Study examines link between religion and votes
How Americans vote is strongly linked to their religious identities, but it is not an independent influence that transcends race, socioeconomic class and gender, reports a new study. (Nov. 24, 2009)

Panelists discuss the state of U.S. health care
A panel of five Cornell and Ithaca experts on various sides of the health care debate discussed the issue Nov. 17 in Goldwin Smith Hall's Hollis E. Cornell Auditorium. (Nov. 19, 2009)

Panelists: The history of Haiti is relevant to the world
At a French studies workshop, 'History and the Experience of Haiti,' Nov. 14, speakers addressed how Haiti's history relates to universal history - the relationships of histories throughout the world. (Nov. 18, 2009)

Psych 101 students participate in sleep research
More than 300 students in Psychology 101 are taking part in the largest-ever objective study of the sleep patterns of individual college students. (Nov. 18, 2009)

First Ithaca-Qatar debate argues tobacco funding
At the first Cornell intercampus debate Nov. 4, students from Ithaca debated Weill Cornell Medical College-Qatar students in Doha about funding from tobacco companies. The Cornell-Ithaca team won. (Nov. 12, 2009)

Conference looks at turning research into practice
The Second Biennial Urie Bronfenbrenner Conference, held last month, focused on how to best ways to translate basic research in the social and behavioral sciences into real-world practices. (Nov. 12, 2009)

Two busloads of Cornellians visit the United Nations
Nov. 6 marked the sixth annual Cornell trip to the United Nations; 79 Cornellians spent the day touring the organization and meeting U.N. experts, who spoke on topics the students requested. (Nov. 11, 2009)

Shiffrin writes on the value of the religious left
Law professor Steven Shiffrin spoke about his new book, 'The Religious Left and Church-State Relations,' at a panel discussion in his honor in Myron Taylor Hall Oct. 30. (Nov. 11, 2009)

Basu appointed a chief economic adviser to India
The government of India has named Cornell economist Kaushik Basu as its new chief economic adviser in the Ministry of Finance. He will be on leave from Cornell for two years, beginning in December. (Nov. 5, 2009)

Half of U.S. children will use food stamps, study shows
Almost half of American children -- and most black children and children who spend their childhoods in single-parent households -- will eat meals paid for by food stamps at some point while growing up. (Nov. 3, 2009)

Magazine names Pinstrup-Andersen No. 1 Dane
Professor Per Pinstrup-Andersen, the 2001 World Food Prize laureate, has been named 'the most important Dane in the world' in combating poverty by Denmark's leading development magazine. (Oct. 27, 2009)

Conference examines how criminal records affect hiring
The difficulty of finding a job in the current economy when a candidate has the additional handicap of a criminal record was the focus at the Richard Netter Conference, Oct. 9 in New York City. (Oct. 23, 2009)

NIH grants fund studies on women in science fields
Two Cornell research teams have each received National Institutes of Health grants to identify factors influencing the careers of women in biomedical and behavioral sciences and engineering. (Oct. 22, 2009)

Scholar helps classify clicks in African languages
Linguistics scholar Amanda Miller is doing research with high-speed ultrasound technology to help her and fellow researchers successfully record and classify clicks in an endangered African language. (Oct. 21, 2009)

Meeting on cooperation, cheating in nature offers insights
Understanding of honeybee interactions could have implications for why people act selfishly in a communal system, said Professor Kern Reeve, one of the presenters at the Oct. 16 conference. (Oct. 21, 2009)

Israeli official: Middle East peace still elusive
In his campus visit Oct. 15, Asaf Shariv, consul general of Israel in New York, said he is still optimistic about the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. (Oct. 20, 2009)

SC Johnson CEO to deliver 2009 Hatfield Lecture
H. Fisk Johnson '79, chairman and CEO of SC Johnson, will speak about challenges arising from the global consumption crisis at the annual Hatfield Lecture Oct. 22 in the Statler Hall Auditorium. (Oct. 15, 2009)

Book examines Ph.D. humanities programs
'Educating Scholars: Doctoral Education in the Humanities' is a new book with first author Ron Ehrenberg that looks at attrition and completion rates in humanities Ph.D. programs. (Oct. 15, 2009)

Consumers don't always equate higher prices with quality
A new Cornell study finds that while higher prices may generate a more positive view of products, a higher price tag doesn't mean consumers will necessarily buy them. (Oct. 13, 2009)

'Big Idea' business workshop begins
'The Big Idea' competition offers undergraduates the chance to win $2,500 for their business or social enterprise ideas. Its first deadline is Dec. 23. (Oct. 13, 2009)

