Cool NYC Events

CRISPR Film Screening: Human Nature
2020-02-24 19:00 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | New York Academy of Sciences, 250 Greenwich St Fl 40, New York, NY, 10007, United States
From executive producer Dan Rather and director Adam Bolt, the co-writer and editor of the Oscar-winning film Inside Job, comes the story of the biggest tech revolution of the 21st Century. And it isn’t digital, it’s biological.
A breakthrough called CRISPR has given us unprecedented control over the basic building blocks of life. It opens the door to curing diseases, reshaping the biosphere, and designing our own children. Human Nature is a provocative exploration of CRISPR’s far-reaching implications, through the eyes of the scientists who discovered it, the families it is affecting, and the bio-engineers who are testing its limits. How will this new power change our relationship with nature? What will it mean for human evolution? To begin to answer these questions we must look back billions of years and peer into an uncertain future.
Join us at the New York Academy of Sciences for a screening of the film Human Nature to explore these questions and more. For more in-depth coverage of the latest in CRISPR technology join us for the scientific symposium CRISPR: New Frontiers.

Micropolis: It’s Magic!
2020-02-24 19:00 | The Greene Space, 44 Charlton St., New York, NY, 10014, United States
The word “magician” might bring back memories of childhood birthday parties or somebody making the Statue of Liberty disappear on TV, but magic is an ever-changing and diverse art form.
Join Micropolis host Arun Venugopal and meet some of the artists here in New York who are expanding the image of their craft well beyond a white man wearing a top hat, such as Rajon Lynch, director of the Houdini Museum of New York and Belinda Sinclair, magicienne, hypnotist and historian. There will be trickery, prestidigitation, and more than a few amazing moments.

Museum of Interesting Things: Quack Medicine Secret Speakeasy
2020-02-23 18:00 - 22:00 | The Museum of Interesting Things – Loft in SoHo, 177 Prince St, New York, NY, 10012, United States
The Museum of Interesting Things takes over a Soho Loft for a special History of Quack Medical themed party for the Museum.
16mm short Movie Fest
Medical Antiques Demos & A Party!
Films, antiques, music, snacks & beautiful visuals!

American Museum of Natural History Presents: Milstein Science Series: Polar Bears
2020-02-23 11:00 - 16:00 | American Museum of Natural History, 175-208 79th Street, Central Park West, NY, 10024, United States
Join us on the eve of International Polar Bear Day to celebrate this phenomenal species.
Learn about its behavior, diet, territory and how climate change has made it a vulnerable species.
This family-friendly festival dives into all things polar bear with activities, show-and-tell with Museum collections, and an interactive theater performance. Plus, scientists will be on hand to discuss conservation, polar bears’ predatory nature, and how humans have interacted with these amazing mammals through history.

Robin Stern: Emotional Intelligence and Ethical Decision Making
2020-02-23 11:00 - 12:30 | New York Society for Ethical Culture, 2 W 64th St, New York, NY, 10023, United States
The skills of emotional intelligence matter for our ability to focus our attention, make sound decisions, establish and maintain healthy relationships and physical and mental health. In this interactive talk with Robin Stern, Ph.D., the co-founder and associate director for the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, participants will learn the skills and how they also relate to living an ethical life day to day.

Biohack the World: Oral Microbiome and The Mouth-Body Connection
2020-02-20 18:00 | The Assemblage (John St), 17 John Street, Manhattan, NY, 10038, United States
As we advance our understanding of the oral microbiome, there’s been a tremendous shift in how we approach dentistry and overall health. Clinical awareness and science show us that what happens in the mouth is reflected in the body, and what happens in the body is reflected in the mouth. The complex, dynamic relationships of oral and systemic health within the context of the whole person are inseparable.

Join us for our 18th installment of Biohack the World as we dive deep in holistic dental care, how the mouth and body are inextricably linked, and the future of dentistry.
Arrive at 6pm for a Tasty Elixir from our Elixir Bar to connect with the community.
Speakers: Dr. Gerry Curatola and Avisha NessAiver
Hosted by David Choi.

