Cornell University News Service Releases

March, 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.

Per Pinstrup-Andersen named top science adviser to CGIAR agriculture research group
Per Pinstrup-Andersen, Cornell University's H.E. Babcock Professor of Food, Nutrition and Public Policy in the Division of Nutritional Sciences, has been named chairman of the Science Council for CGIAR, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, the world's largest publicly funded agricultural research organization. CGIAR's membership includes governments, international and regional organizations and private foundations investing in agricultural science to benefit poor farmers. The consortium is co-sponsored by the World Bank and three United Nations groups the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the United Nations Development Program. CGIAR supports 15 international agricultural research centers seeking to reduce hunger and poverty, improve human nutrition and health, and protect the environment. (March 31, 2004)

Former U.S. ambassador to Korea will give Bartels Lecture, April 12
ITHACA, N.Y. --Donald P. Gregg, U.S. ambassador to Korea (1989-93) during the George H.W. Bush administration and chairman of the Korea Society, will deliver the 2004 Henry E. and Nancy Horton Bartels World Affairs Fellowship Lecture at Cornell University. Gregg's lecture, titled "Is North Korea the Last Outpost of the Axis of Evil?" will be Monday, April 12, at 8 p.m. in Uris Hall Auditorium on campus. Cornell President Jeffrey Lehman will provide an introduction and moderate a question and answer session at the close of Gregg's talk. The lecture is free and open to the public; tickets are available on campus at the ticket office in Willard Straight Hall, the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies at 170 Uris Hall and at the door. Immediately following the lecture, the Einaudi Center will host a reception in the Terrace Lounge at the Stater Hotel, adjacent to Uris Hall. (March 31, 2004)

Marketing chair in business named for John Dyson, creator of 'I Love NY' tourism campaign
Robert R. Dyson, who earned his MBA at Cornell University in 1974, has endowed the John S. Dyson Professorship in Marketing in Cornell's Undergraduate Business Program in honor of his brother, John, creator of the "I Love NY" tourism campaign and a 1965 Cornell graduate. The position, the program's first endowed faculty position since receiving accreditation in 2002, has been established with a gift of $3 million. The first holder of the chair has not yet been selected. (March 31, 2004)

For first time, genome of water-contaminating parasite, cryptosporidium, is sequenced
New York, NY (March 26, 2004) -- For the first time a team of researchers -- led by the University of Minnesota and Weill Cornell Medical College -- has determined the complete genome sequence of Cryptosporidium, a common diarrhea-causing parasite that can lurk in drinking water. The finding has been published in the March 25 issue of the electronic journal Science Express, to be followed by publication in April in the print version of Science."Cryptosporidiosis is a hard-to-treat condition, largely because we lack a basic understanding of the genetic make-up of the organism," said Dr. Mitchell Abrahamsen, principal investigator, faculty of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Genomics Center, where the genome sequencing was carried out.

Weill Cornell researchers solve 30-year puzzle of nerve cell function
New York, NY (March 26, 2004) -- Weill Cornell Medical College researchers have shed light on the function of the synapse -- the gap between nerve cells where information is passed from one cell to the next -- and solved a 30-year puzzle on how exactly nerve cells transmit signals.The finding may one day help determine what goes wrong in ailments like Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy, said Dr. Timothy Ryan, Associate Professor of Biochemistry at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York City.

Combination of two common heart tests is strong predictor of death in patients
New York, NY (March 24, 2004) -- Two heart tests are better than one when it comes to predicting the risk of dying of cardiovascular disease or any cause, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center researchers report in the April issue of the journal Hypertension.Those patients with an ECG finding of ST depression -- a possible sign of heart disease -- and an echocardiogram that showed an enlarged left ventricle were more likely to die during the study than those with normal test results. When the left ventricle, the heart's main pumping chamber, enlarges and thickens, it could be a sign the heart is struggling to pump efficiently.

