Exploring Cool New Worlds Beyond Our Solar System
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WINTER 2017-18 COLUMBIA MAGAZINE COLUMBIA COLUMBIAMAGAZINE WINTER 2017-18 Exploring cool new worlds beyond our solar system 4.17_Cover_FINAL.indd 1 11/13/17 12:42 PM JOIN THE CLUB Since 1901, the Columbia University Club of New York has been a social, intellectual, cultural, recreational, and professional center of activity for alumni of the eighteen schools and divisions of Columbia University, Barnard College, Teachers College, and affiliate schools. ENGAGE IN THE LEGACY OF ALUMNI FELLOWSHIP BECOME A MEMBER TODAY DAVE WHEELER DAVE www.columbiaclub.org Columbia4.17_Contents_FINAL.indd Mag_Nov_2017_final.indd 1 1 11/15/1711/2/17 12:463:13 PM PM WINTER 2017-18 PAGE 28 CONTENTS FEATURES 14 BRAVE NEW WORLDS By Bill Retherford ’14JRN Columbia astronomers are going beyond our solar system to understand exoplanets, fi nd exomoons, and explore all sorts of surreal estate 22 NURSES FIRST By Paul Hond How three women in New York are improving health care in Liberia with one simple but e ective strategy 28 JOIN THE CLUB LETTER HEAD By Paul Hond Scrabble prodigy Mack Meller Since 1901, the Columbia University Club of minds his Ps and Qs, catches a few Zs, and is never at a loss for words New York has been a social, intellectual, cultural, recreational, and professional center of activity for 32 CONFESSIONS alumni of the eighteen schools and divisions of OF A RELUCTANT REVOLUTIONARY Columbia University, Barnard College, By Phillip Lopate ’64CC Teachers College, and affiliate schools. During the campus protests of 1968, the author joined an alumni group supporting the student radicals ENGAGE IN THE LEGACY OF ALUMNI FELLOWSHIP 38 FARSIGHTED FORECASTS By David J. Craig BECOME A MEMBER TODAY A Q&A with Lisa Goddard on predicting and managing the DAVE WHEELER DAVE impacts of climate change www.columbiaclub.org COLUMBIA WINTER 2017-18 1 Columbia Mag_Nov_2017_final.indd 1 11/2/17 12:46 PM 4.17_Contents_FINAL.indd 2 11/15/17 3:13 PM COLUMBIA CONTENTS MAGAZINE DEPARTMENTS 3 Executive Vice President, FEEDBACK University Development & Alumni Relations Amelia Alverson 8 Deputy Vice President for Strategic Communications Jerry Kisslinger ’79CC, ’82GSAS COLLEGE WALK Liberté, Égalité, Sexualité \ The Short List \ The Thrill of Victory \ Depth of Field \ Editor in Chief Babylon Revisited \ Speech Therapy Sally Lee Art Director 42 Jeffrey Saks EXPLORATIONS Managing Editor Alaska at risk for massive tsunami, study Rebecca Shapiro fi nds \ Socializing with the Kremlin \ Data PAGE 22 Senior Editors reveals X factor in pop hits \ Cartographers David J. Craig, Paul Hond to the rescue \ Flying the eco-friendly skies \ Copy Chief A skin patch that dissolves love handles \ Joshua J. Friedman ’08JRN The Alternative Apple \ Study Hall Assistant to the Editor Julia Joy 48 Editorial Assistant NETWORK Catherine Elizabeth Hernandez State of the Art \ From Light Blue to Green \ New Business in an Ancient Land \ Scholarship Honors Kim Wall \ Senior Director for Strategic Communications Tracy Quinn ’14SPS Attention Shoppers \ Ask an Alum \ Amok in the Art House \ Newsmakers Director of Digital Strategy Gwynne Gauntlett 54 PAGE Director for Marketing Research 55 Linda Ury Greenberg BULLETIN University news and views Content Producer Carolina Castro 58 BOOKS Greater Gotham, by Mike Wallace \ Subscriptions: Address and archive assistance Nomadland, by Jessica Bruder \ The King Is [email protected] Always Above the People, by Daniel Alarcón \ 212-851-4155 The Girl of the Lake, by Bill Roorbach \ To update your address online, visit Plus, Thomas J. Brennan discusses alumni.columbia.edu/directory, FROM TOP: JÖRG MEYER, SHÌFAAN THOWFEEQU, FRANCESCO FIONDELLA FRANCESCO THOWFEEQU, SHÌFAAN MEYER, JÖRG TOP: FROM Shooting Ghosts or call 1-877-854-ALUM (2586). Advertising: 212-851-4155 64 [email protected] FINALS Letters to the editor: Ready for Our Close-up [email protected] PAGE 38 Columbia Magazine is published for alumni and friends of Columbia by the FOLLOW US Offi ce of Alumni and Development. © 2017 by the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York /ColumbiaMag @columbiamag COVER: NASA / JPL-CALTECH 2 COLUMBIA WINTER 2017-18 4.17_Contents_FINAL.indd 3 11/15/17 3:13 PM FEEDBACK top tweets Greg Cannon ’97JRN @GregCan Really impressed with @columbiamag redesign. Great, fresh presentation worthy of consistently DAVID TRUMAN’S to his presentations. His time told me, “Dan, you’re a quality content LEGACY standards were high. (When nice guy, but come the revolu- Your article about David B. I complained about a B+ tion, we’ll line people like you Emily Taussig Truman brings back memo- grade at the end of the 1952 up against the wall and shoot @trimbling ries of him as the outstanding fall semester, he responded them.” Needless to say, not Thank you for your scholar I knew sixty-fi ve years amiably but fi rmly that he all, or even a majority, of the excellent coverage of ago (“A Provost’s Refl ections,” did not believe anyone in the protesters thought this way, Justice Gorsuch and College Walk, Fall 2017). class merited an A and had but some did, and they hoped Lindsay Stark’s research, The fi rst thing Truman did graded accordingly.) to take the lead. The Weath- since diversity enhances while teaching Government I was in Czechoslovakia in ermen, who did turn violent, endurance. 