Skidmore to host documentary screening and panel discussion on global climate, health and culture Jan. 29

Super-resolution microscopy and wearable computing, medieval Buddhism and pre-Columbian sculpture, skydiving and keyboards, tacos and yogurt. And lots in between.

Showing just how creative thought matters, Margarent Lefton and Devin Sullivan, both Class of 2015, share a tapestry they created in a fiber arts class with Jennifer Cholnoky of the Department of Geosciences.

The Panama Canal will soon have competition, as construction has started on the Nicaraguan Interoceanic Canal. Geologist Paul Mann of the University of Houston will share details in his April 9 talk.

When it comes to climate-change science, Skidmore students are working with faculty on a broad range of research. Among the projects this year: studying an ancient stalagmite to learn about the effects of volcanic eruptions and storms on the decline of Mexico's Maya civilization, analyzing coal ash from as far away as Calcutta to determine how it behaves in the atmosphere, and calibrating a tool that uses satellite data to determine how carbon sinks deep into the ocean.

Melting of the ice sheet has important implications for global climate change, according to University at Buffalo Geologist Jason P. Briner, who will give the 2013 Lester W. Strock Lecture in Geosciences on Feb. 22.