Columbia Entrepreneurship

Columbia Engineering Lecture Series in AI: "From Microservices to Analytics and GenAI, Data Streaming Unlocks Everything"
2026-08-11 08:00 - 17:00 UTC
RSVP
Data streaming is rapidly emerging as a mainstream platform for integrating data in real time, with Apache Kafka becoming the de facto standard for this architecture. Many event-driven applications have been built on Kafka to enable businesses to respond to real-time events as they unfold. In this talk, I will explain how data streaming not only powers operational applications but also enhances analytics and generative AI by shifting processing closer to the source. I’ll also share our vision for what constitutes a complete and modern data streaming platform.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jun Rao is a co-founder of Confluent, a company that provides a data streaming platform based on Apache Kafka. Before Confluent, he was a senior staff engineer at LinkedIn where he led the development of Kafka. Before LinkedIn, Jun Rao was a researcher at IBM’s Almaden research center, where he conducted research on database and distributed systems. Jun Rao is a committer of Apache Kafka and Apache Cassandra. Jun Rao obtained his PhD in computer science from Columbia University in 2000.

Tamer Fund for Social Ventures
2026-08-15
The Tamer Fund for Social Ventures (TFSV) provides seed grants to nonprofit, for-profit, and hybrid early-stage Columbia University-affiliated social and environmental ventures. There are two deadlines for applications for the Tamer Fund for Social Ventures: the spring application deadline is March 1 at 11:59 p.m. ET and the fall application deadline is August 15 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Funding will be made available to around seven ventures each year (three to four ventures each cycle).
Questions? Email tamersvfund@gmail.com.

Climate Week at Columbia Engineering
2026-09-22 - 2026-09-25
CLIMATE WEEK AT COLUMBIA ENGINEERING
September 22-25, 2026
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 | 10:30 AM – 2:00 PM
Columbia Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy (LCSE) Symposium: Sustainable Energy, Resource, and Environmental Solutions
A focused half-day convening bringing together leaders from industry, research, and government to examine how the United States rebuilds secure, end-to-end mineral supply chains and delivers the dependable, affordable energy that domestic manufacturing and energy-intensive industry require. The program centers on two priority discussions shaping national resource and industrial strategy.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 | 2:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Innovation for Climate and Clean Air Progress in the Global South
The twin challenges of air pollution and climate change must be addressed hand in hand, alongside economic development in the Global South. This event will highlight recent innovation in sensing, data science, industry-academic partnerships, and funding strategies that have helped accelerate progress towards cleaner air and sustainable climate.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 | 8:00 AM- 12:00 PM
Gotham Foundry Symposium: Regenerative Materials Across Industries
This annual symposium will convene thought leaders and showcase the four central pillars of Gotham Foundry, from leading-edge regenerative material innovation and translation, workforce training, and industry engagement to democratizing access to the materials innovation ecosystem. Gotham Foundry, established in 2025, is a unique partnership between the city (NYC-EDC), leading community organizations and academic institutions (Genspace, CUNY-ASRC, FIT, and Columbia), and West Harlem and city-wide partners.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 | 12:30 PM – 7:00 PM
CEEC Fall Symposium 2026: Mines and Feedstocks to Grids, Chemicals, and Materials
The energy transition depends on the science and engineering that makes electrochemistry deployable at scale — from mines and feedstocks through grids, chemicals and materials, and back into circulation. The CEEC Fall Symposium gathers CEEC faculty, PhDs, postdocs, and industry practitioners working across this arc. Two afternoon sessions — Electrifying Chemicals and Materials, and The Grid Frontier — pair CEEC faculty keynotes with lightning talks and industry panels focused on the technical and commercial problems that matter most.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 | 1:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Sustainable Energy Catalyst: The Master Minds Roundtables
Join us at Columbia University’s Innovation Hub on September 23rd for an intimate gathering of brilliant minds passionate about engineering the 2050 energy transition. Sixty seats, six roundtables. Dive into focused discussions on the topics shaping the future: Grid Efficiency & Digitalization, Renewable Energy Integration & Storage, Industrial Decarbonization, Transition Finance, the Hydrogen Economy, and Transportation & Building Electrification. Exchange fresh ideas, challenge assumptions, and connect with senior leaders and innovators driving real change across energy, finance, industry, and policy. Part of the ICWS North America Series.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 | 10:30 AM – 2:00 PM
The Rise of Agentic AI: What it Means for Climate Innovation
A LEAP Science and Technology Center-hosted Panel Discussion
Join a dynamic panel of academic and private leaders exploring how agentic AI systems are increasingly capable of modeling complex Earth systems, improving climate predictions, and enabling adaptive decision-making. The conversation will explore both the opportunities and challenges agentic AI presents for accelerating climate solutions. Speakers will include LEAP Director Pierre Gentine, leading expert in the application of machine learning to Earth system science, and Kara Lamb, who works at the forefront of integrating physics-informed machine learning into atmospheric science. The panel will be hybrid, with in-person attendance at the Columbia Engineering Innovation Hub and virtual participation.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 | 2:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Fusion Research Symposium: Optimizing Symmetry in Fusion Plasmas
Join us for a symposium of activities carried out at the Fusion Research Center. Featuring keynote remarks, flash talks, and poster presentations, a range of research will be presented. Reception and lab tours to follow.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 | 8:30 AM – 7:30 PM
2026 IEEE/CCAE Symposium on Advanced Electrification Systems (SAES2026)
The 2026 IEEE/CCAE Symposium on Advanced Electrification Systems (SAES2026) brings together researchers, industry practitioners, and policymakers to discuss advances in electrification with a special focus on Energy Storage Systems in 2026. The symposium emphasizes system-level integration, modeling, control, safety, and sustainability across transportation, power grids, and digital infrastructure.
