Briefs

Entrepreneur expo: Entrepreneurial faculty, staff, students and alumni are invited to connect with more than 20 organizations at the second annual Cornell Entrepreneur Resource Expo, Tuesday, Sept. 21. The expo, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Memorial Room of Willard Straight Hall, will feature groups that provide an array of educational and practical resources for anyone interested in entrepreneurship or commercialization. Information will be available on everything from entrepreneurship classes to obtaining a patent and getting legal advice. Among the participants will be:Cornell Center for Technology, Enterprise and Commercialization, Biotechnology Resource Center, Center for Life Science Enterprise, Cornell Center for Materials Research, the Entrepreneurship and Personal Enterprise Program, Cornell Business and Technology Park, Cayuga Venture Fund II, Cornell Cooperative Extension, College of Engineering, Entrepreneurship Legal Services, BR Incubator, BR Ventures, Student Agencies, eCornell, Center for Global Sustainable Enterprise, Cornell Entrepreneurs Organization, and the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club. For more information, contact the Entrepreneurship and Personal Enterprise Program, epe_program@cornell.edu or 255-1576.

Outreach roundtable session: The next monthly outreach session offered by Cornell's Office of Community Relations is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 20, from 2:30 to 4 p.m. at Tompkins Community Action, 701 Spencer Road in Ithaca. These informal meetings give residents the chance to meet with Cornell staff on community-campus issues and opportunities and help link Cornell resources with community organizations.

Presentation of words and song: Gail Holst-Warhaft, director of the Mediterranean Initiative at the Cornell Institute for European Studies, will present her translations and readings of the works of Grecian poet-composer Mikis Theodorakis on Saturday, Sept. 18, at 3 p.m. in the Unitarian Church of Ithaca, 306 N. Aurora St. The event, free and open to the public, includes a performance by soprano Lina Orfanos and pianist Martin Neron. Holst-Warhaft met Theodorakis 35 years ago in Sydney, Australia, and has since collaborated with him in concerts, analyses of musical works and biographical studies. Holst-Warhaft is the author of several other books on Greek music, poetry, politics and culture. She will read from her new book, I Had Three Lives:Selected Poems of Mikis Theodorakis, (Livani Publishing, Athens, 2004). Theodorakis is well-known in the United States as the composer of the film score for "Zorba the Greek." In the 1990s he was involved in many international efforts for peace, wrote operas and embarked on a worldwide tour called "Music Without Borders." He became a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000. The reading and concert are co-sponsored by The Bookery and the Cornell Department of Music.

Digital photography class: New digital camera owners who want to document plant life in their own backyards are invited to learn in the university's "backyard," Cornell Plantations, during a two-part introduction to digital botanical photography on two Saturdays, Sept. 18 and 26. During the first 9 a.m. to noon session this Saturday, Ithaca-area photographer Julie Magura will teach basic field techniques and composition while shooting in the botanical gardens of Cornell Plantations. One week later, on Sept. 25 at the same time, Magura will teach the use of PC computers to view, edit and manage the results of the botanical photo expeditions. Photographers of all skill levels are welcome, but each must provide a digital camera, have a basic familiarity with its operation and have access to a Windows-based computer outside class. Classes will be held in the Lewis Education Center at Cornell Plantations, located at One Plantations Road on campus. Advance registration is required. The fee is $80, $60 for members of Cornell Plantations. To register or for more information, call 255-2400.

International friendship program seeks hosts: Anyone interested in learning about foreign cultures and participating in a foreign exchange program may be interested in the Friendship Partners Program (FPP), coordinated by the International Committee of the Cornell Campus Club and Cornell's International Students and Scholars Office. The program gives individuals or families in the Ithaca area the opportunity to share cultural traditions with international students, staff and family members. FPP host families don't furnish room and board but, instead, offer international visitors occasional hospitality and a deeper understanding of American culture. They also serve as an important source of support during a visitor's stay at Cornell. Throughout the 50-year history of this program, hosts and visitors have formed many deep and long-lasting friendships. For more information, contact Ann Tompkins of the Cornell Campus Club at 272-0044 or ct25@juno.com, or Maria Sawyer at the International Students and Scholars Office at 255-5243 or mjs51@cornell.edu.