Visually Represented: Redefining "Hero" in 21st Century Comics
2020-02-19 19:00 | The Center for Fiction, 15 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11217, United States
In an exciting panel moderated by seasoned editor Joseph Illidge, comic book creators, Vita Ayala (Livewire), Robin Ha (Almost American Girl), and Khary Randolph (Excellence, Black) discuss using the language and format of the graphic novel to tell diverse stories related to culture, sexuality, and race, and also feature protagonists who transform our idea of the traditional comic book hero.
They will also expand on how the amazing growth across media has created more opportunities for recognition and representation of diverse storytellers, and why comic books are at the center of this evolution.

What Nostalgia Was: The History of a Deadly Emotion
2020-02-19 18:00 - 19:30 | NYU Gallatin, 1 Washington Place, New York, NY, 10003, United States
People once died of nostalgia. While we all recognize nostalgia when we see it, and know that it “ain’t what it used to be,” few of us are familiar with what it once was. This talk uncovers the forgotten medical history of nostalgia from the term’s invention in Switzerland in 1688 to the disease’s demise in colonial north Africa in the late nineteenth century. By tracing the scientific and social conditions of possibility of this deadly form of nostalgia, Thomas Dodman seeks to grasp it as a specifically modern psychological condition and thus show the historicity of our emotions.
Event Speaker
Thomas Dodman is the Director of Undergraduate Studies and Assistant Professor of French at Columbia University. He is a historian of modern France and its empire. Thomas Dodman’s research grapples with forms and experiences of social change in the modern era.

From Einstein’s Doubts to Quantum Technologies: A New Quantum Revolution
2020-02-19 17:00 - 18:15 | Simons Foundation, 160 5th Ave, New York, NY, 10010, United States
The debate between Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr over the interpretation of quantum mechanics was settled by the experimental tests of Bell’s inequalities. Those experiments drew attention to the revolutionary character of quantum entanglement, which is now a key ingredient of quantum computing and quantum information.
In this lecture, Alain Aspect will first explain Einstein’s reasoning about entangled particles. That reasoning led to his conclusion that quantum mechanics is not complete, in contradiction with Bohr’s point of view. Aspect will then show how Bell’s inequalities have allowed experimentalists to settle the debate, emphasizing the most extraordinary features of entanglement and prompting the emergence of basic ideas for quantum information and quantum communication. These ideas are enabling the development of new technologies in many academic and industrial laboratories.

Secret Science Club Presents Astrophysicist Chiara Mingarelli
2020-02-18 19:30 | The Bell House, 149 7th St, Brooklyn, NY, 11215, United States
Gravitational waves in space-time are like ripples in a pond cause by a pebble thrown in the water—that is, if the pebble’s impact had the energy of, say, our own Sun exploding. Predicted by Einstein in 1916, gravitational waves proved devilishly difficult to detect. It was only in 2015 that scientists were first able to pinpoint the existence of a real-life gravitational wave, echoing across space-time as the result of a collision of two black holes more than a billion miles away.
That discovery ushered in a new “wave” in astronomy: Gravitational waves aren’t just fascinating phenomena—they are a whole new way to study the cosmos. Astrophysicist Chiara Mingarelli is part of a consortium of international scientists, working on new methods to predict and detect gravitational waves in an effort to understand the large portion of the Universe that remains invisible to us.
At the next Secret Science Club, Dr. Mingarelli asks:
–Are there different kinds gravitational waves? Why are some harder to detect than others?
–What might gravitational waves teach us about dark matter, dark energy, black holes, and the Big Bang?
–What role do pulsars (those super-freaky but super-reliable, rotating, radio-wave emitting neutron stars) play in gravitational wave research?

The Art of Reclaimed Wood
2020-02-18 19:00 - 20:00 | The National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South, New York, NY, 10003, United States
Wood reclaimed from old houses, factories, barns, and boardwalks has become a valuable commodity, treasured for the patina that gives witness to its history. Today, the woods are both preserved like the woods that frame The National Arts Club and reemerge through demolition.
Klaas Armster and Alan Solomon are partners at Sawkill Lumber, a Brooklyn-based supplier of reclaimed woods. Their recent book, Reclaimed Wood, A Field Guide, published by Abrams Books, is the first complete visual handbook to this popular resource, covering history, culture, salvage, contemporary uses, and practical advice.
Join Armster and Solomon as they reveal the fascinating history and new uses of New York City’s hidden resource— reclaimed wood.