Professor uses video games to explore facets of autism
Matthew Belmonte, assistant professor of human development, is looking for order behind the many behavioral and physiological features of autism. (Oct. 12, 2009)

ACLU president assesses state of civil liberties
In a talk at Cornell Oct. 8, the president of the American Civil Liberties Union said that protecting civil rights has improved in the age of Obama, but that it's not yet 'mission accomplished.' (Oct. 12, 2009)

Roman Empire's recovery has lessons for today
Our economic climate may seem grim, but our situation is far better than that of Rome in the third century, assistant professor Kim Bowes told alumni at the Weill Greenberg Center in New York City Oct. 8. (Oct. 12, 2009)

Federal grant funds labor consortium at ILR School
The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy has awarded a $1.6 million grant to the ILR School's technical assistance center for employers on employment of people with disabilities. (Oct. 6, 2009)

Alumna witnesses history in foreign service posts
Lynne Gadkowski '98, a public affairs officer at the U.S. Consulate in Mumbai, has seen terrorism and coups as foreign service officer. (Oct. 6, 2009)

Center in Bulgaria connects U.S., Balkan scholars
In Bulgaria, the Cornell-affiliated American Research Center in Sofia facilitates academic research and fosters collaboration with researchers in former communist countries. (Sept. 30, 2009)

Five faculty receive NSF early career awards
Five more Cornell faculty members have received Faculty Early Career Development Awards from the National Science Foundation, some with federal stimulus funding. (Sept. 28, 2009)

Fertilizers may not help poorest African farmers
Researchers have linked poverty in sub-Saharan Africa with poor soil health, but two new Cornell studies find that the recommended practice of applying more fertilizer may not help the poorest farmers. (Sept. 24, 2009)

Debate concludes: Protect rights of adversaries
A campus debate on 'Discrimination: Free Speech and Religious Liberty vs. Equality and Respect?' was held on Sept. 22 in Sage Chapel, discussed same-sex marriage, hate speech and religious freedom. (Sept. 24, 2009)

Model U.N. debate helps students 'live' other languages
A Sept. 16 model United Nations debate, argued in nine languages about global sustainability issues, was the first event of the year for Cornell's Language House on West Campus. (Sept. 21, 2009)

Grant proposals sought for community projects
The committee for the 2009 Robert S. Smith Award for community progress and innovation is calling for grant proposals for up to $3,000 from student leaders and organizations by Oct. 31. (Sept. 21, 2009)

Regulatory reform is vital for financial stability
Panelists spoke on the causes and possible outcomes of the financial crisis Sept. 15 in a debate that is part of Cornell's Foreign Policy Initiative led by the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies. (Sept. 17, 2009)

Study: Long hours affect what family eats at home
Such working conditions as irregular work schedules, long hours and job dissatisfaction of parents in low-income families significantly impact family food choices, reports a new Cornell study. (Sept. 14, 2009)

Conversation 'is a vital aspect of university culture'
The Rev. Robert Smith, the Robert R. Colbert Sr. '48 Catholic Chaplain at Cornell, offers a perspectives piece on the the upcoming Colbert Symposia series. (Sept. 11, 2009)

Videos portray dispair of alcoholism, promise of recovery
ILR School Professor Sam Bacharach and his colleagues have filmed the personal stories of recovering alcoholics as they reflect on their lives and struggle to remain sober. (Sept. 9, 2009)

Sociologist says too many commercialize intimate life
Arlie Hochschild, a University of California-Berkeley sociologist who spoke on campus Sept. 3, said many people outsource personal services. The result is estrangement and isolation. (Sept. 9, 2009)

Student group seeks to help minority men succeed
The LINK: Men's Alliance, a student organization that helps minority male students succeed and network at Cornell, announced that it is launching a mentoring and scholarship program this year. (Sept. 2, 2009)

Researcher uncovers secrets of Kells 'angels'
Some early manuscripts, including the Book of Kells, contain artwork that is microscopically precise, despite being created centuries before microscopes. John Cisne explains how it could have been done. (Sept. 1, 2009)

Prehistoric tools discovered at Isles of Shoals
This summer, students in Cornell's new Archaeology Field School at Shoals Marine Lab, Cornell's marine field station, discovered the first prehistoric archaeological site in the Isles of Shoals. (Aug. 27, 2009)

Interior design now has a language all its own
The interior design field now has a language of its own, thanks to Professor Jan Jennings, who has spearheaded an online database for contemporary design that includes a new vocabulary. (Aug. 26, 2009)

Comptroller kicks off government leadership institute
N.Y. Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli kicked off a workshop of the Local Government Leadership Institute on campus, Aug. 13, aimed at helping local governments deliver services at a lower cost to their constituents. (Aug. 18, 2009)