Tiniest full-color U.S. flag ever put on a silicon chip
In a salute to nanotechnology, Cornell University researchers have etched the world's smallest, full-color American flag on a silicon chip. The flag is part of an elaborate nanofabrication that includes six full-color flags and 15 White Houses, all etched on the chip. The size of a postage stamp, the chip has been placed in a Lucite paperweight that will be presented to the White House on Tuesday, March 30, in Washington, D.C., by Joshua Wolfe, a 1999 Cornell graduate and managing partner of Lux Capital, a New York City venture capital firm specializing in nanotechnology. It will be accepted on behalf of President George Bush by John Marburger III, science adviser to the president. (March 29, 2004)

Cornell hosts 2004 MBA Stock Pitch Challenge, April 1-2
Students from 11 top-tier U.S. business schools will compete in the second MBA Stock Pitch Challenge next Thursday and Friday, April 1 and 2, at Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management. The competition will showcase the stock picking and presentation skills of MBA students who hope to be hired as stock analysts after they graduate. The first-place team will receive a $3,000 award and the second-place team an award of $1,500. (March 26, 2004)

Volunteer Night at Cornell Plantations, March 31, offers range of opportunities in 2004
Cornell Plantations is offering an information night and season kickoff for new and current volunteers on Wednesday, March 31, at 7 p.m. in the Lewis Education Center classroom at One Plantations Road in Ithaca. Anyone interested in learning about Plantations' volunteer opportunities and programs for 2004 is welcome. Previous gardening or horticultural experience, though helpful, is not necessary. Light refreshments will be provided. "Volunteers are vital to every aspect of our operations," said Donald Rakow, Elizabeth Newman Wilds Director of Cornell Plantations. "To retain our volunteers, we constantly endeavor to introduce ways of making the experience of volunteering as rewarding for the individual as it is for our organization." (March 26, 2004)

Author Ekwueme Michael Thelwell will read from his book co-written with the late Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael)
Scholar, activist and author Ekwueme Michael Thelwell will read from his latest book, Ready for Revolution: The Life and Struggles of Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture) (Scribner, 2003), Thursday, April 1, at 4:30 p.m. in Cornell University's Africana Studies and Research Center, 310 Triphammer Road. The reading, free and open to the public, is part of the Africana center's Black Authors/New Books Series, Spring 2004. A book-signing and reception will follow the event. (March 26, 2004)

Middle East expert Shibley Telhami to give Olin Lecture 'America in Iraq and the Middle East'
Shibley Telhami, the Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland-College Park, will deliver the 2004 Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Lecture Friday, April 2, at 7:30 p.m. in Call Alumni Auditorium of Kennedy Hall on the Cornell University campus. The title of Telhami's talk, "The Stakes: America in Iraq and the Middle East," is similar to the title of his most-recent book, The Stakes: America in the Middle East (Westview Press, 2003). (March 26, 2004)

Impacts of slave trading on black culture is topic of first Rudin lecture by Margaret Washington
Margaret Washington, professor of history at Cornell University, will deliver the inaugural Gail Gifford Rudin ('56) and Stephen Rudin lecture, titled "'Price to Be Determined at the Close of the War': The Impacts of 'Slave' Trading on the Development of Black Culture in America." The event, which is free and open to the public, takes place Wednesday, March 31, at 3:30 p.m. in Libe Café (first floor, Olin Library) on Cornell's campus and is followed by a reception in the Hirshland Gallery, level 2B of Kroch Library. (March 25, 2004)

Workplace drinking and gender harassment linked
An extra beer or glass of wine during a workday lunch or happy hour may seem harmless. But a new Cornell University study shows that when alcohol consumption in and around the workplace increases, so does the risk of harassment of women by male co-workers. The study, "Harassing Under the Influence: Male Drinking Norms and Behaviors and the Gender Harassment of Female Coworkers," points to the dangers of workplace cultures that tolerate drinking and offers sobering lessons to both workers and employers. The R. Brinkley Smithers Institute for Alcohol-Related Workplace Studies at Cornell's School of Industrial and Labor Relations conducted the study, and the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse sponsored it. (March 24, 2004)

