Water, everywhere

Cornell Cinema offers three programs of shorts this week: "Water Reflections" on April 8, experimental films about or featuring water, as part of a semester-long series with the Society for the Humanities; "L'origine de la Tendresse and Other Tales," April 3 and 7, contemporary French short films; and "Homegrown Animation" on April 4, including "Until the Lake Froze Solid" by guest filmmaker Tara Cooper, M.F.A. '08. Cornell Cinema is also seeking co-sponsorship proposals for fall 2009. Applications are due May 5; a form and details are online.

A la mode

The Cornell Design League's 25th anniversary runway show will be presented April 4 at 7 p.m. in Barton Hall. Cornell offers the only fashion design program in the Ivy League and the only Ph.D. in apparel design in the United States. More than 60 designers will present 200 original ensembles on 170 models. Tickets: $15.

Music of the grads

Music by Cornell graduate composers Ryan Gallagher, Chris Gendall, Christopher Stark, Zachary Wadsworth and David Weaver will be performed April 4 at 9 p.m. in Barnes Hall. Chris Younghoon Kim conducts the Festival Chamber Orchestra. Gendall's work "Epithets" is scored for chamber orchestra and soprano soloist Judith Kellock. Free and open to the public.

Georgia on their minds

"At the Top of My Voice," a documentary about visiting scholar Irakli Kakabadze, a writer, peace studies scholar and activist, and his wife, Anna Dolidze, a research fellow at Cornell Law School, will screen Sunday, April 5, at 1 p.m. at Fall Creek Pictures in Ithaca as part of this year's Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival. Kakabadze and Dolidze fled the Republic of Georgia in 2006 after he was beaten, arrested and his life threatened for protesting repressive government actions. The film documents the couple's return in 2008 to monitor that country's controversial elections. Filmmaker Larry Kamerman has worked with directors Martin Scorsese and Steven Soderbergh.

Sunny side up

The 24th Sciencenter Egg Drop will be held at Center Ithaca on the Ithaca Commons April 5. The 11 a.m. contest is emceed by Itai Cohen, Cornell assistant professor of physics, and the 3 p.m. drop is led by Jim Bell, Cornell professor of astronomy. Free and open to the public.

Emerging talent

Singer-songwriter Sean McConnell performs April 6 at 7:30 p.m. in the Memorial Room of Willard Straight Hall as featured artist of the Lauren Pickard '90 Emerging Artist Series. McConnell's songs have been recorded by Brad Paisley, Emerson Drive and Shania Twain. The series honors the memory of Pickard, a student employee and volunteer at Willard Straight Hall who died while working in Paris. Free and open to the public.

An African success story

The Institute for African Development Special Speaker Series presents Festus Gontebanye Mogae, president of Botswana from 1998 to 2008, April 7 at 6 p.m. in G10 Biotech. Mogae has received honors for his leadership and for making Botswana an African example of democracy and good governance. Mogae also won the $5 million 2008 Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership. Ibrahim will deliver the 2009 Bartels World Affairs Lecture on campus April 27.

Super Seder

Cornell's annual observance of the first night of the Passover seder will be held April 8 at 6:30 p.m. in Barton Hall. Orthodox, conservative and reform seders are available. Reservations: http://www.dining.cornell.edu/kosher.

On torture

Carl Ford, a retired senior CIA officer and assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research from 2001 to 2003, will deliver a Peace Studies Seminar April 9 at 12:15 p.m. in G08 Uris Hall, "Jack Bauer, Torture and the Rule of Law." Many Americans believe the harsh interrogation methods practiced by television's Jack Bauer on the series "24" are effective and sometimes appropriate. Ford believes that the fight to ban torture is not yet over, and he will make the case against harsh interrogation techniques.