Damhnait McHugh, the Raab Family Professor of Biology at Colgate University, spoke with students in the New York City Program about her research on invasive species and the role that New York City plays as a port-of-entry for them. She told students about recently introduced species like the Crazy Jumping Worm and the Asian Long-horned Beetle that can wreak havoc on forests across the Northeast.
“I think it’s really interesting, but also terrifying, that we have so much exposure to invasive species in the United States, and I worry for the well-being of native species in our country, but specifically in New York City,” said Ursula Castiblanco after listening to McHugh’s presentation.
Program participants also attended a New York Philharmonic performance of the score of Milos Forman’s film, Amadeus, a biopic of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Madeleine Maher was in awe of the performance, saying that “it was incredible to see one of my favorite movies accompanied by such an esteemed group of musicians.”
NY Philharmonic board member Alec Baldwin introduced the series, and Tom Hulce, who was Oscar-nominated for his role as Mozart, spoke before the performance about his experiences in making the film.