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:

"There's a lot of hogwash out there. It's not about having something feel different, it's about considering human anatomical, physiological and biomechanical characteristics as they relate to movement."

-- Alan Hedge, professor of design and environmental analysis, discussing the current state of ergonomics, the science of human-centered workplace design, in Poplar Science, March issue.

"To see today come to fruition is one of those hallmark events that you look forward to being a part of. It makes you feel good that we're putting forth our very best effort."

-- President Hunter Rawlings, commenting at the dedication of the $3.5 million Friedman Wrestling Arena, reported by the Associated Press Jan. 27.

"Corn is the number one cause of erosion or total soil loss in the United States. It uses more fertilizer than any other crop. It's the largest user of insecticides. And it's the largest user of herbicides."

-- David Pimentel, professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology, commenting on the disadvantages of using corn-burning stoves to heat homes, in The Washington Post, Jan. 27.

"We know that it's going to be a very difficult year with the state fiscal crisis."

-- Henrik N. Dullea, vice president for uni-versity relations, in an Associated Press article Jan. 26 reporting on the board of trustees action in approving a 5 percent tuition increase for undergraduates in the endowed colleges.

"I am troubled by [Lieberman's] relentless efforts to introduce religiosity into politics. ... The drafters of the U.S. Constitution, in a revolutionary break from the traditional Western linkage of religion and the state, deliberately omitted any mention of God from their work. ... It would behoove him to realize that [they] purposely rejected God-centered politics. ... I remain thrilled by his candidacy. As Jews my age still say, 'Only in America!'''

-- Isaac Kramnick, vice provost and the Robert J. Schwartz Professor of Government, commenting on the announced presidential candidacy of U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman in an op-ed in the Boston Globe, Jan. 26.

"People look at religion now ... as more central to who they are and they come to work with that religious piece ... 9/11 brought more attention to it, but it's not just people who claim to be of Muslim descent. It's also people who practice less conventional religions."

-- Christopher Metzler, senior extension associate in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations' extension program in New York City, discussing the rise in recent years of worker complaints of religious discrimination to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, in an Associated Press article Jan. 20 that appeared in newspapers nationally, including the Fresno Bee, Detroit Free Press, Salt Lake City Deseret News, Los Angeles Daily News and Tucson Daily Star.

"You can call us alienated kids who are sold out on American pop culture, but it's the truth of our times. We grew up watching 'The Simpsons' and 'The X-Files,' and this comes out in our writing."

-- Edmundo Paz-Soldán, assistant professor of Romance studies, commenting on a new wave of Latin American writers, in the Puerto Rico Herald, Jan. 20. The article originally appeared in The New York Times, Jan. 4.