Cornell University News Service Releases

June, 2004

Index to all months

For the full text of any story, click on the headline. Electronic queries may be made to cunews@cornell.edu.

Three-year study of evolving 'family' and 'fatherhood'
Experts affiliated with a new institute at Cornell University will closely examine a radically evolving social institution -- the modern family, with a special focus on marriage and fatherhood. The Institute for the Social Sciences (ISS), established earlier this year at Cornell, has chosen "The Evolving Family: Family Processes, Contexts and the Life Course of Children" as its first interdisciplinary theme for the period 2004-07. Some of the questions that will be studied include: How do race, ethnicity and social class influence marriage and fatherhood? How has the meaning of marriage and sexual partnerships changed over the past 30 years, and how do these changes affect children? What factors influence the timing of fatherhood? What determines responsible fathering? How do the behaviors of non-human animals inform issues regarding marriage and fatherhood? (June 30, 2004)

Cassini spacecraft's entry into Saturn orbit
PASADENA, Calif. -- When the Cassini-Hugyens spacecraft arrives at Saturn at 7:36 PDT (10:36 EDT) tonight (June 30), among the most anxious participants at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory here will be Cornell University astronomer Joseph Burns. As a member of the Cassini imaging team, he has been jointly responsible for observing the gaps in two of the planet's outer rings that the spacecraft will have to slip through to become the first mission to orbit Saturn. The decision to go through these gaps in the ring debris was made on May 20 after multiple observations by Burns and his colleague at NASA-Ames, Jeff Cuzzi. "I am looking at the place where the spacecraft is going to make sure there is nothing there," said Burns, who is the Irving Porter Church Professor of Engineering, Theoretical and Applied Mechanics as well as professor of astronomy at Cornell, in Ithaca, N.Y. (June 30, 2004)

Cornell astronomers join in Cassini mission to Saturn
Cornell University researchers are playing an important role in yet another planetary space mission, this time to Saturn, the second largest planet in the solar system. On June 30 at approximately 10:30 p.m. EDT, the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft will go into orbit around Saturn for an extensive tour of the giant planet's rings and 31 known moons. Launched in 1997, Cassini is the best-equipped spacecraft ever sent to another planet. During the mission it will make 76 orbits around the Saturn system and execute 52 close encounters with Saturn's moons. (June 29, 2004)

Kristine DeLuca-Beach named director of the Cornell Commitment
Kristine M. DeLuca-Beach has been named director of the Cornell University office of the Cornell Commitment, which encompasses three universitywide undergraduate recognition programs. She has been acting director, and her position as director becomes effective immediately. "Kris brings considerable direct experience to this role, having served as acting director for the past eight months," says Susan H. Murphy, Cornell vice president for student and academic services. "Her dedication to students is long standing and she brings a professional expertise that will benefit all of the programs within the Cornell Commitment. Her long association with the university provides her with many strong connections across the campus and among alumni. We are fortunate to have her leadership." (June 29, 2004)

'Celebrate Urban Birds!' week is July 9-18
Crows, starlings and street pigeons aren't the only feathered denizens of American cities, children will learn when they participate as "citizen scientists" in a new annual event from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Celebrate Urban Birds! Week, July 9-18, should produce some surprises for city dwellers and for ornithologists, as well, predict educators at the university-based program that regularly enlists non-professional bird-watchers in the name of science. (June 28, 2004)

Voracious viburnum leaf beetles will emerge in July
The viburnum leaf beetle is eating itself out of house and home in central, western and northern New York state and elsewhere, says Cornell University entomologist E. Richard Hoebeke. After devastating large swaths of native viburnum as well as ornamental species in its larval stage this spring, the adult beetle is about to return for a second helping in July. "This is the time we've been dreading," says Hoebeke, assistant curator of Cornell's entomology collection. "I just found viburnum leaf beetles for the first time in the Adirondacks. Sooner or later they'll move into the Hudson Valley and Tri-State area. They are eliminating many species of viburnum from our habitat." (June 28, 2004)

