Columbia University alumni meeting Symposium & Workshop on Mechanobiology e latest gathering of Columbia University alumni in Chile (Santiago), it was attended by alumni from dierent programs took place last November at the Taringa restaurant in Santia- On December 11-12, Columbia Global Centers | Latin Faculty and students from local universities also attended the and across dierent generations. At the event, it was agreed America (Santiago) hosted a unique symposium and workshop seminar and the workshop that followed the main lectures. go's Vitacura district. Organized by María del Pilar Duarte that more such activities should take place in order to facilitate on mechanobiology that was partly financed by the (Law School) and Graciela Ibáñez (Journalism School) and networking among Columbia University graduates and stren- Columbia-Chile Fund, created by Columbia and Chile's The event, which brought together experts who have the New York-based Columbia Alumni Association (CAA), gthen their ties. with the support of Columbia Global Centers | Latin America National Commission for Scientific and Technological pioneered this new science at both the cellular and Research (CONICYT). The project, led by Professor Julio M. single-molecule levels, was the first of its kind in Chile. Africa | East Asia | Europe | Latin America | Middle East | South Asia | Turkey Fernández of Columbia’s Department of Biological Sciences, Participants were able to learn not only about the state of was co-sponsored by Chile’s Fundación Ciencia y Vida. research but also the challenges of translating it into beneficial products. The workshop sought to explore the possibility of Columbia University’s Professor Michael Sheetz and developing mechanopharmacology, a new field which aims to 003 Director of Columbia’s Aging Center in Chile postdoctoral researcher Andrés Rivas also participated in the discover compounds that affect the response of target proteins event as well as Harvard University's David E. Clapham and to mechanical forces, providing an entirely new perspective on National University of Singapore’s Linda J. Kenney. drug development. Ursula M. Staudinger, Director of at UDP Staudinger Ursula Pablo Valenzuela, the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center, was in Chile at the beginning Andrés Rivas, 2015 | February Bernardita Subiabre (SEAS), Andrés Josena Consiglio (LAW), Alexander Jaime Salas (LAW), Santiago Munita David Clapham, Pablo of January. Her visit took place in the Baytelman (LAW) and Robert Currie Hazbun (SIPA), Randal Fahs (SIPA) and (Business) and Iván Bertrand-Galindo Julio Fernández, Valenzuela, framework of the project “When Does (LAW) Ricardo Alvial (SIPA) (LAW). Linda Keeney, Scientic Retirement Optimize Health? Causal Michael Sheetz, Director and Effects of Retirement Timing on Health Christian Wilson, Co-Founder of Outcomes and Healthy Behavior of Older Daniel Guerra, Fundación Americans and Chileans”, financed by Raúl Pérez-Jiménez Ciencia y Vida, the Columbia-Chile Fund established and Carolina with Julio by Columbia and Chile's National Fernández Torrealba Commission for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICYT). Professor Themelis Speaks on Waste Management During her visit, Professor Staudinger Commission Pension Addressing met with local authorities and experts Professor Nickolas J. Themelis, Director of Columbia Professor Themelis on aging. They included Hwang Yoon (SIPA) and Alexander Hazbun María del Pilar Duarte (LAW) and Graciela Ignacio Montero (TC), Pamela López University's Earth Engineering Center and Chair of the also visited the Jeanette (SIPA) Ibáñez (Journalism) (TC) and Jorge Cifuentes (TC) Vega, Director of the National University-based Waste-to-Energy Research and Technology Solar Energy Research Center Health Fund (FONASA), the state Council (WTERT), visited Chile last September to meet with health insurer which is used by Lecture by Professor Jacob Leshno local authorities and experts. He was the key speaker at a (SERC Chile), formed by six local around three-quarters of all Chileans, workshop on "Sustainable Waste Management in Latin America" On December 22, Professor Jacob D. Leshno from universities and the and Rodrígo Pérez Mackenna, Gabriel Gabriel A. Weintraub organized by Columbia Global Centers | Latin America Jacob D. Leshno Jacob President of the Association of Columbia University's Business School gave a lecture Olivares Marcelo Fundación Chile (Santiago), Universidad del Desarrollo’s (UDD) Engineering entitled "Market Design: Lessons from School Choice Systems technology transfer Pension Fund Administrators (AFPs). and Other Applications" in which he discussed recent Faculty, the Earth Engineering Center, and the Chilean Energy institute, where he Professor