Books

Why the Cold War Ignited America’s Progressive Culture

Louis Menand ’80GSAS takes a “street-level” look at one of the most fertile cultural and intellectual periods in recent history

The Untold History of Protest and Police Violence
09_BOOKS_Hinton_WATTS-66
Books

The Untold History of Protest and Police Violence

A review of America on Fire, by Elizabeth Hinton ’13GSAS

Review: Embassy Wife
Cover of Embassy Wife by Katie Crouch
Books

Review: Embassy Wife

By Katie Crouch ’05SOA

Bulletin

Columbia Engineering Cohosts $20 Million AI Research Institute
An artificial intelligence graphic
On Campus

Columbia Engineering Cohosts $20 Million AI Research Institute

The AI Institute for Dynamic Systems will develop tools for use in a wide range of scientific and engineering applications

Aho, Ullman Win Prestigious Turing Award
Alfred V. Aho
On Campus

Aho, Ullman Win Prestigious Turing Award

The two scientists have developed many of the concepts and algorithms underlying modern computer science

High Honors for Columbia Professors
new-nas-members-columbia
On Campus

High Honors for Columbia Professors

Four faculty members elected to the NAS, and other news

Columbia Releases New Campus Sustainability Plan
Columbia University Alma Mater statue
On Campus

Columbia Releases New Campus Sustainability Plan

With Plan 2030, the University strives to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century

More Details on New Columbia Climate School
High-school students participate in a two-week educational program in Vermont hosted by the Columbia Climate School.
On Campus

More Details on New Columbia Climate School

A master of arts in climate and society is the school's first degree offering

Trustees Establish Professorship in Honor of Kenneth and Kareitha Forde
Kenneth A. Forde and Kareitha “Kay” Forde
On Campus

Trustees Establish Professorship in Honor of Kenneth and Kareitha Forde

Kenneth Forde conducted groundbreaking research on colon cancer and pioneered the use of endoscopy as a diagnostic and surgical tool

Backstory

Yes, That Happened: Columbia Football Was Once Top of the Ivies
2.21_BACK_Football-61
On Campus

Yes, That Happened: Columbia Football Was Once Top of the Ivies

Sixty years ago, a group of talented Lions brought pride to Morningside Heights

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