Thomas Gold, Cornell astronomer and brilliant scientific gadfly, dies at 84
Thomas "Tommy" Gold, a brilliant and controversial figure in 20th century science and professor emeritus of astronomy at Cornell University, died June 22 at Cayuga Medical Center, Ithaca, N.Y., after a long battle with heart disease. He was 84 years of age. Gold's reputation as a Renaissance man was surpassed only by his penchant for unconventional theories -- from the origin of the universe to the source of petroleum. Few scientists ever attempt what Gold made a career of, staking their reputations on ideas that radically challenge the methods and assumptions of an entire discipline. (June 22, 2004)

Employment and Disability Institute raises its profile
The Cornell University group that advocates for people with disabilities in the workplace has more staff, renovated headquarters and a new name -- the Employment and Disability Institute (EDI). The institute's mission remains the same, however: to provide research, training materials, programs and technical assistance that make it easier for people with disabilities to be integrated in the workplace, schools and communities. (June 22, 2004)

Fiber Society symposium to probe advanced materials
The Fiber Society will hold its annual meeting and technical conference, with a symposium on advanced materials and processes for fibers and fibrous structures at Cornell University, Oct. 11-13. This international gathering of professionals dedicated to research in science, technology and engineering of fibers will be hosted by the Department of Textiles and Apparel in Cornell's College of Human Ecology. The Fiber Society is a nonprofit professional and scientific association focused on advancing scientific knowledge pertaining to fibers, fiber-based products and fibrous materials. Keynote speakers at this year's conference will include: Professor Howard Greisler of Loyola University, a leading researcher in the vascular application of fibrous materials; Nobel Laureate Robert C. Richardson, Cornell vice provost of research and the F.R. Newman Professor of Physics; and Nobel Laureate and chemist Roald Hoffmann, the Frank H.T. Rhodes Professor in Humane Letters at Cornell. (June 21, 2004)

Asthma drugs pose respiratory, cardiac dangers
Physicians who prescribe the regular use of beta-agonist drugs for asthma could be endangering their patients, two new studies by researchers at Cornell and Stanford universities find. One study compiles previously published clinical trials to conclude that patients could both develop a tolerance for beta-agonists and be at increased risk for asthma attacks, compared with those who do not use the drug at all. The second study shows that beta-agonist use increases cardiac risks, such as heart attacks, by more than two-fold, compared with the use of a placebo. Furthermore, the researchers say that their analyses lead them to suspect a conflict of interest among scientists who are supported by pharmaceutical companies that make beta-agonists, among the world's most widely used drugs. This conflict, they say, could be putting 16 million U.S. asthma sufferers in harm's way. Their statement comes as the American Medical Association is voicing its concerns that drug industry sponsorship of clinical tests is affecting the quality of research. (June 17, 2004)

Mann Library gets federal grant to preserve historical agricultural literature on microfilm and the World Wide Web
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded $618,857 to the Albert R. Mann Library at Cornell University to preserve local and state agricultural literature on microfilm. The library also is relaunching the Core Historical Literature of Agriculture (CHLA) Web site to make agricultural materials of national historical significance available on the World Wide Web. The NEH grant and the CHCA contribute to a long-term preservation project, the National Preservation Program for Agricultural Literature (NPPAL). The project prevents historically significant published materials on the history of state and local agriculture and rural life from being lost to natural decay. (June 17, 2004)

Ambivalent relations between parents and adult children
Despite Father's Day and Mother's Day, which give children an opportunity to pay tribute to their parents, it's important to acknowledge that parenting is rarely an entirely positive or negative experience, says a new book co-edited by a Cornell University gerontologist. The book makes its point by examining the ambivalence of parent-child relations in later life. "Parenting is fraught with mixed emotions, thoughts and attitudes. Such ambivalence is apparently universal and a fundamental characteristic of relationships between parents and adult children," says Karl Pillemer, professor of human development at Cornell and co-editor of Intergenerational Ambivalences: New Perspectives on Parent-Child Relations in Later Life (Elsevier Publishers, 2004). (June 16, 2004)