Staudinger was also invited advances in the theory and practice of market design and, Ministry. participated in a to address the Presidential Advisory in particular, of matching mechanisms for allocation meeting chaired by Nickolas Commission on Pensions, led by problems in which money cannot be used to incentivize The event served as the opportunity to launch the Chilean SERC's Director, emelis David Bravo, which is currently reviewing Chile's pension system. participants. chapter of WTERT through which UDD's Engineering Facul- Rodrigo Palma, which focused on the transformation of ty will generate waste recycling and energy recovery projects waste into energy. In addition, she spoke at the seminar "Visualizing Experiences: Tools to Cope with Aging and Professor Leshno talked about successful applications, ranging from the allocation of students to schools to the matching of donors with other universities and companies. Its launch is part of a Measure Wellbeing" about the phenomenon of aging in a context of demographic change to patients for organ transplants, with a particular emphasis on lessons learned for practitioners and policy-makers. His trip to Chile project funded through the President’s Global Innovation During the meeting, Themelis discussed the experience with took place in the context of the project “Public Procurement Mechanisms: From Practice to Research (and Back Again)” implemented landfills and waste of his town of Sandwich, MA, as well as and economic growth. The other speakers at this event, which was held at Universidad Fund (PGIF), launched in March 2013 by Columbia Universi- Diego Portales (UDP), were Sebastián Pavlovic, Superintendent of Health, and with the support of the Columbia-Chile Fund. is project is led by Gabriel A. Weintraub, Sidney Taurel Associate Professor of ty's President Lee C. Bollinger, designed to provide support the New York City government's experience of separating Business at Columbia, together with Marcelo Olivares, a professor at the Department of Industrial Engineering at Universidad de industrial and household waste. Examples of waste recycling Manuela Garretón, a lecturer at UDP and Director of Ciudad Emergente, an for faculty wishing to use the resources or facilities of one or Chile. efforts in Santiago's Vitacura and La Pintana districts were organization that seeks to promote innovative urban development with citizen more of the University’s eight Global Centers for teaching or also discussed as potential clusters for pilot programs. participation. Contact Us | Columbia Global Centers | Latin America (Santiago) research activities. Newsletter Av. Dag Hammarskjold 3269, 1st Floor, Vitacura, Santiago - Chile 7630000 Phone: +56-2-22283600 - Email: [email protected] - Twitter: @ColumbiaChile ©2015 Columbia University Local Prospects for Solar Technology and Education Columbia Alumnus Presents Thesis on Sports and Politics Professor Ellen B. Meier, Director of the Center for representatives were guided in the design of responsible Energy Development Daniel Matamala, a journalist and news anchorman at Technology and School Change (CTSC) of Columbia responses to data and learned about data-informed In January, Professor Vasilis M. Director of SERC Chile, an initiative CNN Chile, presented the thesis "Power Games: How University's Teachers College, traveled to Chile in leadership. Fthenakis, Founder and Director of formed by Universidad de Chile, Sports Help to Elect Presidents, Run Campaigns and January to participate in the IV Inter-American Columbia University's Center for Life Universidad de Tarapacá, Universidad Promote Wars” with which he earned his Master of Arts in Educational Summit on School Management and e CTSC was established in 1996 in response to a Cycle Analysis and an international de Antofagasta, Universidad Técnica Journalism at Columbia University in 2012. e Leadership organized by Universidad Católica de Chile. growing need in education to understand the role of expert on renewable energy grid Federico Santa María, Universidad technology in the classroom. Today, it works with school presentation was followed by comments from Chile's During the Summit, she gave a lecture on "e integration and photovoltaic Adolfo Ibáñez, Universidad de communities and educational organizations to Foreign Minister Heraldo Muñoz and the Dean of Transformative Potential of Technology". technologies, visited Chile where he Concepción and the Fundación Chile transform the design of school learning environments. Rodrigo Palma; Karen Poniachik, Director Santiago Student Aairs at Columbia Journalism School, Ernest attended meetings with government technology transfer institute. During the Summit, Professor Center; and Vasilis Fthenakis Sotomayor. ocials, policy-makers and local