AmeriCorps*VISTA is recruiting locally for new members
The Cornell Public Service Center and the United Way of Tompkins County are recruiting locally for new AmeriCorps*VISTA members to serve in the Tompkins, Tioga and Schuyler county communities. AmeriCorps is a federally funded network of national service programs that engage 50,000 Americans each year. VISTA stands for Volunteers in Service to America and is often referred to as the "domestic Peace Corps." Since the early 1960s, the VISTA program has embedded volunteers for one-year terms within low-income communities to help address critical issues related to poverty. In 1993, VISTA formally joined the AmeriCorps network, and today nearly 6,000 AmeriCorps*VISTA members serve in hundreds of nonprofit organizations and public agencies throughout the United States. (March 24, 2004)

Laser inventor Charles Townes to speak at Cornell March 29, 31
Nobel laureate Charles Townes, inventor of the laser and in recent years an astronomical explorer using an array of moveable infrared telescopes, will present the Thomas Gold lectures in Schwartz Auditorium in Rockefeller Hall at Cornell University next week. Townes, who is University Professor of Physics emeritus at the University of California-Berkeley, will present his first lecture, "Characteristics of old stars measured by infrared interferometry" -- aimed at a specialized audience -- on Monday, March 29. His second lecture, "Logic and uncertainties in science and religion" -- for a more general audience -- is on Wednesday, March 31. Both lectures start at 4:30 p.m. and are free and open to the public. (March 24, 2004)

New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell researchers discover growth factor combo that protects heart after attack
New York, NY (March 23, 2004) -- Injecting a combination of growth factors can protect the heart during a heart attack, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center researchers report in this month's issue of the Journal of Experimental Medicine.The finding, in an animal model, may one day help keep heart cell damage to a minimum after a heart attack.

Two Cornell scientists receive Sloan Fellowships
Two members of the Cornell University faculty have been awarded prestigious Sloan Foundation Research Fellowships. They are Fernando Escobedo and Rasmus Nielsen, assistant professors of chemical engineering and biometrics, respectively. The two are among 116 young scientists and economists selected as 2004 Sloan fellows, representing faculty from 51 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. The fellowships, totaling $4.64 million this year, allow scientists to continue their research with awards of $40,000 each over two years. Fellows are free to pursue whatever lines of inquiry are of most interest to them. (March 23, 2004)

Franz Kafka's 'The Trial' is required reading for new students in 2004
"Someone must have slandered Joseph K., for one morning, without having done anything truly wrong, he was arrested." So begins The Trial, Franz Kafka's prophetic -- some have argued comically absurd -- novel. And so, too, begins the first chapter in Cornell University's fourth annual New Student Reading Project. Written in 1914, The Trial will be required reading for more than 3,000 incoming freshman and transfer students this fall. And more than 20,000 alumni also will join in what has become an annual rite of passage for new students. If previous reading projects are any indication, students and faculty, as well as the Cornell and Ithaca communities, will have plenty to say about Kafka's prescient masterpiece. (March 23, 2004)

Martha Van Rensselaer to be inducted into National 4-H Hall of Fame
Martha Van Rensselaer (1864-1932), co-founder of the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University, will be inducted posthumously into the National 4-H Hall of Fame during the National 4-H Conference ceremonies March 22-23 in Chevy Chase, Md. Van Rensselaer is being honored as a significant early contributor to 4-H programs in New York state. She was the first state club leader in 1915 and was influential in the development of literature on nutrition and other home economics-related areas used in early 4-H programming for girls. Her support was critical in expanding 4-H throughout New York state, says Patsy Brannon, dean of the College of Human Ecology. (March 19, 2004)

Cornell Recruitment Partnership launched as gateway to career opportunities at the university
Cornell University is joining with organizations that offer career and employment services to form the Cornell Recruitment Partnership. The partnership was created to offer a new, inclusive gateway to career opportunities at Cornell. The objective of the Cornell Recruitment Partnership (CRP), organizers say, is to promote career opportunities at Cornell through strategic, diverse and communication-focused partnerships with local, regional and national career-services organizations that help connect talented people with career opportunities. The CRP's efforts will expand on earlier employment initiatives spearheaded by Cornell's offices of Workforce Diversity, Equity and Life Quality and Community Relations and will increase access to career opportunities at Cornell. (March 18, 2004)

