News
June 2005
Index to all monthsFor the full text of any story, click on the headline. Electronic queries may be made to cunews@cornell.edu.
Houck celebrates NASA award with colleagues
Jim Houck, the Kenneth A. Wallace Professor of Astronomy at Cornell University and developer and principal investigator for the Spitzer Space Telescope's infrared spectrograph, received NASA's Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on June 22 for his work on the spectrograph. (June 30, 2005)
Studying mosquitoes that carry dengue fever
Laura Harrington, a medical entomologist at Cornell University, is a member of a global team of scientists that has been offered a $19.7 million grant from the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. The team is working on devising and deploying novel genetic strategies to control the Aedes aegypti mosquito that transmits dengue fever.(June 30, 2005)
Stolen gene allows insect virus to enter cells
A gene enabling an insect virus to enter new cells was likely stolen from a host cell and adapted for the virus's use, researchers at Boyce Thompson Institute report. (June 30, 2005)
Memorial services for Carol Buckley to be held July 3
Carol Jean Buckley, a student services supervisor in Cornell University's Olin Library and member of the Cornell Savoyards, died at her home on June 24. She was 40. (June 30, 2005)
Schoellkopf Stadium crescent closed for renovations
The historic crescent that frames the eastern side of Schoellkopf Stadium at Cornell University will be closed until Aug. 31 for renovation work. People using the crescent to view fireworks displays will have to arrange for an alternative viewing site. (June 29, 2005)
Conviction in 1964 Mississippi civil rights killings brings sense of closure to Cornell
"I was frightened, and I was devastated," said Burt Neuborne '61, recalling the murder of one of his Cornell University classmates, Michael Schwerner '61, and two other civil rights workers at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in Mississippi during the summer of 1964. (June 28, 2005)
Hundreds of Cornellians gather to wish Lehman and wife 'Fond Farewell'
Several hundred people -- faculty, staff, administrators and friends -- gathered in Duffield Hall's atrium on the Cornell campus June 28 to thank President Jeffrey S. Lehman and his wife, Kathy Okun, for two years of service. Lehman announced his surprise resignation, effective June 30, at Reunion Weekend June 11. (June 28, 2005)
Mental processing is continuous, not like a computer
The theory that the mind works like a computer, in a series of distinct stages, was an important steppingstone in cognitive science, but it has outlived its usefulness, concludes a new Cornell University study. Instead, the mind should be thought of more as working the way biological organisms do: as a dynamic continuum, cascading through shades of grey. (June 24, 2005)
Weill Cornell breast cancer symposium discusses promise of cure on horizon
NEW YORK -- Gladys Rosenthal, a genetic counselor, opened Weill Cornell Medical College's seventh annual Breast Cancer Symposium with the good news that breast cancer is becoming a manageable disease, with new knowledge pointing the way toward a cure. (June 22, 2005)
From antiquity to eternity: Revised Hippocratic Oath resonates with graduates
NEW YORK -- Revisiting a hallowed ritual for doctors, a committee within the Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC) convened this spring to craft an updated Hippocratic Oath, one that responds to the state of modern medicine. Written in ancient Greece, the oath expresses principles still fundamental to the practice of medicine today. Over the years, it has become an emotional rite of passage in medical school graduations across the world. (June 22, 2005)
Weill Cornell's East Side ambulatory care, medical education building is 'topped out'
NEW YORK -- Just a year after groundbreaking ceremonies, the centerpiece of the Weill Cornell Medical College's (WCMC) multimillion-dollar capital campaign was recently "topped out." The Ambulatory Care and Medical Education Building at 1305 York Ave. at 70th Street will house 330,000 square feet of modern, patient-oriented facilities and amenities, including state-of-the art equipment, a comfortable welcome center and several specialty clinical practices for integrated patient care. The building is scheduled to open in the fall of 2006. (June 22, 2005)
Joyce scholars scribble, share and sing their praises of the great writer
The 2005 North American James Joyce Conference held June 14-18 at Cornell University was "bloody inspirin' fine," as the American poet Ezra Pound wrote in 1918 to the Irish author after reading an early chapter of "Ulysses." (June 22, 2005)
Joyce as hypertext: The digital age followed in his 'Wake'
James Joyce would have been right at home in 21st-century digital culture. He died in 1941, before the birth of the computer age, but his work can be seen as both a blueprint of contemporary hypermedia and a rich source for hypertextual applications, several scholars suggested at the 2005 North American James Joyce Conference, held June 14-18 at Cornell. (June 22, 2005)
Cornell grad Dan Maas creates Deep Impact animation for NASA
No one really knows what will happen when a probe from NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft collides with the comet Tempel 1 in the early morning hours of July 4. But if anyone can picture the spacecraft's journey from its Cape Canaveral launch in January to its possibly brilliant demise, it is Cornell alumnus Dan Maas '01. (June 21, 2005)
Public will watch comet collision fireworks July 4 with Cornell scientists
On July 4 from midnight to 3 a.m., the Cornell Space Sciences Building will be open to the public for a live view of the collision between a probe from NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft and the comet Tempel 1, about 133 million kilometers (83 million miles) from Earth, courtesy of NASA TV. (June 21, 2005)
Catherine Oertel uses science to preserve grand organs of Europe's cathedrals
Catherine Oertel, a postdoctoral fellow in materials chemistry at Cornell and an organist herself, is researching what is corroding Baroque-era organs in churches and cathedrals across Europe. (June 21, 2005)
Cornell's Casasola receives Presidential Early Career Award
Marianella Casasola, the Lois and Mel Tukman Endowed Assistant Professor in Human Development at Cornell, was awarded a Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering (PECASE) at the White House, June 13, for her work on studying the connections between infant language and thought by examining how language inputs from the environment influence the way children form spatial categories. (June 21, 2005)