Presidents' Day: Cacao with the Founders
2020-02-17 13:00 - 16:00 | New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY, 10024, United States
A cozy and tasty celebration for Presidents’ Day! Learn about colonial hot chocolate with early American chocolate enthusiasts President George Washington and First Lady Martha Washington, as portrayed by historical interpreters, and chat with President James Madison and First Lady Dolley Madison. In between sips of cocoa, visit hands-on stations to learn about chocolate’s journey to the colonies, its role in the American Revolution, and its importance to the new nation. Afterwards, visit the new exhibition Meet the Presidents to learn more! Also: Pick up a Presidential History Hunt, available all weekend long.
Free with Museum Admission, all ages

Drug Test: Maximizing Microdosing
2020-02-16 18:30 | Caveat, 21A Clinton St, Manhattan, NY, 10002, United States
What are the advantages and drawbacks of microdosing? How does one measure a “sub perceptual” dose? Sarah prefers macrodosing but she’ll try medium dosing live. Join Sarah Rose Siskind and some amazing panelists to discuss how to maximize microdosing!
Since the dawn of mankind, humans have tried to get high in one way or another. Why? Altered states of consciousness can be profoundly dangerous or dangerously profound. Knowledge makes the difference. We welcome a panel of experts and comedians to discuss how these drugs work!

Eastern Philosophy and Relationships: The Interplay of Yin & Yang
2020-02-14 19:00 - 20:00 | The Strand, 828 Broadway, New York, NY, 10003, United States
By exploring the ancient Taoist concepts of yin and yang and the 5 elements, this Olio event will teach us how to loosen up our western conditioned minds to accept a more fluid, dynamic and hopeful approach to navigating the waters of all types of relationships in our lives.
Teacher: Darryl Aiken-Afam
Darryl Aiken-Afam is a martial artist and a practitioner of the Taoist healing and meditation arts, Meridian Cleansing Qigong, Zen Shiatsu and Taoist psychology.

Equilibrium Game Night at MoMath
2020-02-13 17:30 - 20:00 | National Museum of Mathematics, 11 E 26th St, New York, NY, 10010, United States
Tabletop gaming is more fun than ever! Come join old friends and new for a fun-filled, adult evening featuring a broad array of mathematically rich games. Enjoy classics like SET and Connect Four, modern options from Ubongo to Skiwampus to Ricochet Robots, and even MoMath’s own twist on mathematical favorites like Hex and Nim. Bring a snack, play some games, and connect with new and interesting people, all while enjoying the unique evening atmosphere at the nation’s only Museum of Math.
Please note that Equilibrium is an event designed specifically for adults. Children will not be admitted and tickets purchased for children will not be eligible for refund.

Adult Sex Ed
2020-02-12 21:00 | Caveat, 21A Clinton St, Manhattan, NY, 10002, United States
Hosted by Dani Faith Leonard, ADULT SEX ED aims to plug the holes in your sex education through a fantastic line-up of storytellers, sketches, and exploratory deep dives into sexual topics. America’s failure to provide accurate sex education in schools is comedy’s gain!
Featuring:
Kelly Bachman
Marie Faustin
Bryan Yang
Junior Mintt
& more

The Psychology of Love
2020-02-11 19:30 | Subject, 188 Suffolk St, New York, NY, 10002, United States
What is Love? How many of us have tried, in vain, to love an objectively great person only to have our attention gripped by the swagger or sway of the bad boy or girl? What’s the point of dismissing the billions of others in favor of just one?

It turns out that love may function as a commitment device, providing a solution for a class of social dilemmas termed commitment problems.

In this talk, Dr. Lawrence Ian Reed, clinical assistant professor at NYU, will provide a theoretical framework for love that will answer these questions and others. All to help us all get lucky in love.

AMNH Presents: Technology and the Brain
2020-02-11 19:00 - 20:00 | American Museum of Natural History, 175-208 79th Street, Central Park West, NY, 10024, United States
Does babies’ exposure to digital technologies like smartphones and touchpads affect the way their brains develop? How is technology shaping our cognitive abilities, attention span, and mental prowess? As “digital natives” enter the professional workforce, employers must find ways to balance the skills and capabilities of a new generation with the expertise and experience of previous generations. Join this panel discussion led by scientists Adam Gazzaley, Linda Charmaraman, and Emily Weinstein, exploring some of the neurological advantages and challenges of living in a digitized world.