George Boiardi, 22, Cornell senior and lacrosse player, dies after being struck by ball during game
George Boiardi, a Cornell University senior student, was struck in the chest with a lacrosse ball late in the fourth quarter of a game against Binghamton University last night (March 17) at Cornell's Schoellkopf Field. He collapsed, and medical personnel tried to revive him on the field. He was rushed to Cayuga Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 6:44 p.m. Boiardi, 22, a history major in the College of Arts and Sciences, was a four-year starter and one of the four captains on the varsity lacrosse team. (March 18, 2004)

Policy changes are needed for New York economic woes
A new study of upstate New York's economy by three Cornell University faculty members confirms that the region continues to lag behind much of the rest of the nation and, as a result, is losing its best and brightest young people to regions with more better-paying jobs in vibrant urban centers. The only bright spots in the otherwise bleak report are higher education and health care. The report quantifies how the region has never fully rebounded from the deindustrialization that began in the 1970s and continues to the present. Today, upstate remains far behind the national average in income and job growth, with average wages rising little more than 2 percent from 1980 to 2000, compared with 15 percent in the rest of the nation. However, the report also shows that jobs in the region are beginning to diversify -- a positive change. The researchers call for concerted state policy efforts backed by federal support to spur further economic health. (March 18, 2004)

$300,000 USAID grant to boost India agriculture economy
Cornell University has been awarded a $300,000, three-year grant to generate public-private sector links that will bolster agricultural productivity, exports and rural incomes in India. The grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) was awarded through the Association Liaison Office for University Cooperation in Development. Cornell will implement two development programs. First the university will offer a course, Agriculture in Developing Nations: India, in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 academic years. Cornell also will develop an executive development program in agricultural business management. (March 17, 2004)

Students set to enlighten, entertain hospitality leaders
About 300 people who run the world's reigning hotels and restaurants will be guests at the world's largest teaching hotel this April 1-4. Many of them also got their first training at that hotel, the Statler, which is linked to Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration. For current Cornell Hotel School students, the 79th annual Hotel Ezra Cornell is the defining event of their undergraduate experience. In addition to showcasing their culinary and presentation skills, the extravaganza includes educational panels on pressing issues in the hospitality industry. It also offers students an opportunity to network with the executives while running both a hotel and a major conference themselves. (March 17, 2004)

Design for Library of Life symbolizes Middle East peace
99th KILOMETER MARKER, ISRAEL/JORDAN BORDER -- Flying over this 150-acre speck in the desert, it is possible to imagine a near-perfect circle ringed by two green arcs. Approach by land, and imagine the arcs enlarging to groves of olive trees, a spiraling tower behind them. After it is completed, in about five years, the tower eventually will be home to the world's most advanced database, the Library of Life. The entire complex itself, called the Bridging the Rift Center (BTR), will be a symbol in the desert between Israel and Jordan, seeking, as its name indicates, to create a bridge between two divided societies. (March 16, 2004)

Gay marriage will be the topic of a public debate April 6
The hot topic of gay marriage in the United States will be the focus of a debate at Cornell University between two noted advocates on opposite sides of the issue. Elizabeth Birch, attorney and former executive director of the Human Rights Campaign, and Robert H. Knight, director of the Culture and Family Institute, will square off on the subject April 6 at 8 p.m. in the Statler Auditorium. The debate is free and open to the public, but tickets are required and they will be available beginning March 16 at the Willard Straight Hall ticket office, on campus. (March 15, 2004)

Warning! There be dragons at Cornell March 18
Cornell University experts predict that the 103rd dragon spawned on campus will emerge from its lair Thursday, March 18, and they have issued a dragon warning and road-closure alert. Vehicular access to central campus will be restricted from 12:30 to approximately 3:30 p.m. Buses could be rerouted or delayed when the dragon emerges from its lair in Rand Hall at approximately 1 p.m. The dragon will travel east on University Avenue, then south on East Avenue, then west on Campus Road. It will lumber through Ho Plaza and enter the Arts Quad, between Uris and Olin libraries, before proceeding to the south side of Rand Hall. (March 15, 2004)

