Briefs

Technology transfer summit: Cornell is joining New York state and other universities in the state in sponsoring a Technology Transfer Summit at the Desmond Hotel in Albany, Oct. 4-5. Other sponsors are the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research, Columbia University, the State University of New York and the state Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities. The meeting will bring together university technology transfer leaders, including James Severson, president of the Cornell Research Foundation. He will speak on the commercialization of inventions through licensing or through venture capital. The focus of the meeting will be developing the best way to administer a technology transfer office, facilitating inventions and executing successful commercialization of products and services fostered at the research level. The agenda will include workshops on job creation, launching a new business, exit strategies, intellectual property and product development.

Vet students' dog wash: A dog wash Saturday, Sept. 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the courtyard in front of Schurman Hall on campus will benefit the Cornell Student Chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association (SCAVMA). Proceeds from the SCAVMA dog wash help underwrite students' travel expenses to educational events, such as symposia and professional meetings. The suggested donation is $5 per dog, and free parking is available nearby. The annual SCAVMA dog wash is expected to clean up about 100 canines.

Fellowships for German study: Applications are now invited for DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) Fellowships for the Academic Year 2002-2003. DAAD fellowships carry tuition and fees, monthly stipends ranging from DM (Deutsche marks) 1,325 to DM 1,800 for 10 months and a DM 1,000 to DM 2,000 allowance for travel. The fellowships enable students to study at a German university or to work on a research project in Germany. The competition is open to graduating seniors, graduate students and recent Ph.D.s from all schools and colleges of the university except medicine, veterinary medicine and pharmacy. For more detailed information, visit the German studies office at 183 Goldwin Smith Hall or contact Professor Herbert Deinert, 188 Goldwin Smith Hall (255-8356, hd11@cornell.edu ) or Miriam Zubal, 183 Goldwin Smith Hall (255-4047, mz17@cornell.edu ). Application deadline is Monday, Nov. 12.

Plantations' Judy's Day: A Sunday afternoon of educational family fun is offered Sept. 30 when Cornell Plantations hosts the annual Judy's Day from 1 to 4 p.m. under the tents at the F.R. Newman Arboretum. The theme for this year's event, which is open free to the public, rain or shine with on-site parking, is "Underground: The World Beneath Your Feet." Kids of all ages will examine rocks, minerals, fossils, plants and soils with plenty of samples to take home; use an underground microscope to observe living roots and subterranean creatures, meet costumed critters of the underground while exploring an underground tunnel, watch the "Garden Magic Show," taste treats made with ingredients from below, and participate in other earthy activities. Exhibitors presenting activities include several Cornell departments, the Paleontological Research Institution, the Sciencenter, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County and Cornell Plantations. Judy's Days, which are presented on alternate years at Cornell Plantations and in local schools, honor Judy Abrams, 1940-1996, and celebrate her love of life, work, kids and the natural world.

Subsidizing NYC stays: To make it easier for university faculty and staff whose work requires them to stay in New York City for a week or more, Cornell has made special arrangements to permit Cornell faculty and staff to utilize the Helmsley Medical Tower Apartments. Further, the university will provide a small subsidy for weeklong stays at this facility. Details of the program and Helmsley accommodations can be found at http://www.cbs.cornell.edu/travel.html or by contacting a Cornell travel representative at 255-4284.

TV mastodons: A free pre-screening of the Discovery Channel special, "Mastodon in Your Backyard: The Ultimate Guide," is set for Monday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m. in Alumni Auditorium of Kennedy Hall. The Discovery Channel's executive producer will speak about the making of the film, which occurred in Hyde Park, N.Y., in the fall of 2000, when students and paleontologists from Cornell and Ithaca's Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) excavated the Ice Age skeleton from private property in Dutchess County. The TV program makes its world premiere on Sunday, Oct. 7, at 9 p.m. Judging from its seven-and-a-half-foot tusks, the animal was probably a male in its mid-30s, according to Warren Allmon, director of PRI, where the skeleton was prepared for display in the institution's new Museum of the Earth. The Hyde Park specimen was the second of three mastodons excavated with the help of Cornell staff and students. Last summer, about 20 percent of a mastodon skeleton was excavated from a pond site in North Java, N.Y