Mindful Sex: Engaging Mind & Body for the Best Sex Ever
2020-02-11 13:30 - 14:30 | Intimate Space by Dame, 345 Broome Street, New York, NY, 10013, United States
This workshop pulls from mindfulness, tantra, neuroscience and polyvagal theory to take pleasure and connection to the next level.

About this Event

Great sex engages both our minds and our bodies.
Having sex is both an emotional and physical experience, so it makes sense to use the mind and the body as resources for pleasure and connection. Using methods of mindfulness and tantra practices, and drawing on principals of neuroscience and polyvagal theory, participants will learn to use the mind and body together—not focus on one over the other—to have their best sex ever.
100% of ticket sales from this event will be donated to Planned Parenthood.
About Dr. Holly Richmond
Dr. Holly Richmond is a Somatic Psychologist, Certified Sex Therapist (CST), and Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT). This unique combination of professional credentials enables her to focus on clients’ cognitive process as well as their somatic (body-based) health. Dr. Richmond is one of North America’s leading sex therapists, serving women, men, couples and gender-diverse individuals for relationship and sexuality issues.

Exoplanets and NASA’s TESS Mission
2020-02-10 19:00 - 20:30 | American Museum of Natural History, 175-208 79th Street, Central Park West, NY, 10024, United States
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) launched on April 18, 2018 with a mission to search for new planets outside our solar system. NASA scientist Elisa Quintana presents highlights from TESS’ first year in space, and discusses how a gold mine of data from the satellite will further our understanding of space.

Elisa Quintana is an Astrophysicist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center working on the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) Mission that will launch in 2018 to search for exoplanets around nearby stars.

The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Origin of Western Civilization
2020-02-10 19:00 | The Explorer’s Club, 46 E 70th Street, New York, NY, 10021, United States
Public Lecture Series with with Dr. Adolfo D. Roitman
More than 70 years ago, Bedouin shepherds discovered a series of jars containing scrolls in a cave in the West Bank. The unearthing of these ancient Jewish manuscripts, now known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, set forth a modern day adventure into the past. In the years since they have sparked enormous interest in researchers and the public alike.
Join Dr. Roitman as he leads you on the journey of the Dead Sea Scrolls, from their discovery and excavations in Khirbet Qumran to their contributions to civilization. Drawing on his experience as curator of the Dead Sea Scrolls at Israel Museum–home to the eight most complete and well preserved manuscripts in the world–Dr. Roitman will clarify some key issues surrounding their discovery, and present the current state of research on the scrolls themselves.

Dr. Adolfo D. Roitman has served as the head of the Shrine of the Book and the Lizbeth and George Krupp Curator of the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Israel Museum for more than 25 years.

CITY OF SCIENCE 2020: Bronx
2020-02-09 10:00 - 16:00 | The Apex Center at Lehman College, 250 Bedford Park Blvd W., Bronx, NY, 10468, United States
City of Science returns to the Bronx! Join the World Science Festival and Con Edison for this larger-than-life touring event where the wondrous properties of science, technology, engineering, and math collide. Filled with interactive demonstrations and hands-on activities, this family-friendly program unleashes everyone’s inner scientist.
Enjoy activities from Bronx Children’s Museum, Ithaca College, Lehman College School of Continuing and Professional Studies, New York Botanical Garden, Wildlife Conservation Society – Bronx Zoo, and more!

Sarah Woolley: Singing in the Brain
2020-02-06 18:30 - 20:00 | Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, 2950 Broadway, New York, NY, 10027, United States
The young brain learning to communicate with hearing and voice builds auditory and vocal motor circuits that are functionally coupled to perceive and produce particular sounds. Sarah Woolley has helped decode how the brain interprets vocalizations — and what happens during development when those sounds are disrupted. Her research could shed important light on developmental disorders associated with speech and communication. In this conversation, Dr. Woolley will discuss progress using songbirds to understand how early social experience tunes the auditory system for vocal communication.
Event Speaker:
Sarah Woolley, PhD is Professor and former Chair in the Department of Psychology at Columbia University. She directs the Communication Neuroscience Laboratory in the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and is a member of the Kavli Institute for Brain Science.