Cornell becomes new steward of historic Native American collection of Bronx Huntington Free Library, June 15
NEW YORK -- A New York state appeals court ruling this January paved the way for the Huntington Free Library to find a new steward for its Native American collection, one of the largest in the world. On Tuesday, June 15, at the private library's red brick home in the Bronx, papers will be signed to transfer the collection to Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. Media are invited to attend the transfer signing. (June 10, 2004)

Days of thunder, record rainfall make for memorable May
The month of May was rocked by days of thunder, driving rains and above-average temperatures throughout the central New York region and beyond. Syracuse was saturated with a record-breaking 7.86 inches of rain and the Ithaca area was swamped with its eighth wettest May since 1879, according to Keith Eggleston, senior climatologist with Cornell University's Northeast Regional Climate Center. It was the fifth warmest May in Ithaca since 1872, with temperatures at 5.4 degrees above normal. Temperatures were 2.8 degrees above normal across New York, making it the 13th warmest May in the Empire State since 1894, Eggleston said. (June 11, 2004)

Cornell welcomes court's West Campus parking lot decision
The New York State Supreme Court has ruled that the Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission (ILPC) must issue a "Certificate of Appropriateness" for Cornell University's proposed West Campus parking lot within 30 days. In response to the ruling, Cornell President Jeffrey S. Lehman said, "We are, of course, gratified by the court's determination that the final design, which emerged through a process of communitywide conversation, is appropriate to its context. I am hopeful that the court's decision will serve as a guidepost to help the city and the university work out future differences in a spirit of cooperation and without the need for judicial intervention." (June 10, 2004)

World-class facility for X-ray research to be dedicated
A remarkable facility producing some of the world's most intense X-ray beams for research, education and training will be dedicated at Cornell Univeristy Tuesday, June 15. Known as G-line, it is the world's only such center on the central campus of a major research university. Built by Cornell and housing equipment purchased through National Science Foundation (NSF) grants, G-Line is dedicated to Cornell research and education in technology, biology and materials science. Annual operating costs will be paid by 10 of the university's research groups. (June 10, 2004)

Architect Eisenman to 'star' at reunion, in video and in person
Internationally renowned architect Peter Eisenman will be on campus to celebrate his 50th reunion at Cornell University this weekend. The winner of numerous architectural awards, Eisenman '54 earned his B.Arch. degree at Cornell's College of Architecture, Art and Planning (AAP). The Louis Kahn Professor of Architecture at Yale University last fall, he currently is designing a 68,000-seat multipurpose stadium for the Arizona Cardinals in Phoenix, among other projects. "Being Eisenman," a special video portrait of Eisenman made over the past year by Phil Handler '62, B.Arch. '64, M.Arch. '65, will screen Saturday, June 12, at 9 a.m. in 157 E. Sibley Hall. Following that, Eisenman will talk informally about being back and answer questions about his life and work. In addition, "Box of Changes," an exhibition of Eisenman's design proposal for a competition for a museum in China will be on view in Sibley Hall's Hartell Gallery Thursday through Saturday, where the video will screen continuously on small-screen television. (June 10, 2004)

Enzyme containing selenium may promote type 2 diabetes
A study by researchers at Cornell University suggests that higher-than-normal amounts of a selenium-containing enzyme could promote type 2 diabetes. The researchers found that mice with elevated levels of the antioxidant enzyme develop the precursors of diabetes at much higher rates than did control mice. Selenium, a common dietary supplement, is an antioxidant, materials that help mop up harmful free radicals, molecules that can damage cell membranes and genetic material and contribute to the development of cancer and heart disease. Many of the benefits of selenium are related to its role in the production of glutathione peroxidase (GP), an antioxidant enzyme that helps detoxify the body. (June 09, 2004)

Fly ear is bioinspiration for human hearing aid
Studies by Cornell's Ron Hoy have been cited by the National Institutes of Health as the best 2004 example of "translational research" in a special report to Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson. (June 9, 2004)