Century-old mysteries addressed at 101st meeting of the Society of Experimental Psychologists, March 18-20
Why do autistic children avoid eye contact? What makes airline pilots steer the wrong way between the runway and the terminal? How did an International Space Station astronaut help explain why the horizon moon appears larger than the zenith moon? And whatever happened to the scientific discipline, the psychophysics of climate? More than two dozen questions like these, some nearly as old as the Society of Experimental Psychologists (SEP) itself, might finally find answers when researchers gather for the organization's 101st meeting, March 18-20, at Cornell University's Ithaca campus. (March 12, 2004)

'Natural rendering' of downer cattle called economical alternative by Cornell compost experts
Farmers caught in the middle -- between the recent federal ban against "downer" animals in the human food chain, as ordered by the United Stated Department of Agriculture (USDA), and rising costs for disposing of cattle that can't walk to slaughter -- now have a practical and economical alternative, according to waste-management experts at Cornell University. Natural rendering, also known as composting of whole animal carcasses on the farm, is economical and environmentally sound for all downer cattle that do not show signs of neurological disease, such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or mad cow disease), say compost researchers who tested the technique at the Cornell Waste Management Institute. (March 12, 2004)

Gay marriage: pros watch CNN, antis watch Fox
As gay couples rush to the altar and the White House backs a constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriages, a poll by Cornell University researchers shows that voters who favor gay marriage tend to be young, educated and earn a comfortable living. And they tend to watch CNN. Voters who oppose gay marriage are usually older, less educated, vote Republican and are not as wealthy. And they tend to watch Fox News. (March 11, 2004)

Urban youth don't feel respected, cared about or trusted
More than half the urban teenagers surveyed in a study by a Cornell University researcher say they feel disconnected from their community. The reasons for this come, in part, from feeling discriminated against by unknown adults on the streets, in businesses and by the police. The young people also report feeling disconnected from their schools. The older the students, the less connected they say they feel. (March 10, 2004)

Study on sub-millimeter telescope on Chile mountain
Cornell University and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have signed an agreement committing the two institutions to collaborate on the planning for a 25-meter infrared telescope high in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The universities will focus on the first phase of telescope development, says Riccardo Giovanelli, professor of astronomy at Cornell and project director. During the $2 million study phase, Cornell and Caltech researchers will outline the technical and financial resources required to construct the new telescope. Fred Young, an active Cornell alumnus and retired businessman from Racine, Wisc., will fund most of Cornell's share of the study. (March 09, 2004)

Cornell trustees to meet in Ithaca, March 10--12
The Cornell University Board of Trustees will meet in Ithaca, March 10-12. The full board will have a brief open session beginning at 9 a.m. Friday, March 12, in B09 Sage Hall on the Cornell campus. Topics will include a report from President Jeffrey Lehman; a report on the Student Assembly by its president, junior Nicholas J. Linder; a report on the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly by the assembly's president, Gavin J. Hurley; and approval of construction of the Riley-Robb North Wing renovation. (March 09, 2004)

Kavli Institute will explore future of nanoscale science
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- A $7.5 million grant to Cornell University from Fred Kavli and the Kavli Foundation of Oxnard, Calif., will endow the newly established Kavli Institute for Nanoscale Science, foundation and university officials announced today (March 10, 2004) in New York City. The institute will be based on the Cornell campus in Ithaca, N.Y., where there is a nationally recognized concentration of nanoscale-related research. The Kavli think tank will aim to address the major challenges and opportunities for science at the atomic and molecular scale: to bring together the world's seminal thinkers in nanoscale science; to foster a collaborative, multidisciplinary research community at Cornell; and to define a path for progress in creating significant new science. (March 09, 2004)

Identities, politics and culture shift in EU's 'new' Europe
When the European Union (EU) was established in 1992 from the framework of the European Community, Europe became a geographical space where territory, membership and identity keep shifting, according to a Cornell University sociologist. In a new book, Europe Without Borders: Remapping Territory, Citizenship, and Identity in a Transnational Age (Johns Hopkins Press), Cornell associate professor of sociology Mabel Berezin takes an interdisciplinary look at the challenges that the EU poses for European politics, culture and society. She and her co-editor, New York University professor Martin Schain (Cornell Ph.D. '71), focus on the subject with experts in sociology, political science, psychology and anthropology. (March 09, 2004)

