By Larry Bernard and Roger Segelken
By Larry Bernard and Roger Segelken
Speaking Feb. 22 at Cornell, U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) offered his vi sion for a "virtual research park" linking universities in the state technologically and electronically, and he asked for support in reauthorizing the federal Endangered Species Act.
"We have got to maximize our resources," the representative, whose 26th Congressional District includes Cornell, told a meeting of university administrators and center directors. "One of the things that attracts industry is intellectual resources. I wonder if we might bring together the research centers throughout New York where we could centralize findings, and it would act as a magnet for industry in growth and development."
Among the contributing institutions would be Cornell and perhaps State Univer sity of New York research campuses, New York University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, to name a few, Hinchey said. They would be linked by the Internet or some other high-speed technology.
"We need a center of some kind. We've got to bring things together," the congress man said.
John Silcox, director of the Materials Science Center, said that the Cornell Coop
erative Extension model in agriculture might work well for engineering, but he added that while communicating results is important, scientific discovery still needs to be advanced first.
"I'm concerned that we're putting so much of our resources into information transfer," he said. "You still have to have the people who are creating the information."
Malvin Kalos, director of the Cornell Theory Center, said that the technology for a virtual research environment already is being created. "The goal is to make the kind of information that used to be transmitted face-to-face available when you're not face -to-face," Kalos said. "And we intend to be among the people who pioneer it."
Norman R. Scott, vice president for research and advanced studies who led
the session, said that the concept needs to be explored.
"We need to explore whether we can convene the major research universities in the state and how we might make some progress," Scott said. "We'll have to show that we can do a better job together than alone."
Later that day, Hinchey spoke at a seminar on "Reauthorizing the Endangered Species Act: A Democratic View." A minority member of the House committee respon sible for most natural-resources affairs, Hinchey said the act is targeted by "the opposition" because it is perceived as a "hard sell" with "soft support."
"The connection between biodiversity and personal well-being is hard to show," Hinchey said, noting that this country has a strong Clean Water Act "because dirty wa ter was killing people" and a Clean Air Act "because dirty air was killing people."
He credited lobbying efforts by Cornell biology Professor Thomas Eisner, head of the national Endangered Species Coalition, with persuading lawmakers on both sides of the aisle that biodiversity has a human impact. Eisner argues that natural habitats and organisms living there should be preserved because they may contain yet-to-be-discovered chemicals that may yield life-saving medicinals.
Opposition to the Endangered Species Act comes mainly from land developers and logging interests, the congressman noted, but some opposition within his own legislative body has nothing to do with business or profits. He recalled one congresswoman's argument that the Endangered Species Act violates the First Amendment because it establishes a state religion -- nature worship.
Hinchey urged his audience of more than 100 students and faculty members to enlist the support of others on behalf of a strengthened Endangered Species Act, "not because they love furry animals but because they understand the value to them, their families and the future of humans on this planet."
"Keep in mind that purely scientific arguments do not sell well," Hinchey said. "If you deliver a succinct, powerful direct message in 30 seconds, you will win."