Cornell alumnae group awards 11 faculty research grants
The President's Council of Cornell Women (PCCW), an alumnae group that serves as an advisory council to Cornell University's president, has awarded its 2004 research grants to 11 women faculty members. Established in 1992 to help advance the careers of women in academia through support of research leading to tenure, PCCW's Affinito-Stewart Grant Program has presented more than $484,000 to 148 women at Cornell. The program is named to honor the group's founders, Lilyan Affinito, a 1953 graduate of Cornell, and Patricia Carry Stewart, a 1950 graduate. Both are Cornell presidential councillors, trustees emeritae and members of the Cornell University Council. (June 9, 2004)

Cornell offers estate and gift taxation workshop in Syracuse, Batavia and Binghamton in August
In-service tax workshops to review estate and gift tax reporting and management will be held in Syracuse, Batavia, and Binghamton in early August. Cornell University's Department of Applied Economics and Management is offering the workshops. This workshop is designed for accountants, tax practitioners, consultants, attorneys and financial advisers. The topics include the mechanics of estate and gift tax law and accounting, an introduction to estate and gift taxation, gross estate, estate deductions, estate credits and valuations. (June 08, 2004)

Blood flow changes are key to understanding Alzheimer's
New York, NY (June 4, 2004) -- Subtle but profound changes in blood flow within the brain may be among the earliest signs of Alzheimer's disease, according to a review of recent research conducted by Dr. Costantino Iadecola, Chief of the Division of Neurobiology at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, in New York City."These vascular changes are very early markers of disease, and can be used very effectively to diagnose patients early on," said Dr. Iadecola, who is the George C. Cotzias Distinguished Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medical College, and Attending Neurologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell.

Africana Studies and Research Center breaks new ground, June 12
A major public groundbreaking ceremony for the renovation and new construction of the Africana Studies and Research Center at Cornell University will be held Saturday, June 12, from 2 to 3 p.m. at the 310 N. Triphammer Road center. Held in conjunction with Cornell's Reunion 2004 Weekend, the ceremony features speakers including Cornell President Jeffrey Lehman; Provost Biddy Martin; Salah Hassan, the Africana Center's acting director; James Turner, the center's founding director; and university trustee Dwight Bush '79. Also attending will be Africana Center administrators and faculty, members of the Cornell Black Alumni Association (CBAA), current students and distinguished guests (including an ensemble of live drummers), as well as many members of the returning Cornell Reunion classes of 1969 and 1974, the class that holds the record for the largest number of matriculated black students enrolled at Cornell. (June 7, 2004)

Reunion '04 features Cornell alumnus and NASA Astronaut Ed Lu
As many as 6,000 Cornellians and their families -- including more than 700 children, a record -- will be on campus, Thursday, June 10, through Sunday, June 13, for Cornell University's Reunion 2004. Some 4,000 returning alumni will be catching up with former classmates, reclaiming old memories and creating new ones during the long weekend. The earliest alumni class planning special events this year will be the Class of 1929, with three returning alumni holding their 75th reunion. But, the oldest returning alum attending Reunion 2004 will be 102-year-old Helen "Happy" Reichert, from the class of 1925. (June 4, 2004)

Cornell joins high-speed scientific computer network
Cornell University has joined a nationwide consortium that owns and operates a fiber-optic networking infrastructure for scientific computer communication. The action, announced today (June 2), will provide the university's researchers with unprecedented high-speed connections and will allow other upstate New York institutions to invest in and join the system. Cornell has pledged to contribute $1 million immediately to the consortium, National LambdaRail (NLR), and another $4 million over the next four years. The funding will enable NLR to extend its existing cross-country network of optical fiber to New York City. Cornell will complete the network by leasing fiber from Ithaca to New York City, also allowing more efficient collaboration between the Ithaca campus and the Weill Cornell Medical College in Manhattan. (May 28, 2004)

Astronaut and alumnus Ed Lu, veteran of three space missions, returns June 11 to deliver Olin Lecture
Astronaut Edward (Ed) Lu, the veteran of three space missions who has logged 206 days in space, will visit the Cornell University campus Friday, June 11, to deliver the 2004 Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Lecture during the university's Reunion weekend. The lecture, at 3 p.m. in Newman Arena of Bartels Hall, will have as its title "Rocketships, Asteroids, Dinosaurs and Immortality." The public is invited to attend without charge. (June 1, 2004)