Encouraging walking, nutrition in breast cancer fight
A Cornell program, Small Steps Are Easier Together, is reaching out to rural communities and workplaces to get women to be more active and eat more healthfully to lower breast cancer risk. (Aug. 3, 2009)

Gateway will bridge social sciences data resources
A National Science Foundation grant awarded to two ILR School researchers will create a Social Science Gateway, unlocking enormous amounts of social sciences data on people, jobs and firms. (July 27, 2009)

Grant to help build black schools' digital collections
Cornell Library has received a $375,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to continue to help historically black colleges and universities create and manage digital collections. (July 23, 2009)

Cornell returns to a small village in the Andes
More than 50 years ago, a Cornell mission to a small village in Peru made profound changes, some good, some bad. Today, Cornell may help the community again. (July 23, 2009)

Tracking the life and death of news
Using online versions of the news, Cornell computer scientists have managed to track and analyze the way stories rise and fall in popularity. (July 13, 2009)

Students recount service learning trip to Rwanda
The trip was organized by the Cornell Public Service Center and conceived by Stephen Paletta '87, whose nonprofit organization, the International Education Exchange, hosted the students. (July 9, 2009)

New poll provides snapshot of New Yorkers' views
A Cornell/New York Times/NY1 poll asked New Yorkers their views on obesity, key politicians, the economy and gay marriage in early June. Questions were contributed by Times pollsters and Cornell faculty members. (June 25, 2009)

Gardens bring military families together
Cornell is helping the military plant Defiant Gardens to give military families a way to connect with each other, with civilians and with their deployed parent or spouse. (June 24, 2009)

Faculty learn to add diversity into classes
The Cornell Faculty Institute for Diversity, held June 7-10 at the ILR Conference Center, helped 19 Cornell professors navigate the sometimes complex territory of diversity. (June 17, 2009)

Money can't buy weight loss, finds Cornell study
When a large company offered cash rewards to its obese employees to lose weight, few of the workers lost more weight than those in the control group, reports two Cornell researchers. (June 17, 2009)

Study suggests how racial hassles erode mental health
A new study by Cornell assistant professor Anthony Ong sheds light on precisely how chronic racial discrimination and stress spillover lead to psychological distress. (June 10, 2009)

Harris presents keynote at Reunion Diversity Forum
David Harris, deputy provost and vice provost for the social sciences, spoke about the need for continuous attention to diversity issues in his talk in Malott Hall June 6. (June 8, 2009)

Ratan Tata discusses corporate responsibility in lecture
Ratan Tata '59, chairman of India's Tata Group, presented the new $2,500 Nano minicar and addressed 'Corporate Social Responsibility in the 21st Century' with President David Skorton June 5. (June 6, 2009)

Families don't need McMansions for good interaction
A Cornell design professor says that more families may be moving to smaller homes because of the recession, but that families don't need a McMansion to have perfect places to interact. (June 5, 2009)

Disgust sensitivity linked to conservatism
People who squirm when confronted with slime or get grossed out by gore are more likely to be politically conservative than their less-squeamish counterparts, according to two Cornell studies. (June 3, 2009)

Staying together 'for kids' sake' isn't always best
Teens tend to do significantly better academically and behaviorally when they live with both biological parents, but only when their parents do not argue a lot. If they do, the results are more mixed. (May 29, 2009)

Learning a second language is good childhood mind medicine
'Cognitive advantages follow from becoming bilingual,' says Barbara Lust, a developmental psychology and linguistics expert. 'These cognitive advantages can contribute to a child's future academic success.' (May 12, 2009)

Poverty researchers kick off three-year collaboration
The Institute for the Social Sciences has kicked off its Persistent Poverty and Upward Mobility theme project, a three-year effort to understand the causes and solutions to chronic poverty. (May 6, 2009)

ISS Contentious Knowledge team sums up its work
On April 29, the 2006-09 Contentious Knowledge team summarized its research on how scientific and social scientific expertise shapes public policy and becomes a focal point of social and political conflict. (May 6, 2009)

NSF grant focuses on baby talk
Assistant professor Michael Goldstein has received a $352,000 National Science Foundation grant over the next three years to learn more about how infants learn to talk. (May 6, 2009)

Study to examine if depression spreads in dorms
Freshmen at three universities this fall will be asked to participate in a study to determine how roommates and social networks affect students' mental health. (May 4, 2009)

Research project will examine electoral rules
Government professor Christopher J. Anderson is co-investigator for an international collaborative research project that will examine elections in Canada, France, Germany, Spain and Switzerland. (April 27, 2009)

