Soundbites

Here is a sampling of quotations from Cornell University faculty, students and staff that have appeared recently in the national and international news media:

"[Teaching is] still in my blood. I just find the intellectual engagement very fulfilling."
--President Hunter Rawlings, explaining his decision to step down from the presidency in 2003 and return to the classroom, in The New York Times, March 16.

"This is one more step toward proving pretty much any mammal can be cloned, if the effort is great enough."
--Jonathan Hill, assistant professor of veterinary medicine, commenting on reports that French scientists have cloned the first rabbit from an adult cell, in The Wall Street Journal, April 1.

"You're seeing this now [successful women quitting their careers] because the way that careers are structured, women in high-status jobs can't reduce it, so they have to quit cold turkey. Imagine being a part-time governor. You can't do it."
--Phyllis Moen, director of the Cornell Employment and Family Careers Institute and professor of sociology and human development, discussing a trend in which many women in high status jobs are call it quits, in The New York Times, March 24.

"A computer scientist will develop an algorithm but not the graphical interface the biologist can use. Our job is to build the whole thing."
--Ron Elber, professor of computer science, in an article about advances in computer technology, in PC Magazine, March 12.

"If you pay attention to early warning signs of posture problems, then you can prevent any long-term damage."
--Alan Hedge, professor of design and environmental analysis, in an article that gives tips for correct posture while using computers, in The Wall Street Journal, March 8.

"There's a protein product called quorn, which is made from filamentous mold. Not to make a joke of it, but it does taste like chicken."
--Jean B. Hunter, associate professor of biological and environmental engineering, in an article describing the kinds of food future astronauts on long space missions will need to survive, in The New York Times, March 5.

"We don't want our staff, and thus the institution, to violate the privacy of our constituents in response to an invalid request."
--Polley Ann McClure, vice president for information technologies, explaining why Cornell created specific guidelines for responding to law-enforcement requests made under the new Patriot Act, in The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 1.

"When our culture ascribes power to women on the basis of their wisdom, moral character, creativity and strength -- and not just appearance -- 8-year-olds will stop worrying about their thighs, and the 50-year-old will no longer view plastic surgery or poison as a rational or necessary personal choice."
--Joan Jacobs Brumberg, professor of human development and of American studies, discussing why women, such as Fox TV's Greta Van Susteren, feel compelled to have plastic surgery, in The Los Angeles Times, Feb. 22. (The commentary was co-authored with Jacquelyn Jackson, executive producer of the documentary "The Body Project.")