Physician-scientists obtain embryo after breast cancer patient's ovarian tissue is frozen, stored for six years, then reimplanted under abdominal skin
New York, NY (March 3, 2004) -- For the first time, physician-scientists at the Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility (CRMI) of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center have taken a breast cancer patient's ovarian tissue that was frozen for six years, reimplanted it under her abdominal skin, and obtained an embryo from eggs collected from the tissue.The unique achievement raises the possibility that women or girls who are about to undergo chemotherapy, radiation, or other ovary-damaging treatments can have their ovaries removed, frozen, and possibly used to restore fertility or reverse menopause at a later date. Some treatments used for cancer and other health conditions can destroy any chance of future pregnancy and create premature menopause in women.

Cancer biologist Ira Mellman will present seminar on epithelial cells March 12
Ira Mellman, the Sterling Professor of Cell Biology and Immunobiology, and chair of the Department of Cell Biology at Yale University's School of Medicine, will present a seminar, "Generation and Maintenance of Epithelial Cell Polarity," Friday, March 12, at 4 p.m. in Cornell University's Biotechnology Building, Room G10. The lecture is free and open to the public. The seminar is part of Cancer Biology Lectures, a formal series of seminars by outstanding cancer researchers hosted by the Cornell University/Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Partnership and Cornell's Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. (March 08, 2004)

Thomas W. Bruce is named vice president for communications and media relations
Thomas W. Bruce, an experienced international public affairs professional whose 25 years in the nation's capital encompass policymaking on Capitol Hill, diplomacy and international consulting as well as a stint as the anchor of a national public affairs cable television show, has been named vice president for communications and media relations at Cornell University by President Jeffrey S. Lehman, subject to approval of the Board of Trustees. He will join Cornell in early April."I am delighted that Tommy Bruce is bringing his skills in formulating high-level communications and advocacy programs to Cornell," said Lehman. "He understands viscerally the academic values that define our great university. And, he has the kind of subtle, sensitive mind that is required to project those values with force and integrity, nuance and clarity." Bruce brings to Cornell a wide array of experience in creating and managing large-scale advocacy campaigns in the areas of international and domestic business, politics and public policy. His previous work includes establishing the Moscow-based national outreach program that secured public support for privatization in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union, advocating in support of free trade between Chile and the United States, and designing political communications strategies on behalf of select national governments and Fortune 100 companies. (March 8, 2004)

Acclaimed poet Kate Light to give public reading on campus March 10
Kate Light, 2004 visiting writer in the Cornell University Department of English, will give a poetry reading Wednesday, March 10, at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium at 3330 Carol Tatkon Center on North Campus. The reading is free and open to the public, and a reception will follow. Light is the author of The Laws of Falling Bodies, winner of the 1997 Nicholas Roerich Prize from Story Line Press, Open Slowly (Zoo Press, 2003) and Oceanophony, a full-length concert collaboration with composer Bruce Adolphe. (March 5, 2004)

Cornell President Lehman names Vanda McMurtry vice president for government and community relations
Vanda Bruce McMurtry has been named vice president for government and community relations at Cornell University by President Jeffrey S. Lehman, subject to approval of the Board of Trustees. McMurtry will report to the president and work closely with the rest of the academic and administrative leadership of the university. His responsibilities will include directing Cornell's legislative efforts, coordinating the university's associations with local, state, and federal governments, and providing leadership for interactions with community organizations. A lawyer who has held significant positions with the U.S. Congress and has worked with many federal regulatory agencies, McMurtry will join Cornell at the end of March. He is an alumnus of Cornell, with a master's degree (1975) and doctorate in philosophy (1979). (March 5, 2004)

