Notables

Two Cornell professors were among an elite group of young scientists invited to attend the prestigious Eighth German-American Beckman Frontiers of Science symposium June 2-6 in Irvine, Calif. They also were selected speakers. The purpose of the annual symposium is to stimulate interdisciplinary collaboration between some of the most highly regarded young scientists in Germany and the United States.

Geoffrey Coates, associate professor of chemistry and chemical biology, and Ulrich Wiesner, associate professor of materials science and engineering, were the only two scientists from an American university chosen to give presentations in the chemistry/materials session.

Coates discussed the development of new synthetic strategies for producing polymeric materials, or plastics, of defined molecular structure. He also discussed his work on developing new polymers that reduce energy consumption and the use of nonrenewable resources or chemical wastes, as well as new polymers that are easily recycled and/or biodegradable.

Wiesner presented his research on interfacing soft- and solid-state materials.

The symposium, which is supported by the German-American Academic Council, the National Academy of Sciences, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Max Planck Society, is attended only by researchers under age 45. This year's participants included researchers from academic, industrial and national laboratories.

Pangea World has appointed Fred L. Conner '77 to its advisory board. Conner has been managing editor of the Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly since 1990 and a Cornell employee for 20 years. Known as Cornell Quarterly, the international journal on hospitality industry research and best practices is published by the School of Hotel Administration under the auspices of its Center for Hospitality Research.

Pangea World is a California-based organization that brings together international business, hospitality and government leaders with members of the scientific community. The purpose is to share ideas on promoting community-based economic development and social well-being around the globe while identifying, researching and protecting the world's natural resources and heritage sites.

In addition to Conner, members of the Pangea World board include a Nobel laureate and winner of a National Medal of Science and members of the National Academy of Sciences and American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Seven recently graduated or graduate students at Cornell are among some 200 students in the United States this year who have been awarded substantial, three-year graduate fellowships by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).

The fellowship recipients from Cornell are: Kyle Brucker, mechanical engineering; Jason Eisenberg, computer science; Yelena Koldobskaya, chemistry; Michael Moorhead, aeronautical engineering; James Psota, electrical engineering; Daniel Ramras, mathematics; and Serguei Vassilvitskii, computer science.

The DOD offered these National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) fellowships to students who have demonstrated ability and special aptitude for advanced training in science and engineering. The NDSEG fellowships were awarded for study and research leading to doctoral degrees in mathematical, physical, biological, ocean and engineering sciences.

The DOD will pay the fellows' full tuition and required fees (not to include room and board) and yearly NDSEG fellowship stipends of up to $25,000. For more information on the NDSEG fellowship program, visit http://www.asee.org/ndseg/html/preface.htm/.

Four doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) students at Cornell have been awarded U.S. Army Health Professionals Scholarships: Karyn A. Havas, Jodi K. Sangster, Kelly M. Still and Ryan D. Taggart, all members of the Class of 2005.

The Cornell students, who won four of the eight scholarships awarded in veterinary medicine this year in the United States, receive funds to cover full tuition and academic fees, required books and equipment as well as a monthly stipend for living expenses. In return, they will graduate as commissioned officers with a service obligation of one year for each year of their scholarships.

Commenting on the scholarship awards, Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine Donald F. Smith said: "It is gratifying to learn that the Army shares our confidence in these outstanding students. For Cornell to receive half of the scholarships awarded to all veterinary students this year is a powerful testament to the quality of our students. It is our privilege and responsibility to provide them with a superb educational experience so that they may fulfill the public-health and animal-health needs of their country."

Calvin Warren, a May 2002 graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences and a dedicated gay rights activist, is one of four winners of the third annual Colin Higgins Courage Awards. The awards are given each year to honor everyday heroes who demonstrate courage in the face of discrimination, intolerance and bigotry based on sexual orientation. Each winner receives $10,000 as part of the prize. Colin Higgins, the late screenwriter, director and producer of such films as "Harold and Maude" and "Nine to Five," established the Colin Higgins Foundation in 1986. The Colin Higgins Foundation is administered by the Tides Foundation, a larger parent foundation that partners with donors to increase and organize resources for progressive social change.

Erica Pagel, a master's degree student in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, has been named an agricultural fellow for U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). For a six-month term, Pagel will be working with the senator's Agricultural Advisory Council and will provide expertise on the federal agricultural policy process. As a member of Clinton's legislative staff, Pagel will follow legislation and appropriations related to New York agriculture and serve as a liaison between constituents and the legislative staff. She will return to Cornell at the end of her term to complete her thesis and degree.

Through her work in the agricultural industry in Wisconsin, Pagel has become well-versed on the economics of dairy, coarse-grain production and such government programs as direct payments, deficiency loans and crop insurance.

Pagel is earning her master's degree in the Department of Applied Economics and Management. She is examining the changing structure of agriculture and the complex interactions between the biological systems of milk production and the economic environment that induces production behavior.