People who stay at destination spas return happier and healthier compared with other vacationers, study shows
People who vacation at destination spas return home feeling a much greater sense of self-understanding as well as more connected to family, friends and work associates than do people who take other kinds of vacation, according to a study by Mary H. Tabacchi, associate professor at Cornell's School of Hotel Administration. (June 21, 2005)
Alumnus Robert Harrison endows Social Sciences Institute post
Robert S. Harrison '76, a Cornell trustee, has endowed the directorship of Cornell's Institute for the Social Sciences. The position currently is held by sociology Professor David Harris, who recently was named vice provost for social sciences. (June 21, 2005)
Four on faculty receive awards for student advising
Isaac Kramnick, vice provost for undergraduate education at Cornell, recently announced the 2005 winners of the Kendall S. Carpenter Memorial Advising Awards. The awards were established by Stephen Ashley, a member of the board of trustees, to honor his former adviser, Kendall S. Carpenter, a professor of business management in what is now the Department of Applied Economics and Management, from 1954 until his death at the age of 50 in 1967. (June 21, 2005)
Law School administrator to join group examining New York state bar exam
Charles D. Cramton, assistant dean for graduate legal studies at Cornell Law School since 2000, was recently appointed to a special committee taking a comprehensive look at the current New York state bar examination. The committee is charged with determining the bar exam's effectiveness in measuring professional competence and the exam's effect on law school curricula and on diversity in the judiciary and the bar. (June 21, 2005)
Fifth anniversary of Open Doors, Open Hearts, Open Minds
A week of events starting Sept. 26 will mark the fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Open Doors, Open Hearts and Open Minds statement on diversity, tolerance and inclusiveness at Cornell. (June 21, 2005)
New Museum of the Earth exhibit lets children dig for relics
Imagine yourself still a child, digging in the sand, and your shovel strikes something hard. You dig further to find the obstruction is not an average stone, but a huge dinosaur tooth. A moment later, you dig out a large claw. An event like this could happen at the Paleontological Research Institution Museum of the Earth's new exhibit that gives children the experience of a paleontological dig. (June 20, 2005)
Half a century later, Cornell's Elizabeth Earle restates her beliefs on NPR show
On the phone in her office on the fifth floor of Bradfield Hall on the Cornell University campus, wearing a print blouse patterned with leaves, plant geneticist Elizabeth Earle finished up her third press interview of the day. "That was the Associated Press," she said, hanging up the phone. But this was not her first 15 minutes of fame. (June 20, 2005)
Violent boys in unsafe conditions are less prone to depression
Researchers have known for some time that violent adolescents tend to become more depressed over time than other adolescents. And young people living in violent neighborhoods also are more subject to depression. But violent adolescent boys who also live in unsafe neighborhoods where they witness violent acts do not appear to get as depressed, according to a new Cornell study (June 20, 2005)
Microfilm project preserves war-era Vietnamese newspapers
A large collection of yellowing newsprint documenting Vietnam's war era is being archived for posterity, thanks to cooperative microfilming projects undertaken by Cornell University's Kroch Library and other institutions. (June 20, 2005)
Cornell program seeks to train people to avoid black bear conflicts
Living with neighbors takes on a whole new meaning when the neighbor is a black bear that wanders over uninvited for dinner and ransacks garbage cans, bird feeders and pet food dishes from decks and yards. That's happening more and more often throughout New York and other northeastern states. Since training wild bears isn't feasible, Cornell researchers are targeting people with a pilot program that they hope will change habits that attract bears. (June 20, 2005)
Cornell alumnae group awards three research grants
The President's Council of Cornell Women, an alumnae group that serves as an advisory council to Cornell University's president, has awarded its 2005 research grants to three women faculty members. (June 20, 2005)
Insects develop resistance to engineered crops
Genetically modified crops containing two insecticidal proteins in a single plant efficiently kill insects. But when crops engineered with just one of those toxins grow nearby, insects may more rapidly develop resistance to all the insect-killing plants, report Cornell researchers. A soil bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), whose genes are inserted into crop plants, such as maize and cotton, creates these toxins that are deadly to insects but harmless to humans. (June 17, 2005)
Cornell Board of Trustees approves Hunter Rawlings as interim president
The Cornell University Board of Trustees today unanimously approved the appointment of Hunter R. Rawlings III as interim president of the university at its meeting in New York City. Rawlings, who served as Cornell's 10th president from 1995 to 2003, will serve in an interim capacity until a new president is named. (June 16, 2005)
Web site created to report sightings of ivory-billed woodpecker
Birdwatchers can now report possible sightings of the recently rediscovered ivory-billed woodpecker on a Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology Web site: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/ivory/story17.htm. Birders can also request a reporting form by calling the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at (800) 843-2473. (June 16, 2005)
For the first time, robot assists doctors and nurses in operating room
NEW YORK (JUNE 16, 2005) -- In a successful procedure today at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/The Allen Pavilion, a robot for the first time functioned as an independent assistant to the surgical team by handing and retrieving surgical instruments. The robot performed all of its assigned functions properly, a key validation of this important new technology and a dramatic demonstration of the potential for automation in the operating room.The robot, known as the Penelope™ Surgical Instrument Server (SIS), uses innovative technology to identify surgical instruments, hand them to the surgeon, retrieve them and put them back in place. This new robot was designed and developed by Robotic Surgical Tech, Inc. (RST) of New York. The procedure performed was the removal of a benign tumor on the forearm.
