O'Rourke named to panel on effects of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans
Cornell engineering professor Thomas O'Rourke has been named to a panel convened by the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering to study the effects of Hurricane Katrina and the adequacy of hurricane protection infrastructure in New Orleans. The committee will provide an independent review of the government's interagency investigation. (December 23, 2005)

Weill Cornell team identifies mechanism triggering multiple myeloma relapse
In a breakthrough discovery, researchers at Weill Medical College of Cornell University believe they have pinpointed the mechanism that triggers relapse in patients with deadly multiple myeloma.While available drugs can push the disease into temporary remission, fatal, uncontrolled cell division always re-emerges over time. Until now, the cellular mechanism driving this relapse has remained unclear. (December 23, 2005)

Vet College is caring for dogs poisoned by contaminated food
Several dogs from the Rochester area suffered liver damage after ingesting commercial dog food contaminated with a fungal toxin, according to veterinarians at Cornell University's Hospital for Animals, where the dogs are being treated. (December 23, 2005)

Shape of glass influences how much alcohol is poured
People, including professional bartenders, pour 20 to 30 percent more liquor into short, squat glasses than into tall, thin ones, finds a study by Cornell Professor Brian Wansink, published in a December 2005 issue of the British Medical Journal. Wansink thinks the vertical-horizontal optical illusion is the reason. (December 22, 2005)

Searchers key in on ivory-billed woodpecker habitat
The Big Woods of Arkansas provides rare suitable habitat for the ivory-billed woodpecker, including old-growth forest that was decimated from the southern United States after the Civil War. (December 22, 2005)

Risk/benefit analysis of farmed versus wild salmon
The benefits of eating wild Pacific salmon outweigh the risks because it has fewer cancer-causing contaminants than farmed salmon, but the risks of eating farmed Atlantic salmon outweigh the benefits for some people, say Barbara Knuth and Steven Schwager of Cornell University in a benefit-risk analysis in November's Journal of Nutrition. (December 22, 2005)

New labels help you have your fish and eat it, too
To help consumers make informed choices about contaminants in fish, Cornell Professor Barbara Knuth serves as a scientific adviser to Seafood Safe, a new voluntary fish-labeling program for companies, retailers and restaurants. (December 22, 2005)

Scientifically based research needs to underpin education
In the new book 'The No Child Left Behind Legislation: Educational Research and Federal Funding,' Cornell Professor Valerie Reyna asserts that new mandates for scientifically based educational programs will improve education, and other experts challenge her. (December 22, 2005)

Food insecurity impairs academic development of children
When young school-age children do not always have enough to eat, their academic development -- especially reading -- suffers, finds a new longitudinal by Edward Frongillo of Cornell University. The study is published in the December issue of the Journal of Nutrition (2005: 135,12). (December 22, 2005)

Book looks at improving health-care access for disabled
Almost 20 percent of Americans -- and 42 percent of those over age 65 -- live with a disability, and the numbers are growing as baby boomers age. Taking a positive approach, a new book says that people with disabilities can overcome many of the barriers that prevent them from obtaining optimal and efficient health care. (December 22, 2005)

Meredith Small wins 2005 Anthropology in Media Award
Meredith F. Small, professor of anthropology at Cornell, is the recipient of the 2005 Anthropology in Media Award from the American Anthropology Association (AAA) for 'the successful communication of anthropology to the general public through the media.' (December 22, 2005)

Kathy Zoner named assistant director of Cornell University Police
Capt. Kathy Zoner, a 14-year veteran of Cornell University Police, has been named assistant director. She is the highest ranking woman in the department's history. (December 22, 2005)

Personal stockpiling may lead to Tamiflu-resistant influenza
A perspective article in the Dec. 22 New England Journal of Medicine by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center's Dr. Anne Moscona explores why personal stockpiles and improper use of oseltamivir (Tamiflu) may cause drug-resistant strains of influenza to surface. (December 22, 2005)

Images from a memorable year at Cornell University
2005 was an event-filled year for Cornell University, from the arrival of Gulf Coast students fleeing Hurricane Katrina, to the rediscovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker in Arkansas, to the biggest surprise of all, the sudden resignation of President Jeffrey Lehman. (December 21, 2005)

Professorship honors student killed in Lockerbie bombing
Cornell University is using a $3.8 million settlement from the Libyan government to establish an endowed professorship in memory of Kenneth J. Bissett, who died in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988. (December 20, 2005)

