General204
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Snake Expert and Former Earth Institute Fellow Named a National Geographic “Emerging Explorer”
Snake venom can kill, but it might also save your life. Zoltan Takacs has co-invented a technology for building “toxin libraries” that might one day lead to drugs that can treat cancer, multiple sclerosis and a variety of other diseases. His quest for venomous creatures has taken him to 133 countries, across jungles, deserts and…
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Sustaining Discovery Once Fieldwork Is Complete
Watch a short video about the research of Lamont-Doherty geochemists and learn how you can support it. Researchers from the Earth Institute’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory study the planet’s dynamic earth processes by venturing to the source, whether it be the submerged mountains of the Antarctic, the volcanoes of Southern Italy, or the stalagmite-rich caves of…
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Irrigation project success in Mali
Columbia Water Center is working in Mali, Africa, as part of its PepsiCo Foundation funded project to improve rural water use and livelihoods. The Mali component of the project aims to develop an effective irrigation system to improve agricultural productivity and food security. In recent months, CWC’s Mali-based staff signed a Memorandum of Understanding with…
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Tales of the inspired and the inspiring: Notes from a CSSR-TCC intern
In his next posts Raphy Rosen relays stories of TCC’s one-woman cheering squad, and makes a case for the importance of input from nursing assistants in the doctor’s decisions on treatment. To learn more about the CSSR-TCC internship click here. 7- Inspiring patients Those of you who have been following these posts might recall a…
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An Inspirational Conversation with Two School2School "Alums"
I met this weekend with two beautiful Kumasi teens who participated in MCI’s School2School (S2S) exchange 16 months ago, when they were 14. Back then, in March 2009, 7th-graders from Washington DC’s Sidwell Friends School came to Kumasi, Ghana’s second largest city and a Millennium City since 2006, to teach some of their peers about…
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Who Cares About Care?: 2 reports from Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center
In his time at the Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center our intrepid intern, Raphy Rosen, has learned of the intricacies of staff-patient relationships. In his next two posts, Raphy discusses the complications of closeness and asks the deceptively simple question, who cares about care? 5- Not too Attached One of the dilemmas that a…
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The Wounded Earth
One of the oldest time-tested truths is that actions have consequences, both good and bad. The Old Testament tells us the story of Adam, who sacrificed a rib to create Eve, which provided him with a much needed companion, and gave the world described by the Old Testament its first mother. Soon thereafter Eve took…
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The Man Behind the White Coat: 3 reports from Raphy Rosen
In his next installation of posts from Terence Cardinal Cooke Hospital and Medical Center, CSSR’s intern Raphy Rosen discusses the transformative power of a jacket, the difference between the physical and the spiritual questions we ask at the end of a life, and the opposing forces of family and medical culture. 2- Physician Demeanor I…
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Agriculture and Environment in Mbola MVP
For my third week of rotations for MDP fieldwork in the Mbola Millennium Village, I I shadowed Agriculture and Environment Facilitator, Francis Missana, as he conducted trainings in post harvest practices and encouraged famers to pay back the input subsidy loans given out by the project in the 2008/2009 season. I was impressed that the…
COP31, the 2026 United Nations Climate Change Conference, aims to advance dialogue, strengthen consensus, and accelerate climate action on a global scale. From November 9–20, 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye, heads of state, ministers, scientists, business leaders, and civil society will gather to advance efforts in emission targets, climate finance, and adaptation and resilience. Once again, our experts, students, and global thought leaders from Columbia Climate School and across Columbia University are contributing to key events, sharing insights, and helping shape the dialogue toward ambitious, science-based solutions. Learn More