Briefs

Top chili cookers: Two chefs from Cornell's Statler Hotel took first prize in the Fourth Annual Great Ithaca Downtown Chili Cookoff and Winterfest Saturday, Feb. 23. Statler executive sous chef Robert Morgan won for his "Smoke-in-Your-Red-Eye Chili" recipe, and Statler banquet sous chef Arthur McGruder took honors for his "World's Best Vegetarian Chili." Morgan's recipe, which is over three pages and took years to develop, is for a tart and zesty medium-hot Southern U.S. barbecue-style chili featuring smoked barbecued beef and chipotle peppers. McGruder's dish features black turtle beans, kidney beans, tempeh and a vegetable medley in a spicy Southwestern U.S.-style tomato sauce. The two Statler chefs prepared about 15 gallons of chili for this year's contest. The recipes were so popular that both batches ran out about two hours after the event began.

Class of 2005 web site: Starting this week, freshmen at Cornell can get connected with their classmates, Cornell and beyond by logging onto www.classof2005.cornell.edu and entering their NetID and password. This new portal is accessible from any computer with Kerberos authentication. The original site was created this summer when three entering students decided to put together an informal pre-Cornell web site. After arrival on campus, they were contacted by university administrators, who partnered with them on a Cornell-sponsored, student-designed web site with the goals of helping students connect with their classmates, access key university information and build class identity. This fall the student design team of Adam Berlinsky-Schine, Charles Bradley, and Eric Grysko, all Class of 2005, surveyed the freshman class. The survey responses were integrated into a redesigned site that includes highlights from the original such as student profiles, but also new additions such as Cornell news and photos, write-in forums and advice columns. The new site was reviewed by a freshman focus group and received positive feedback. Additional class sites will be launched each year beginning this summer with the Class of 2006. For more information e-mail the Class of 2005 web team at staff@classof2005.cornell.edu.

Summer Sessions catalog: The 2002 Summer Session catalog is now available. All faculty members will receive copies at their campus addresses. Students may pick one up in B20 Day Hall or at campus information centers. Courses are also available online at www.summer.cornell.edu. Employees who want to register for summer session courses should complete the Cornell Employee Course Registration Form (available online or in the School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions office in B20 Day Hall) and return it to B20 Day Hall by campus mail before the course-enrollment deadline. A reminder: It is not necessary for employees to attend registration on the first day of classes.

Ornithology 'crash course': The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is again offering its popular Spring Field Ornithology (SFO) class, with Wednesday evening lectures and Saturday field trips, March 27-May 19. The eight-week crash course in birds and birding covers topics ranging from why birds sing to basic bird anatomy and physiology and is led by Stephen Kress, the National Audubon Society's vice president for bird conservation. Some of the lectures are taught by ornithologists renowned in their fields of study, and local birding experts provide knowledgeable and enthusiastic guidance for the field-trip portion of the course. Course lectures are given in the Kendal at Ithaca facility, 2230 N. Triphammer Road, because the Lab of Ornithology is under construction. Fees for SFO are $105 for lectures or field trips only, or $195 for both sections, with discounts for Lab of Ornithology members and Kendal residents. In addition to the regular field trips, participants have the opportunity to take part in two special field trips -- an overnight chartered bus trip to the Cape May-Ocean City, N.J., area, and an overnight trip to Cornell's Arnot Forest. To register for SFO, call 254-2452 or sign up via the lab's secure server by visiting the Spring Field Ornithology web site at http://birds.cornell.edu/sfo.

German exchange fellowships: Applications are being invited for the Cornell-Heidelberg Exchange Fellowships for the academic years 2002-03. The two exchange fellowships to the University of Heidelberg, Germany, carry tuition and fees plus a monthly stipend of approximately DM 1000 (now paid in Euros) for 10 months. The German academic year runs from October through July with a two-month break in February and March between semesters. The competition is open to all students from all academic units in the university, but preference is given to graduate students interested in full-time study at Heidelberg. Applicants are expected to have a good knowledge of the German language by the beginning of the German academic year in October. Applications should include CV, Cornell transcript, project outline and/or rationale for study abroad, one letter of recommendation from a professor in the student's field, local address, telephone number and e-mail address. Send them to Professor Herbert Deinert, 188 Goldwin Smith Hall (hd11@cornell.edu ) or Miriam Zubal, 183 Goldwin Smith Hall (255-4047, mz17@cornell.edu ). The deadline is Friday, March 1.