At the Williamsburg Italian bar Fabbrica on June 2, Lisa Son, associate professor of psychology, delivered a lecture on metacognition—the process of knowing oneself— while patrons sipped wine and signature cocktails. On that same night, Anne Higgonet, Ann Whitney Olin Professor of Art History, was across the East River at a packed Lillie’s Victorian Establishment in Hell’s Kitchen, talking about how 18th-century Enlightenment design influenced today’s digital technology.
The two were among the dozens of professors from Barnard, Columbia, and NYU who took part in a highly successful event that brought college-level lectures to bars around New York City. As part of the 50 Bars 50 Talks 1 Night event, Barnard presented a five-lecture series on Women’s Achievement and Work. In addition to talks by Higgonet and Son, the evening featured lectures by chemistry assistant professor Marisa Buzzeo, who spoke about electron transfer reactions; Severine Autesserre, associate professor of political science, who discussed the failures of international peacekeeping; and term assistant professor Sevin Yildiz, who talked about New Jersey’s Meadowlands and its impact on urban planning.
Organized by Raising the Bar, which seeks to bring learning to New York’s public places, the event partnered with educational institutions whose professors fanned out across the city to deliver lectures in bars. Reservations for the lectures had to be made in advance, and all Barnard talks sold out.