Winter grads enjoy personal touch at Barton Hall ceremony
A recognition ceremony for January 2006 graduates was held Dec. 17 in Barton Hall. About 200 undergraduates, 25 master's degree candidates and 10 Ph.D. candidates participated. (December 20, 2005)

Letter to the editor: End rhetoric against intelligent design
In a letter to the editor, Barry Schutter '94 calls on scientists to end the rhetoric against intelligent design. (December 19, 2005)

Cornell Costume and Textile Collection features 9,000 items
The Cornell Costume and Textile Collection has more than 9,000 items of apparel, dating from the 18th century to the present, as well as a substantial collection of ethnographic textiles and costumes. It features an online catalog and 3-D photo images of highlighted items. (December 15, 2005)

Spending summer at the Gateways to a bright future
The Gateways to the Laboratory Program invites a select group of minority and disadvantaged college students to participate in 10 weeks of research at Weill Cornell Medical College and Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Sloan-Kettering Institute and Rockefeller University, granting them a unique opportunity and boosting their odds of getting into an M.D. or Ph.D. graduate program after college. (December 15, 2005)

OR-Manhattan sets up shop in NYC's Financial District
The Engineering College's School of Operations Research and Industrial Engineering is using advanced algorithms and high-performance computing to solve some of society's very large-scale problems, in public health, finance and companies' supply chains. It will do this through collaborations with the public sector and academic institutions, including Weill Cornell Medical College. (December 15, 2005)

Elusive ivory-billed woodpecker is everywhere and nowhere
As staffers hired by Cornell's Lab of Ornithology and volunteers gear up for a six-month search for the ivory-billed woodpecker, residents of Brinkley, Ark., may be wondering why it is so hard to find. (December 14, 2005)

'We're already out of the blocks': Laura Toy on the capital campaign
As Cornell plans for its next capital campaign, interim Vice President for Alumni Affairs and Development Laura Toy talked with the Chronicle about the challenges and expectations for the fund-raising effort, expected to be launched in fall 2006. (December 14, 2005)

Revive the holiday tradition: Save a kilowatt!
As energy bills soar, members of the campus community are urged to take extra steps to reduce electricity consumption over winter break. (December 14, 2005)

Change your computer backup and help save $1.5 million
If you have ever lost a computer file, you know backup systems are crucial. But usually they come at a price: Either they slow down the system during the day, or they waste energy by requiring that computers be left on. Staff members in the Division of Facilities Services solved both problems, and if other departments follow their example, Cornell could save some $1.5 million a year in energy costs. (December 14, 2005)

Taking a new chip from invention to start-up takes teamwork
It's so common that it's almost a cliché: To start a high-tech company, you need to team a scientist with a business person. Associate Professor Rajit Manohar has found a way to increase the speed of computer chips. When he described his idea to business consultant and neighbor John Lofton Holt, Achronix Semiconductor was born. (December 14, 2005)

Letter to the editor: Human design and the epiglottis
In a letter to the editor, Martin Kurlich of Endwell, N.Y., takes exception to Professor Paul Sherman's view that there is a lack of intelligent design in the human respiratory and digestive systems. (December 14, 2005)

CU in the City: Courting the Big Apple
From receptions to lectures to the circus, Cornell has an active presence in New York City. (December 14, 2005)

Search continues for ivory-billed woodpecker
On Dec. 12, officials from Cornell University's Lab of Ornithology, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Nature Conservancy and other agencies held a press conference at a hunting lodge outside of Brinkley, Ark., to announce that a new search for the Ivory-billed woodpecker was now in full swing. (December 13, 2005)

Rawlings will attend U.S. education summit in January
Cornell President Hunter Rawlings will be part of a select group of university presidents participating at the U.S. University Presidents' Summit in Washington, D.C., in January. Rawlings was invited to attend by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, who are hosting the summit. (December 13, 2005)

Faculty members of Presidential Search Committee send update
In a memo to the Cornell University faculty Dec. 9, faculty members of the Presidential Search Committee provided a short update on the search process. (December 13, 2005)

Sam Leonard, pioneer of endocrinology, becomes a centenarian
Sam Leonard, who turned 100 on Nov. 26, played a role in one of the most significant medical advances of last century -- the birth control pill -- that liberated women's attitudes toward sex and launched the swinging '60s. (December 13, 2005)