CU nurse home-visit study has led to national program
A series of Cornell studies in the 1970s and '80s showed that a nurse home-visiting program for low-income women pregnant with their first child can help alleviate some problems caused by poverty. (April 16, 2009)

Poverty changes brain, reduces children's learning
A new Cornell study reports that the chronic stress from growing up in poverty can physiologically impact children's brains, impairing their ability to read and problem-solve and develop language. (April 9, 2009)

Conference to explore U.S. health care problems
The Sick in America series begins April 20 and will highlight issues of health care from the perspectives of physicians, patients, economists and policymakers. (April 7, 2009)

Alum targets medical condition afflicting 2 million women
Seth Cochran '00, M.Eng. '01, has started a nonprofit called Operation OF, now being piloted in Uganda, dedicated to ending obstetric fistula worldwide. (April 2, 2009)

Spotlight on sociology transitions
In August Richard Swedberg will begin a one-year term as chair of the American Sociological Association's theory section, and Dan Lichter will step down from his post as chair of the ASA's family section. (March 25, 2009)

CU helps NYC teachers improve science teaching
The Science Leadership Academy provides ideas, supplies, mentors and networking opportunities that the academy hopes the teachers will use to engage students in biology, chemistry and physics. (March 20, 2009)

Study: Women are underrepresented in science by choice
Women are underrepresented in math-intensive careers not because they lack good math ability, but because they prefer other careers with more flexibility to raise children, says a new Cornell study. (March 11, 2009)

Prison Education Program expands its offerings
Each semester, volunteer faculty and teaching assistants teach a liberal arts curriculum free of charge to inmates at the Auburn Correctional Facility who can now work toward an associate's degree. (March 5, 2009)

Hydroponic gardens calm incarcerated youth in NYC
Philson Warner, an extension associate with Cornell's Cooperative Extension in New York City, has set up a hydroponics lab for teen inmates at the Rikers Island jail. (Feb. 25, 2009)

Information meeting for Prison Education Program
The Cornell Prison Education Program will provide information to instructors and teaching assistants for Fall 2009 at a meeting Feb. 23. (Feb. 20, 2009)

Overcoming job barriers for people with disabilities
The ILR School's Employment and Disability Institute, as a partner in a $12 million initiative, is working to help overcome the problems that New Yorkers with disabilities have in getting jobs. (Feb. 4, 2009)

Negative emotion may cause false memories, study shows
New research has implications for the accuracy of legal testimony in criminal cases and how interviews and interrogations in violent cases could be better conducted. (Feb. 3, 2009)

Ken Roberts leads Institute for the Social Sciences
The government professor and new director of the ISS views his main task as bringing together researchers with similar interests from various disciplines who otherwise might not meet. (Feb. 3, 2009)

CU Population Program takes international view
The Cornell Population Program, with a new $1.15 million grant, conducts research and trains others to use demographics to improve lives, nationally and internationally. (Feb. 2, 2009)

Do people lie on surveys? If so, why?
People lie on surveys to boast about themselves or to avoid embarrassment, among other reasons, but there was no evidence of the so-called 'Bradley effect' in the November presidential election. (Jan. 27, 2009)

Seniors can 'go with their gut' when making decisions
Psychologist Joseph Mikels studies how emotion interfaces with such cognitive processes as working memory and selective attention, and he applies this to decision making in the elderly. (Jan. 26, 2009)

Artist shares her cultural quilts with Parisians
Associate professor Riche Richardson recently spent a week in Paris as a cultural envoy. She gave talks, and her art quilts depicting Barack Obama, Josephine Baker and Simone de Beauvoir were exhibited. (Jan. 22, 2009)

Culture, not biology, drives evolution of language
Professor Morten Christiansen challenges the long-held theory that human language stems from a genetic blueprint. Instead, he says, the neural machinery used for language likely predates the emergence of language itself. (Jan. 22, 2009)

Informal activities are vital for science literacy
Such activities as visiting museums and zoos and watching science documentaries significantly contribute to scientific literacy, according to a new report from the National Research Council. (Jan. 20, 2009)

Spitzer telescope detects dust around carbon star
The observation gives scientists a glimpse into the early universe and enlivens a debate about the origins of all cosmic dust. (Jan. 15, 2009)

How a terrorist food scare would affect consumers
In a study, when people at a buffet learned that the chicken being served might be tainted by bird flu, they ate less of it. But they ate even less when they were told that terrorism was behind the flu threat. (Jan. 14, 2009)

Students cook up concepts to help elderly
Students have developed ideas for a machine that allows seniors to put on their pants without bending over, a coat that cushions a fall and a jacket that is easy to pull on and off while sitting in a wheelchair. (Jan. 13, 2009)