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:

"Over a third of [the positions children assume at computers], if we saw them in adults, we'd consider them high risk postures."

--Alan Hedge, professor of design and environmental analysis, discussing his findings on the harmful positions children assume sitting at computers at school in U.S News and World Report, July 5.

"Lists are a terrible way of providing authority because they give you a sense of order and hierarchy that isn't really there."

--Glenn Altschuler, dean of continuing education and summer sessions and professor of American studies, discussing Americans' penchant for "best of" lists, in the Dallas Morning News, July 3.

"He was, quite simply, the best science educator in the world this century. Carl was a candle in the dark."

--Yervant Terzian, the David Duncan Professor of Astronomy, commenting on the legacy of the late Carl Sagan in Business Week magazine's "100 Years of Innovation," July 1.

"Most scientists who talk about dogs have their scientist hat and their dumb hat. And whenever they start talking about dogs, they put on their dumb hat."

--Gustavo Aguirre, professor of opthalmology in the College of Veterinary Medicine, in "The Truth About Dogs" in the July Atlantic Monthly.

"Every time we sample these kids, the average age is getting younger. What's different is that now gay kids are becoming like straight kids -- they know that they're gay before they have sex."

--Ritch Savin-Williams, professor of human development in the College of Human Ecology, discussing sexual identity among youths, in the Washington Post, June 29.

"I don't believe romance novels influence the average reader's choice of men, over and above the other social influences on mate choice. The novels reflect what social scientists have found when analyzing mate choice across societies: Women tend to be attracted to, and to marry, successful men who, in many cases, are aggressive and rough."

--Elaine Wethington, professor of human development, discussing her research on westerns for women, submitted for publication, in Globe and Mail (Toronto), June 22.

"For many people, God is now as available as an ATM machine. If a writer tells you how to plug in the right spiritual code, people think they'll get buckets of money. It's an old American dream."

--R. Laurence Moore, professor of history, on the emergence of authors who pitch personal finance as a spiritual affair, in the Los Angeles Times, June 22.

"All travelers are by no means created equal. You would much rather have a German tourist coming for a week than someone from Cleveland coming in for two days."

--Malcolm Noden, senior lecturer in the School of Hotel Management, discussing last year's drop in international travelers to New York City in Crain's New York Business, June 14.