The Enigma of Life: Confronting Marvels at the Edges of Science
2020-02-05 19:00 - 20:30 | New York Academy of Sciences, 250 Greenwich St Fl 40, New York, NY, 10007, United States
Einstein famously claimed that “the most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible.” This statement suggests that no amount of scientific explanation will suffice to make sense of the bizarre situation of the human mind within the universe. So what is the actual role of awe and wonder within the framework of contemporary science? How, for instance, do awe and wonder inform scientists’ understanding of the phenomena they are researching? What aspects of contemporary science are more likely to elicit wonder, and why? Is science rechanneling our innate thirst for knowledge and understanding toward more concrete and palpable realities, or is it aggravating the tension between truth and meaning by revealing the scope of our ignorance when it comes to probing the ultimate nature of reality?
Physicist Marcelo Gleiser, experimental psychologist Tania Lombrozo, and physician Gavin Francis analyze the impact of awe and wonder on their own work and on the mindsets of their colleagues carrying out cutting-edge scientific research.
*Reception to follow
Livestream
This event also will be available via a free Livestream.

Dr. Neal Barnard: Your Body in Balance
2020-02-05 19:00 - 20:30 | Church of the Advent Hope, 111 E 87th St., New York, NY, 10128, United States
Join Dr. Neal Barnard on Wed., Feb. 5 in New York City to celebrate the debut of his new book, Your Body in Balance: The New Science of Food, Hormones, and Health. Guests will hear remarks from Dr. Barnard about food’s effects on hormones and health, and books will be available for purchase.
Dr. Barnard will be available to sign books. This free event will fill up quickly—reserve your spot now!

Love and Friendship
2020-02-05 19:00 | NY
This Olio path – hosted by Jeanne Proust – aims to bring participants to an understanding of the nature and history of philosophy through debate and discussion. This month: Should we distrust love? Can love be considered a duty? What is true friendship?

Hosted at a member’s living room in Prospect Heights. Address will be sent upon RSVP.

Math Encounters: "Dice, Stamps, and Counting: Putting Polynomials to Work" with Brian Hopkins
2020-02-05 18:30 | National Museum of Mathematics, 11 E 26th St, New York, NY, 10010, United States
Come on, lucky 7! Is it possible to label two dice differently and still get the same results as normal dice? And if you have only four-cent and seven-cent stamps, what different totals can you make? How can polynomials help with these kinds of questions? Join mathematician Brian Hopkins as we explore generating functions (a way to count using polynomials) to solve these problems and more.
Special introduction by Tony-nominated actress Kathleen Chalfant, winner of the 2018 Obie Award for Lifetime Achievement.

AMNH SciCafe: How to Motivate Action on Climate Change
2020-02-05 18:30 | American Museum of Natural History, 175-208 79th Street, Central Park West, NY, 10024, United States
Find out how stories can be harnessed to motivate action on climate change.
Shahzeen Attari explores how people think about energy use and climate change using methods engineering, public policy, and psychology. Her research spans systems thinking, and the factors that influence our perceptions of natural resources. Hear how stories can be harnessed to motivate action on climate change.
Please note entrance change: Enter at Central Park West (ground floor, via driveway), under the main steps.

The Science of Sleep and Dreams
2020-02-04 20:00 | Subject, 188 Suffolk St, New York, NY, 10002, United States
We spend about a third of our lives in altered states of consciousness, commonly known as sleep. Despite spending so much of our time devoted to this activity (more than any other, over a lifetime), we are just beginning to understand why we sleep and what is going on in the brain while we do so. In this talk, we will review what sleep is, why it is essential for memory, decision making, creativity, and emotional health as well as how to improve sleep and thus live your best life in 2020. Also, we will discuss the phenomenon of dreams, what influences them and their role in psychological health from a scientific perspective.

Pascal Wallisch serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor at NYU. His research interests are at the intersection of Psychology and Neuroscience, specifically Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience.

Psychosexual Cinema Club: Psycho
2020-02-04 19:15 | Work Heights – Electric, 650 Franklin Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 11238, United States
Join CUNY Professor Geoff Klock for a look at absurdly famous movies where fantasy, dreams, sexuality, identity and performance bleed in eerie ways. This week’s film is “Psycho” from 1960: Hitchcock is the real slasher, cutting open narrative and audience.