Tulane father-daughter Katrina survivors bid fond farewell to CU
Tulane University musicologist John Joyce and his daughter, Maggie, an undergrad at Tulane, are returning to that New Orleans campus after spending the semester at Cornell. (December 13, 2005)

CU signs MOU with Indian Council of Agricultural Research
Susan Henry, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Dec. 12. Many of the Indian visitors were affiliated with the new Knowledge Initiative in Agriculture, an agreement between India and the United States. (December 13, 2005)

New e-newsletter reaches out to CU alumni, parents and friends
Cornell E-News, a new monthly electronic newsletter for alumni, parents and friends of the university, is the result of a collaborative effort between the Division of Alumni Affairs and Development and the Division of University Communications. (December 13, 2005)

Grande outlines 'Red Pedagogy,' teaching democracy and colonialism
Author and educator Sandy Grande lectured on democracy and colonialism as it relates to both current events and the history of American Indians in "At the Crossroads of Democracy and Sovereignty: The Indigenization of America," Dec. 1 at Cornell. (December 13, 2005)

Cornell United Way campaign is at 90 percent of goal
With the holiday season now in full swing, the 2005 Cornell United Way Campaign is well on its merry way to meeting its goal of $627,000. (December 13, 2005)

Study to look at agricultural pollution in broad context
Laurie Drinkwater of Cornell University is leading a $1.6 million, multi-institution National Science Foundation study to determine the correlation between biogeochemical processes in agriculture pollution and institutional responses to the problem. (December 13, 2005)

Diversity Digest: Bias response program in its fifth year
This month marks the fifth year of Cornell University's bias response program. The universitywide program addresses bias activities based on race, national origin, sexual orientation and gender that were not previously addressed through existing discrimination complaint processes. (December 13, 2005)

Tracking plagiarism in online product reviews
Positive bias in online consumer reviews has become almost standard industry practice, but plagiarizing user reviews and passing them off as authentic is another animal altogether, says a new Cornell study that has been tracking that other animal. (December 12, 2005)

Cornell University Press author wins $200,000 award
Cornell University Press author Fiona Terry, writer of "Condemned to Repeat? The Paradox of Humanitarian Action," has received the 2006 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for "Ideas Improving World Order." (December 09, 2005)

Weill Cornell team identifies key players in 'pre-metastasis'
NEW YORK (Dec. 7, 2005) -- Turning a corner in the history of cancer research, a Weill Medical College of Cornell University team, led by Dr. David Lyden, has pinpointed key players in "pre-metastasis" -- cells and compounds that coalesce in tumor-specific niches before the arrival of cancer cells to create the "fertile ground" metastasis needs to spread and grow. The research is being published in the December 8 issue of Nature.

Controlling listeria is focus of project, funded by USDA
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded a $2 million grant to Cornell University, Colorado State University and the University of Nebraska to examine ways to control the deadly foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. Colorado State will be the lead institution on this project, and Cornell's Martin Wiedmann, professor of food science, will serve as the co-primary investigator. (December 7, 2005)

Flu shots are available again, by appointment only
Gannett Health Services is again scheduling appointments for faculty, staff and students for flu vaccines after temporarily halting appointments due to a shortage from the vaccine suppliers. Call 255-5155 to schedule an appointment. (December 7, 2005)

Intelligent design? No smart engineer designed our bodies, Sherman says
Cornell evolutionary biologist Paul Sherman teaches his Darwinian medicine class hoping to inform premedical and pre-veterinary seniors about human evolution in ways that add to traditional medical education. (December 07, 2005)

Cornell students serve as mentors to build virtual worlds
About 18 Cornell University students hired by the Cornell Theory Center for its SciFair outreach program serve as online mentors to middle and high school students across the nation to help them research, design and build virtual worlds based on such issues as Mars exploration and the human genome project. (December 07, 2005)

Changes to campus parking system raised at faculty-student forum
At the second of six forums held by the University Assembly to seek input from the Cornell community about transportation, parking and sustainability issues on Dec. 1, four panelists fielded questions from about 25 faculty, staff and students in Kaufmann Auditorium in Goldwin Smith Hall. (December 07, 2005)

