Lev Sviridov

Bio

Lev is an Acting Director of the Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College and a Senior Research Associate of the CUNY Energy Institute at The City College of New York, specializing in the chemistry of Manganese Dioxide for grid scale energy storage applications. Additionally, Lev serves on the board of Concord Consortium, Human Rights First, and the 21st Century Foundation.
Former Senator George Mitchell: Peace in the Middle East Is Possible
By Lev Sviridov
The Samuel Rudin Distinguished Visiting Scholar Lecture at The City College of New York was delivered by the Honorable George J. Mitchell, a distinguished politician, a statesman, and special envoy. Senator Mitchell represented the State of Maine…
Boston Marathon Attack: We Must Never Give In
By Lev Sviridov
With every act of violence the resilience of our democracy is being tested. With every loss of life caused by violence, the strength of our communities is being pushed to its limits. With every threat of the unknown, our judgment and commitment to…
How to Build a Clean Energy Company: Q&A With Graham Lawlor
By Lev Sviridov
In the space of product development, it takes a broad team to transform an invention into an accessible product. In the market place you need clear demand, at the governmental level you need support for research and innovation, and in the private…
Domingo, Damrau, and Pirgu Electrify in Metropolitan Opera's 'La Traviata'
By Lev Sviridov
The stage was set for what was billed as the hottest ticket of this operatic season. One could feel the energy in the air as the eager crowd arrived minutes before the doors to the auditorium were to be opened. Numerous individuals were standing in…
'Francesca di Rimini' Met Review: A Must-See At the Metropolitan Opera
By Lev Sviridov
When going to the opera, I am often asked: “How any times have you seen this before?” Often, people react with dismay when I note that I may have seen something five or more times and sometimes all in one season. What my friends and contemporaries…
Verdi's 'Don Carlo' Metropolitan Opera Review: Ramon Vargas and Barbara Fritoli Underwhelm
By Lev Sviridov
Don Carlo is Verdi's longest opera and is considered by many his most ambitious work. The work combines great vocal and musical portions, stunning production, and blends historically accurate political-religious events with mystical elements. The…
ARPA-E 2013 Shows America is Still Producing Sci-Fi Technology
By Lev Sviridov
Just like with most things in life, the resilience, relevance, and future of an organization is determined by its ability to adapt and evolve. This year’s Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) Innovation Summit was a perfect…
USPS Is Bankrupt, But We Can Save It By Privatizing
By Lev Sviridov
The announcement on February 6 of the planned reductions in service of the United States Postal Service set off a flurry of articles around the blogosphere, conventional media, and in the halls of Congress. While many questions have been asked and…
Ed Koch, Former New York City Mayor, Dies At 88
By Lev Sviridov
The passing of Mayor Ed Koch is a very sad day not just for New York City, but for our nation at large. At a time when cynicism toward politicians is at a fever pitch and there is little confidence in our elected leaders, Koch represented the very…
3 Critical Climate Change Questions We Need to Answer Before It's Too Late
By Lev Sviridov
On Monday afternoon, President Obama stood before the American people and suggested that climate change and the challenges of energy needs would be at the very top of his agenda. However, just like with any other policy, the devil is in the details.…
New Show 'The Orchid' is a Seductive Reminder Of American Cultural Exceptionalism
By Lev Sviridov
America is a land of blends and combinations. The tradition of the melting pot corresponds not only to the social and racial makeup of our society, but the blends of cultures have produced advances in modern and contemporary fine arts; in the realm…
Obama Inauguration Speech: 4 Things He Can Do to Win Us Over
By Lev Sviridov
The second inaugural address can either be the start of a second honeymoon period or just a reminder of who the president is. With all the talk of President Obama seeking to strike an uplifting note, he is likely to try and sell the citizens on his…
Le Comte Ory At the Metropolitan Opera: An Incredible Work Of Art
By Lev Sviridov
For the first time this season, the Metropolitan Opera House in New York presented the new staging of Gioachino Rossini’s Le Comte Ory. The audience was unwilling to gamble on a combination of new production and a debut of Pretty Yende in the…
Gun Control Debate: Vice President Biden Must Deliver a Market-Based Plan
By Lev Sviridov
I am an opponent to gun ownership, but I swore and oath of allegiance to the Constitution of our United States and with that comes the responsibility of protecting responsible and well-regulated gun ownership. This is one of many contradictions one…
Wayne LaPierre Meet the Press Interview: NRA Leader Says Gun Owners are the 99%
By Lev Sviridov
Wayne LaPierre, CEO and President of the National Rifle Association, brought the fight to the liberal New York media when he appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday. For the majority of the show, he took the same old lines of defense, but this…
Metropolitan Opera Review: A Failed Aria in Un Ballo in Maschera is No Laughing Matter
By Lev Sviridov
The “Laughing Aria” is no joke when it comes to the great Verdi opera Un Ballo in Maschera, but on Saturday night at the Metropolitan Opera Marcelo Alvarez singlehandedly ruined an otherwise star studded performance of this classic. The plot of the…
Le Nozze di Figaro Review: One of Those Cases When Opera Underwhelms
By Lev Sviridov
The Metropolitan Opera House in New York tries to bring out its very best on Saturday nights, but the beauty of the opera is that despite being a grand art it still succumbs to human imperfections.  Likewise, elements of the show will captivate,…
Election Results: Romney Will Lose Election 2012, But Here is How He Could Easily Have Won
By Lev Sviridov
Independent of when the election is called, President Obama will be proclaimed the victor of this extremely expensive and burdensome process. He will win not because he is the better candidate with a better vision for America, but because he was up…
Romney Foreign Policy Speech Transcript and Analysis: 6 Areas the Republican Candidate Needed to Cover to Hit a Home Run
By Lev Sviridov
Now that the panderthon of the primary season has come to a close, preaching to the choir of the conventions is a distant political memory, and following a decisive victory over an incumbent president in the first televised debate, Republican…
Putin Takes to the Sky After Backtracking About Romney, Obama and the US Elections
By Lev Sviridov
“It’s a bird! It’s a plane!” It’s Vladimir Putin! For the cynics keeping a close eye on the political theatres in Tampa and Charlotte, this story is straight from works of fiction and into a Kafkaesque reality of Russian politics. In response to…