Introducing New Members of the Faculty

To help introduce to the Cornell community the new members of the university's faculty -- almost 60 new tenured or tenure-track faculty members have joined Cornell since July 1 -- the Cornell Chronicle is publishing brief new-faculty profiles each week during the semester.

Ruth Collins

Assistant professor, molecular medicine
College: Veterinary Medicine
Academic focus: Research focuses on how proteins regulate cell growth, and she analyzes the function of proteins shared by organisms as diverse as yeast and humans. By taking a genetic approach to study fundamental aspects of cell regulation, she hopes this work will shed light on cellular function in health and disease.
Previous position: European Molecular Biology Organization postdoctoral fellow, Department of Cell Biology, Yale University.
Academic background: B.S., biochemistry, Oxford University, 1988; and Ph.D., cell biology, Imperial Cancer Research Fund, London, 1993.

Evan G. Cooch

Assistant professor, natural resources
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Academic focus: Research is aimed at bridging evolutionary ecology and theory with practical problems in wildlife ecology and management by using a combination of mathematical and statistical modeling approaches. Of particular interest are wildlife management processes, wildlife-harvest strategies and application of mark-recapture methods for wildlife-population analysis.
Previous position: Wildlife biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, Md., and assistant professor, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C.
Academic background: B.S., biology and chemistry, St. Lawrence University, 1981; and Ph.D., biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ont., 1990.

Michael Lynch

Professor, science and technology studies
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Research interests are in science and technology studies, ethnomethodology, social theory and sociology of mental disorder. He is the author of numerous books, journal articles, book chapters and edited collections. His book Scientific Practice and Ordinary Action: Ethnomethodology and Social Studies of Science (New York: Cambridge University Press) won the 1995 Robert K. Merton Professional Award from the Science, Knowledge and Technology section of the American Sociological Association. His current research focuses on legal and scientific controversies surrounding the use of DNA "fingerprinting" technology in crime investigations.
Previous position: Professor in the Department of Human Sciences and director of the Centre for Research into Innovation, Culture and Technology (CRICT), Brunel University.
Academic background: B.S., rural sociology, Cornell, 1970; and Ph.D., social sciences, University of California at Irvine, 1979.

Eugene L. Madsen

Assistant professor, microbiology
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Academic focus: Interests include understanding microorganisms and their activities in soil, water, sediments and ground water. Because microorganisms play a crucial role in nutrient cycling (carbon, nitrogen, pollutants), he has developed criteria for proving these processes occur in the field. His research documents the detoxification of contaminants and the exchange of biodegradation genes within microbial communities.
Previous position: Research and teaching, microbiology and environmental toxicology, Division of Biological Sciences, Cornell.
Academic background: B.A., chemistry, University of California at Santa Cruz, 1975; B.S., soil science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, 1978; and M.S., soil science, microbiology, 1981, and Ph.D., soil science, microbiology, ecology, 1985, Cornell.

John Marohn

Assistant professor, analytical chemistry
College: Arts and Sciences
Academic focus: Research involves investigations of mesoscale and nanoscale materials by novel scanned-probe microscopies. It capitalizes on recent breakthroughs in scanned-probe microscopy technology to formulate new techniques more capable of answering both fundamental and applied questions in mesoscale and nanoscale materials. These novel scanned probe microscopies are being used to study advanced thin-film electronic and magnetic materials, probing both charge (with electric forces) and spin (with magnetic forces).
Previous position: Postdoctoral fellow, National Research Council/U.S. Army Research Laboratory Postdoctoral Fellow, 1998-1999.
Academic background: B.S., chemistry, and B.A., physics, University of Rochester, 1989; and Ph.D., chemistry, California Institute of Technology, 1996.

Courtney Alyn Weber

Assistant professor, horticulture sciences
College: Agriculture and Life Sciences
Academic focus: Research at Agricultural Research Station in Geneva focuses on small fruits breeding, with emphasis on applying molecular biology and biotechnology techniques to improving raspberry and strawberry varieties in the northeastern United States.
Previous position: Graduate research assistant, Ph.D. candidate, Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida.
Academic background: B.S., agricultural science, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 1991; M.S. and Ph.D., horticultural science, University of Florida, 1999.

October 28, 1999