Rites of Passage exhibit adapts technique from 15th-century Japan
Students in a sophomore design studio interpreted techniques from 15th-century Japan to create new spaces by "slowing time down" through obstruction of movement. Their exhibit, for example, featured a 'mouse hole' among other pathways. (December 07, 2005)

Pssst! Buildings across campus are getting energy savvy
Cornell's buildings have been getting makeovers recently. Some have had their heating, ventilation and cooling systems overhauled and refined. Others have had occupancy sensors and variable speed drives installed to curb wastage. Didn't notice? Well, that's kind of the point. (December 06, 2005)

Cornell complies with new state law on notification about stolen data
In compliance with a new New York state law, Cornell University will notify anyone whose personal data may have been compromised by a computer break-in. (December 06, 2005)

Northeast LambdaRail will connect New York and New England schools
Cornell University is the focal point of Northeast LambdaRail, an organization that will enable educational institutions in New York and New England to connect to National LambdaRail, a high-bandwidth fiber-optic network dedicated to scientific research. (December 06, 2005)

Novel course explores Cornell's rich literary legacy
Cornell students dove headlong this semester into the works of some of the university's most acclaimed writers, including alums Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Toni Morrison and Thomas Pynchon. (December 06, 2005)

Sloppy Slope Jolt perks up annual ice cream contest in food science
Sloppy Slope Jolt is the winning ice cream flavor in the annual ice cream-making competition in Cornell University's Food Science 101. It references Cornell's Libe slope -- caffeine for studying and the indulgence of Slope Day with brownies, hazelnuts and caramel. (December 06, 2005)

Crocheting curved space to illustrate indescribable geometry
Daina Taimina, a Cornell mathematician and visiting scholar, uses crocheted models to teach hyperbolic geometry. (December 06, 2005)

Larry Walker receives NYSTAR money for biofuel research
Larry Walker, professor of biological and environmental engineering, has been awarded $750,000 by the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research to explore the use of plant and microbial resources to produce biofuels, industrial chemicals, natural products and other consumer goods. (December 6, 2005)

Letter: Gifts that counter terrorism
In a letter to the editor, David Stapleton, director of Cornell's Institute for Policy Research and board member of Our Voices Together, encourages giving gifts that make a difference. (December 6, 2005)

Rawlings to address Executive Committee at meeting Dec. 8
The Executive Committee of the Cornell University Board of Trustees will hold a brief open session when it meets Thursday, Dec. 8, at 2 p.m. in the Fall Creek Room of the Cornell Club of New York, 6 E. 44th St., New York City. (December 6, 2005)

CU Winds to reach out to young musicians in Costa Rica
Children at a small rural music school in Costa Rica will receive like-new instruments and one-on-one lessons when the Cornell University Wind Ensemble tours there in January. (December 05, 2005)

Plant pathologist, horticultural scientist and milk team honored
Robin Bellinder, Tom Zitter and the Dairy Food Extension Team received research and extension awards from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences on Nov. 17. (December 05, 2005)

Michael Latham receives lifetime achievement award
Michael C. Latham, professor emeritus and graduate school professor of nutritional sciences at Cornell University, will be honored with the 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Public Health Association on Dec. 13. (December 05, 2005)

Ronnie Coffman receives International Service Award
W. Ronnie Coffman, international professor and chair of plant breeding and genetics and director of International Programs for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell, received the American Society of Agronomy's 2005 International Service in Agronomy Award for outstanding contributions to agronomy. (December 05, 2005)

CU co-hosts avian flu conference to forge collaborations
Avian flu experts emphasized the importance of dialogue and coordination among people in public health, animal health and wildlife management as essential preparation for a possible avian influenza pandemic, during a conference organized by Cornell University and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars on Nov. 30. (December 02, 2005)

Blockbuster movies turn to Cornell for sound effects
When sound designers needed natural sounds for "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," released Nov. 18, they called Cornell's Macaulay Library at the Lab of Ornithology. The library of natural sounds and associated video has become an increasingly popular resource for moviemakers. (December 01, 2005)

People in committed relationships are happier
Having a romantic relationship makes both men and women happier -- and the stronger the relationship's commitment, the greater the happiness and sense of well-being of its partners, according to a study by Cornell University's Claire Kamp Dush. (December 01, 2005)

Cornell's health services center is short on flu vaccine
Cornell's Gannett Health Services shares the predicament of many health providers in the state -- unfilled orders and limited shipments of flu vaccine from suppliers. (December 01, 2005)