"Queen of the Sun," at Cornell Cinema this week, explores the global collapse of bee colonies around the world, through the eyes of beekeepers, scientists and writers.

Pao Bhangra

Cornell Bhangra hosts its annual Pao Bhangra show, one of the largest student-run events on campus, April 13 at 7 p.m. in Barton Hall.

“Pao Bhangra XII: The Bhangra Olympics” features Cornell Bhangra and visiting teams, performing a 21st-century version of the traditional folk dance and music of northern India and Pakistan, with original choreography, high-energy routines and colorful handmade costumes. More than 2,600 people attended last year’s show.

Visiting teams include First Class Bhangra from Pittsburgh, Tufts Bhangra and Yale Jashan Bhangra, joining Cornell Bhangra for an Olympics-style competition, a grand entrance with team flags, and closing ceremonies with medal presentations to individuals and teams.

Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door, $20 VIP. Advance tickets are available from Cornell Bhangra members, the Willard Straight Hall Ticket Desk and at http://campusamp.com/paobhangra.

With 25 members taking part in competitions, Cornell Bhangra recently placed first at the World's Best Bhangra Crew Competition.

Information: CornellAirBhangra@gmail.com, http://www.paobhangra.com or http://www.CornellBhangra.com.

Modern art talk

The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art and the Department of Art will present a lecture, “Off the Beaten Path: Reconsidering the Geography of Mid-20th Century Art,” April 15 at 5:15 p.m. at the museum. Free and open to the public.

Doryun Chong, associate curator of painting and sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art, is the speaker. Chong is co-editor of “From Postwar to Postmodern, Art in Japan, 1945-1989: Primary Documents,” and recently presented “Tokyo 1955–1970: A New Avant-Garde” at MoMA. Information: http://museum.cornell.edu.

‘Story of Stuff’

Sustainability expert and Cornell graduate student Annie Leonard will show her award-winning animated film “The Story of Stuff” at a screening, lecture and reception, April 15 at 5 p.m. in Call Auditorium, Kennedy Hall. Free and open to the public. Tickets are available at the Willard Straight Hall Ticket Desk and the Graduate School Dean’s Office, 350 Caldwell Hall. Information: 607-255-5417.

Leonard is currently finishing her Masters of Regional Planning degree. She transforms complex issues into understandable challenges in her films, which have gone viral, reaching more than 15 million viewers worldwide.

“The Story of Stuff” exposes the connections between environmental and social issues, with Leonard delivering a rapid-fire, often humorous story about “all our stuff – where it comes from and where it goes when we throw it away.” She shows how products from personal computers to footwear are subject to planned and perceived obsolescence that drives the machine of American consumerism.

Presented by the Graduate School. Co-sponsors include the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise, Center for Transformative Action, Department of Natural Resources, Ecology House, Engaged Learning and Research, and the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management.

Link: www.storyofstuff.org

Documentary evidence

Cornell Cinema presents “Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us?” April 15 at 7:30 p.m. The 2010 documentary looks at Colony Collapse Disorder, the mysterious dying out of bees around the world, through the eyes of beekeepers, scientists, farmers, writers and philosophers.

Also, Brenda J. Marston, curator of the Cornell Human Sexuality Collection, will introduce the AIDS-themed documentary “How to Survive a Plague,” April 18 at 7 p.m. The film looks at a community in crisis and its response, and features footage from the Cornell collection.

Both screenings are in Willard Straight Theatre. Information: http://cinema.cornell.edu.

Close reading

The Creative Writing Program’s annual Richard Cleaveland ’74 Memorial Reading will feature English faculty members Joanie Mackowski and Stephanie Vaughn, April 18, 4:30 p.m. in Hollis E. Cornell Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall. Free and open to the public.

Mackowski is the author of two poetry collections, “View From a Temporary Window” and “The Zoo.” Her honors include the Poetry Society of America’s Emily Dickinson Prize; her poems have appeared in “Best American Poetry” (2007 and 2009) and in journals including New England Review and Poetry.

Vaughn, a Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow, has served as director of the Creative Writing Program three times, as arts adviser to the provost and as chair of the Cornell Council for the Arts. Her 1990 collection of short fiction “Sweet Talk” was reissued last year, and she is at work on a novel set in Italy.

Information: http://english.arts.cornell.edu/creative/.

On the downbeat

The Cornell Jazz Festival returns April 18-21 with guest instrumentalists and the festival debut of the Cornell University Chorus and Glee Club.

Directed by Paul Merrill, the 22nd annual festival begins with alto saxophonist Vincent Herring April 18, in a small group with local musicians John Stetch, Shawn Conley and Tom Killian, performing jazz standards at 8 p.m. at the Carriage House Café. Hosted by JazzSpacesIthaca; $18, $9 students.

Herring joins the Cornell University Jazz Band April 19 at 8 p.m. in Barnes Hall for a free concert of swing and hard bop, including John Coltrane's “Giant Steps.”

The Chorus and Glee Club, directed by John Rowehl, make their Jazz Festival debut April 20 at 8 p.m. in Bailey Hall, joined by the Festival Big Band led by John White, and vocal soloists Cathy Gale, Laurie Keegan and Dennis Collins, performing Wolfgang Knittel’s Jazz Mass, a nondenominational celebration of jazz, spirituality and Mother Earth. $10, $5 students, tickets available at http://baileytickets.com and the door

The festival concludes April 21 at 8 p.m. with a free concert showcasing four Cornell jazz groups at the Carriage House Café, including Skabuelos, a Cornell Concept Combo inspired by classic Jamaican ska.

Information: http://jazz.arts.cornell.edu/calendar.html.

Climate readiness

Sustainable Tompkins is coordinating Climate Smart and Climate Ready, a conference April 18-21 in Ithaca and Cortland aimed at making local communities more climate-friendly and climate-resilient.

Led by New York Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, a coalition of Cortland and Tompkins County nonprofits, colleges, businesses and local governments formed to support ongoing planning and action, including a major regional conference. The conference will focus on how these entities, including Cornell, can lower fossil carbon emissions and prepare for multiple impacts of turbulent climate conditions.

Information: http://climatesmartclimateready.org/.

For office professionals

The Jennie T. Farley Office Professionals Celebration will mark its 25th anniversary Wednesday, April 24, in Barton Hall.

A hot buffet lunch will be served starting at 11:30 a.m., with President David Skorton and guest speakers, and entertainment including the Hangovers vocal group from noon-2 p.m.

Co-sponsored by the School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Office of the President and the Division of Human Resources and Safety Services. Register/RSVP by April 19 at http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/OfficeProfessionalsDay/index.cfm.