Celebrating Our Work Study Student
Graduation season is upon us again at Columbia. Like a wave, it builds gradually over the weeks of construction and preparation before cresting in a moment of magnitude as over 18,000 students receive their degrees on Commencement Day.
And amongst that sea of students in Columbia blue robes is our own Work Study Administrative Assistant, Anamika Sharif! Over the past three years, Anamika has been an integral part of the Center’s success. If you’ve read our newsletter, admired our posters, or watched our YouTube channel, you’ve seen Anamika’s handiwork up close.
Beyond her many contributions, Anamika has been a wonderful colleague and a model of interdisciplinary exploration as she combines her studies in civil engineering with a passion for art and animation. We are excited and proud to watch Anamika move into the next phase of her life (as long as she promises to come back and visit).
To celebrate Anamika’s time at the Center—and the many Q&As she conducted for our newsletter—we thought it would be a fitting conclusion to her tenure to flip the script. This time, she’ll be answering the questions instead of asking them. Learn more about her impact below and join us in congratulating Anamika on her graduation.
The Center has always been a fun and intellectually curious place. When I first met the staff for my interview, I immediately felt this was where I wanted to be. What exactly drew me to the Center for Science and Society (CSS) when I was first applying was CSS's focus on the intersection of science and humanity. As a sophomore looking through work study options, the Center for Science and Society really sparked my interest.
My decision to pursue civil engineering at Columbia was always rooted in understanding how science, and specifically engineering, impacts society. I've always been interested in work that highlights the interplay between technical concepts like infrastructure planning, material failure, and climate change, and their very real-world applications. In today's academic landscape, particularly in research, truly interdisciplinary work can be challenging to find, even though its implicit importance is widely acknowledged. It has been incredibly rewarding to work at a center where the very nature of the work exists in this interdisciplinary space. As a work study student, I've been encouraged to actively participate in this area through the content I create. I've been given significant creative freedom to explore innovative ways to promote and showcase the awesome work CSS does, such as creating videos and artwork.
The Center for Science and Society is inherently interdisciplinary, which leads to a constant influx of diverse content and flyers from many different disciplines. I've worked on material ranging from music improvisation to climate justice and neuroscience (just to name a few). While these are all important and interesting topics, the sheer diversity of event subjects and work makes it difficult to establish a clear connection. And to someone unfamiliar with CSS, this can obscure the Center’s identity as a space for interdisciplinary work. I wanted to create a universal, standardized poster design so that when someone sees it, they instantly recognize it as being from the Center for Science and Society, regardless of how different the topic is from the last one. This creates a through-line, championing our Center's commitment to interdisciplinary work, rather than letting individual ideas get lost. I believe this unified approach makes our communication look more cohesive, while the flexible design allows the creativity and diversity of our lectures and intellectual work to remain visible.
I’m a lover of all things film, but as someone who loves research, I have a soft spot for documentary, educational, and journalistic films. Moreover, as an engineering student, dedicating time to my passion for filmmaking can be challenging. That's why I was so thrilled when I got the chance to work on a small-scale video project documenting our 2024 dye residency. I began planning the video, from pre-production logistics to execution details that summer. During the residency week, Jozef (our Senior Assistant Director) and I captured essential B-roll footage of the students creating the dyes. However, the most rewarding aspect of the project was meeting and interviewing our residents, Bertha and Mateo. They were so sweet, generous, and eager to share their craft and artistic journey.
It was a privilege to film their stories and experiences, piece the elements together, and edit the final product. I was very proud of the video we created. I’m truly glad I had the chance to showcase Bertha’s life’s works, a craft into which she pours so much love, dedication, and passion, on a platform that will hopefully reach a wider audience. I personally learned an immense amount, and my hope is that this video sparks curiosity and a deeper appreciation for the art of dyeing and weaving.
This is a tough question! There are too many memories to choose from. What I enjoy most is our daily office chatter, whether we're dissecting school news, pop culture, or politics. I appreciate the unique humor in the office, from Caroline's wit and Madi’s deadpan delivery to Jozef’s curiosity and Tamara’s infectious excitement. Over my time here, I’ve even earned the title of "roaster," with the team always excited for my "zingers.” What I most appreciate about working here is how much the team genuinely takes a deep interest in my life, thoughts, and opinions. I might have engaged in a conversation or ten that derailed work a bit, but being in the office is truly one of my favorite things.