19–20, on American parties 1968 watching an e ort to had in their ranks some of and politics, was to fl ing open restore limited freedom there Columbia’s student leaders. I Brendan Donley ’15CC the windows, whatever the until the Russians decided thought even then, as a rather @BrenJDonley temperature outside, to dispel otherwise. I could not judge naive graduate student, that Nice piece on Neil Gorsuch the blinding and malodorous from afar events at Columbia the ad hoc faculty group had in the @columbiamag pall left by smokers awaiting then, but recalling Truman’s too many unthoughtful mem- his lecture. Fresh air was a strength of character and bers who did not understand Joey Wahler hallmark of Truman’s ap- sense of purpose, I viewed that what was going on was @JoeyWahler proach to education and life. and still view the outcome as really an assault against aca- Best piece I’ve seen When I met him, he was a huge loss for Columbia and demic freedom. done on Gary Cohen by new to teaching, but he had an unmerited blow to a life These days, when the values @columbiamag much practical experience in full of promise. we should hold onto are being World War II and afterward Kenneth N. Skoug Jr. ’53CC relentlessly attacked from a that marked him for pro- Harleysville, PA right that is far more danger- bity and realism. He could ous than the deluded left ever analyze expertly and with David Truman was perfectly was, we should remember notable fairness the strengths right to understand that there that whether attacks come and failings of those engaged was a radical core of students from the radical left or the in the turbulence of a presi- that not only wanted to bring radical right, the old-fash- dential election year (1952) in down the University, but ioned liberal, Enlightenment which the head of Columbia really thought (however fool- vision of academic freedom University was a candidate. ish this may now sound) that needs to be defended, even if He was scrupulously hon- this could be the beginning that makes us unpopular. est and restrained in dealing of a general revolution. One Dan Chirot ’73GSAS with inevitable challenges of the radical students at the Seattle, WA COLUMBIA WINTER 2017-18 3 4.17_Letters_FINAL.indd 3 11/14/17 9:41 AM FEEDBACK At the time of the events many students were very apologize. It is not too late for announced that there would theory of evolution. I was put in mind of 1968, I was several years upset with the University’s Columbia, if not Mr. Truman, be no action taken on any of that in reading your sycophantic an alumnus but living on actions about the gym and its to admit a mistake and apol- nominee put forward by Pres- profile of Neil Gorsuch. Consider the West 114th Street, in the work with the Institute for ogize. I’ve been waiting for ident Obama. Sure enough, many justices connected to Columbia: privately owned apart- Defense Analyses (IDA). almost fifty years. Merrick Garland’s appoint- Jay, Cardozo, Stone, Douglas, Ginsburg ment building adjacent to Maybe I was one of those Michael Jacoby ment was shelved for nearly . and Gorsuch! What an accomplish- the Columbia-owned one “hard-core radicals” — what- Brown ’69CC a year, in blatant violation of ment — to have usurped a seat on the occupied on May 18. Thus, ever that means. I was one Arlington, MA the Senate’s constitutional Supreme Court by an appointment I was present when David of the thousands of obligation to give their from a man like Donald Trump through Truman was approached by students who supported the COURT OF APPEALS “advice and consent.” Judge the cynical machinations of a man like a delegation demanding to occupation of April 1968 Thank you so much for your Garland is the most decent Mitch McConnell. Whatever his other know why WKCR had been and was beaten and arrested fawning fluff piece on Justice of men, with great intellect, virtues, Gorsuch is apparently lacking ordered off the air. He was for my actions. We opposed Gorsuch, which appears to charm, wit, and integrity. The one of significance: self-respect. clearly startled to learn this the racist gym (in a public have been ghostwritten by same cannot be said for Gor- Leslie T. Jones ’59CC and promptly said it should park, with separate and him (“The Education of Neil such, who gladly served as an Las Vegas, NV resume broadcasts.