The Top 12 Stories That Caught Your Attention on ‘Columbia News’ in 2025
What Columbia University stories grabbed the attention of our readers in 2025? The results may surprise you.
As the year comes to a close, we welcome the opportunity to pause and reflect on how much was accomplished. Over the past 12 months at Columbia, groundbreaking research, thoughtful storytelling, student achievements, and meaningful partnerships shaped a year filled with discovery and impact.
Join us in looking back at the moments that defined the year, as we revisit the stories that resonated most with our readers and captured the spirit of Columbia in 2025.
Thank you for staying connected with all things Columbia throughout the year. Here’s to an even more inspiring 2026!
JANUARY 2025: Unconventional Paths and Bold Beginnings
TOP STORY: First He Built a Houseboat, Then He Came to Columbia
The year opened with stories of courage and creative journeys. Our top story traced an unconventional path to Columbia, capturing readers’ fascination with the many ways people find their way to scholarship.
January also spotlighted Columbians pushing the boundaries of research at the ends of the earth, with updates from researchers behind Columbia’s astroparticle physics balloon experiment in Antarctica. Readers tuned in to creative storytelling through Columbian-made podcasts and found inspiration in a student’s leap into the unknown.
FEBRUARY 2025: The Art of Inquiry
TOP STORY: Five Columbia Faculty Members Named Sloan Research Fellows
February highlighted the depth and breadth of Columbia’s intellectual life with national recognition for faculty whose work is shaping the future of research. Our top story celebrated five faculty members who were named Sloan Research Fellows, one of the most prestigious awards available to early-career scholars.
The month also showed how ideas take shape across fields. Readers met an architect whose work bridges design, urbanism, history, and dance, while they also learned about Columbia’s Pedagogy of Listening Lab. Another top story offered fresh insight into the mechanisms that shape human perception and learning.
MARCH 2025: Advancing Global Impact
TOP STORY: Columbia Holds Campus-Wide Summit on Artificial Intelligence
March centered on the big questions shaping the future of scholarship and society, with the month's top story highlighting the University’s leadership in convening cross-disciplinary dialogue at the Columbia AI Summit. The summit brought together researchers, educators, and students to examine opportunities and responsibilities in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence space.
The month also brought international recognition for Columbians whose work continues to influence global thought and discovery. Readers celebrate the achievements of University Professor in the Humanities Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, named the 2025 Holberg Prize laureate, as well as eight Columbians who were named American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows, honoring scientific contributions across fields.
APRIL 2025: The Language of Numbers
TOP STORY: A Math Professor Has a New Finding on Primes
April was all about the power of curiosity-driven research. This month’s top story spotlighted a new advance in mathematical understanding, and we learned just how popular prime numbers are.
This month also recognized faculty who were elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, honoring contributions that continue to shape culture, science, and public life. As the academic year approached its close, readers also focused on graduation speakers at Columbia and student research highlighting the human side of quantitative inquiry.
MAY 2025: Milestones and Community Celebration
TOP STORY: A Little Rain, a Lot of Joy: Columbia’s 2025 Commencement in 15 Photos
May was a month of joy, achievement, and togetherness, punctuated by Columbia’s Commencement ceremony. The month’s top story featured a vivid look at the celebrations filled with pride and resilience.
Readers also spent time with our graduation guide and reflected on graduates’ personal journeys and hard-earned wisdom. The month rounded out with scenes of springtime connection at a festive inaugural block party on the Morningside campus.
JUNE 2025: Discovery and Dialogue
TOP STORY: Scientific Discoveries in Alzheimer’s, Cancer, AI, Astronomy, Engineering, and More
The month’s top story rounded up major breakthroughs across fields, highlighting the breadth of work driving innovation and impact across the University.
Readers also turned their attention to the world beyond campus and the voices that shape it. Readers explored the richness of New York City as a global crossroads in an interview with linguist Ross Perlin, while a lighter moment of pop culture and pedagogy captured imaginations in this story featuring real-life Jedi Mark Hamill. As Pride celebrations kicked off, readers also gravitated to this faculty/alumnus eflection on mentorship, legacy, and belonging.
JULY 2025: Cosmic Curiosity
TOP STORY: Meet an Architect Who Is Also an Engineer, Scholar, and Curator
July’s top stories celebrated curiosity and creativity from the built environment to the cosmos. The month’s top story highlighted Lydia Kallipoliti, a visionary mind shaping design, research, and cultural stewardship.
Readers also discovered five new podcasts by Columbians, stayed informed about tick-borne diseases, and expanded their understanding of cosmic events and forces shaping the cosmos.
AUGUST 2025: Finding a Place in NYC
TOP STORY: Welcome to Columbia: Your 2025 Guide to Life in New York City
Arrival, exploration, and getting oriented—all elements of the top stories of August. This month’s top story was our orientation guide for new and returning community members for the start of the semester.
Readers also mapped out their neighborhood and routine with a list of 50+ spots to visit near Columbia’s campus, found literary inspiration close to home, and embraced accessible adventure with city itineraries for $25 or less.
SEPTEMBER 2025: A Vibrant Return
TOP STORY: Welcome Back: 15 Photos From Columbia’s Lively First Days of the Fall Semester
September marked the start of a new academic year, and the month was filled with energy. This month’s top story captured the excitement of students, faculty, and staff returning to campus and settling into the rhythm of fall.
Beyond the bustle of move-in and orientation, readers gravitated to our awards and milestones roundup, featuring the Emmys, Blavatnik awards, and Millennium Fellows. Readers also explored new frontiers in black holes and revisited a classic through fresh scholarly insight into Virginia Woolf’s “Mrs. Dalloway.”
OCTOBER 2025: Innovation in the Everyday
TOP STORY: How Your Smartphone’s Camera Got So Good
Top October stories invited readers to look more closely at the technology and communities that shape daily life. This month’s top story traced the research breakthroughs and engineering advances at Columbia behind a tool that many people use every day.
This month also spotlighted intellectual leadership on campus. Readers met the new leader guiding a core academic discipline, found community and unexpected joy through urban gardening across from campus, and reflected on the legacy and global ties in studying Italian at Columbia.
NOVEMBER 2025: Past, Present, and Future Impact
TOP STORY: New Chair of History Says the Discipline Should Document the Past and Engage With the Present
This month’s top story, an interview with Professor Camille Robcis, explored how historical inquiry can inform contemporary understanding and public life.
Readers also gravitated to awards for Columbians as well as the collaborative approaches to global health and development in this interview with Wafaa El-Sadr on Columbia Global. Readers also delved into the ways Columbians are combating rising food insecurity in New York City and how they can join the efforts.
DECEMBER 2025: Reflection, Responsibility, Looking Ahead
TOP STORY: David Greenberg on Campus Access and Public Safety
Thoughtful stories about leadership, discovery, and connection led the month of December, starting with an interview with David Greenberg, executive vice president for University Facilities and Operations, who examined how the University can balance openness, safety, and community responsibility during a time of heightened attention.
This month, readers also revisited the wonder of scientific inquiry with Sebastian Mizera, who just joined the physics department as an assistant professor, researching quantum field theory. Gregory Wawro, the University’s Rules Administrator, offered insight into governance and institutional decision-making, and Peter Coleman reflected on the power of storytelling to foster understanding.