Former President William J. Clinton to speak during 136th Commencement weekend May 29-30
The Honorable William Jefferson Clinton, 42nd president of the United States, will present the Senior Convocation address Saturday, May 29, during Cornell University's Commencement weekend. Cornell will celebrate its 136th Commencement Sunday, May 30. University President Jeffrey S. Lehman will present his first commencement address and confer degrees at that ceremony. (March 4, 2004)

Discover your inner green thumb at Cornell Gardening Day in Canandaigua, N.Y., March 27
Cornell Gardening Day will be held Saturday, March 27, at Canandaigua Middle School, Canandaigua, N.Y. The event, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., is organized by Cornell University's Department of Horticulture and the Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Master Gardeners of Ontario County, N.Y. The program will include a choice of more than 30 lectures and workshops. Topics include growing culinary herbs from around the world, vegetable garden pest management, shady-site gardening, developing a home greenhouse, ecological lawn care, garden photography, home composting, designing flower beds, tree propagation, container gardens and "soil creatures at work in your garden." (March 04, 2004)

Nutrition education helps stretch meager food budgets
The United States might control much of the planet's wealth, but more than 10 percent of its households don't always have enough food to eat. One way to reduce the incidence of families running out of food, a significant nutrition study at Cornell University has found, is education in food selection and resource management. That education can help families cope with limited food budgets may come as a surprise to economists, says Jamie Dollahite, associate professor of nutritional sciences at Cornell and the director of New York state's Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). "Economists point out that food insecurity arises primarily from economic constraints, and therefore, they would expect nutrition education to have little impact on food insecurity," she says. Food insecurity is defined as "the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways." (March 03, 2004)

University Lecture, March 11, launches Vagantes Medieval Studies Conference
Richard A. Landes, professor of history and director of the Center for Millennial Studies at Boston University, will give a University Lecture titled "When Adam Delved and Eve Span: Demotic Christianity and the Economic Expansion of Europe, 11th-13th Centuries," Thursday, March 11, at 4:30 p.m. in Kaufmann Auditorium of Goldwin Smith Hall on the Cornell University campus. The talk is free and open to the public. Landes' lecture serves to launch the third annual Vagantes Conference in Medieval Studies, to be held this year for the first time at Cornell. Vagantes is an annual meeting established in conjunction with Harvard University and the University of Toronto by and for graduate students from across the country and elsewhere, studying the Middle Ages in a wide variety of ways. The full conference program can be accessed at . (March 03, 2004)

Weill Cornell receives $950,000 grant for study of mantle cell lymphoma treatment
New York, NY (February 27, 2004) -- A $950,000 grant to fund the study of a new treatment approach for mantle cell lymphoma was recently awarded to Weill Cornell Medical College by the Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF). Lymphoma is the most common blood cancer and the third most common childhood cancer. Mantle cell lymphoma is a less common but particularly aggressive form of the disease.The Weill Cornell grant is part of $12.8 million in new LRF grants that will fund research into finding a cure for mantle cell lymphoma. Weill Cornell Medical College received the largest of 18 grants disbursed worldwide.

Cornell named a 'top 10' university for patents in 2003, sees bright future for technology transfer in 2004
Landing a spot in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's list, Top 10 Universities Receiving Most Patents in 2003, did not surprise technology-transfer specialists at Cornell Research Foundation (CRF), the unit that manages intellectual property for the university. "This is just one measure of a successful technology-transfer program, and all our indicators are on the increase. We're on track to do even better in 2004," says Richard S. Cahoon, senior vice president at CRF and acting director of the university's Office of Patents and Technology Marketing. (March 01, 2004)

Peter H. Raven, director of Missouri Botanical Garden, is '04 Iscol Lecturer
Peter H. Raven, the internationally known biologist who heads St. Louis' Missouri Botanical Garden, has been named as the 2004 Jill and Ken Iscol Distinguished Environmental Lecturer at Cornell University. The Cornell Center for the Environment, which presents the annual lectureship, has scheduled a general-interest speech by Raven on Thursday, April 29, at 4:30 p.m. in Call Alumni Auditorium, as well as a day of more specialized seminars, lectures and meetings for Cornell faculty, students and staff on Friday, April 30. (March 01, 2004)