President Lehman, philosophical yet saddened, explains his decision to leave
President Jeffrey Lehman sat calmly in his office on a sunny afternoon, three days after his stunning State of the University address on June 11, when he announced he would be relinquishing the Cornell presidency at the end of this month. During an interview with the Cornell Chronicle, he observed, "Cornell is a community that is working terrifically well. It is oriented toward a set of goals that are important and endurable." He was firm in stating that the fundamental goals and academic strategies being pursued by deans, faculty and staff will not change with his departure. (June 15, 2005)
Board chairman and provost assure smooth transition to interim presidency
Chairman of the Board of Trustees Peter Meinig and Provost Biddy Martin made statements to the Cornell community to assure continuity, stability and a smooth transition to Hunter Rawlings' interim presidency. (June 15, 2005)
Lehman's themes as Cornell president: sustainability, life, wisdom and a global view
Jeffrey S. Lehman '77, Cornell's 11th president, framed his presidency with the themes of life, wisdom and sustainability. Although he served the shortest presidential term in the history of Cornell, he has impacted the university in ways that will persist far beyond his tenure, from the local to the global. Lehman is credited with fortifying local town-gown relations, promoting Cornell as the land-grant institution of New York state, strengthening Cornell's ties to New York City and Washington, D.C., and launching Cornell as a truly transnational university. (June 15, 2005)
Interim President Hunter Rawlings brings continuity and commitment
Hunter R. Rawlings III, president emeritus of Cornell and currently a professor in the university's Department of Classics, will become interim president of Cornell following President Jeffrey S. Lehman's departure June 30. Subject to approval by the Cornell Board of Trustees, Rawlings will serve until the university names a new president, said Peter Meinig, chairman of the board. (June 15, 2005)
Search process will entail identifying few with 'rare experience'
As a result of Cornell University President Jeffrey S. Lehman's surprise resignation announcement last weekend, Cornell's Board of Trustees faces the challenging process of finding a 12th leader for the 140-year-old university. (June 15, 2005)
Frank Rhodes: Why university presidential terms are shrinking
There is an important point to be made about Cornell President Jeffrey Lehman's brief time in office, says President Emeritus Frank H.T. Rhodes: "I don't accept the notion that two years is too short. I think we should all look back and say [Lehman's] has been a good presidency. I give him high marks. Everyone comes out of this with great credit." (June 15, 2005)
Cornelliana Night brings reflection, optimism and donations
By Cornelliana Night on June 11, the traditional final event of Reunion Weekend at Cornell, most alumni had heard the news of President Jeffrey Lehman's resignation during his State of the University address earlier that day. They were a little dazed, and more than a little sad. "In a weekend of nostalgia, it's a dose of reality," said Ira Winsten '80. "To see him out after two years, it's a surprise." (June 15, 2005)
Architects, artists learned lifelong concepts at Cornell, panelists say
Cornell University gave Class of 1975 graduates in the College of Architecture, Art and Planning (AAP) much more than vocational training in their respective fields, said eight alumni who were part of a special panel during Reunion Weekend. It taught them big-picture problem-solving skills and exposed them to people with entirely different backgrounds and a range of ideas that touched on everything from philosophy to technology, they said. (June 15, 2005)
The bigger the serving, the more young children will eat
Contrary to what many people believe, preschool children do not adjust how much they eat in response to how much they ate at their last meal or in the past 24 hours or how calorie-rich their meal is. By far, the most powerful predictor for how much children eat is how much food is put on their plate, concludes a new study by Cornell researchers. (June 15, 2005)
Dead Chinese fungi are stars of lively Cornell exhibit
Dead things can be beautiful, and their preservation can make for a good story. Cornell's Fungi of China collection is the star of a special summer exhibition in Mann Library, with 20 colorful and dramatic digital photographs by Kent Loeffler, a Cornell plant pathology staff photographer whose work has been shown and published worldwide. (June 15, 2005)
David Lee: Balancing international economic development and local community service
Growing up on a family farm in western Massachusetts, David R. Lee internalized early the small-town New England ethic of strong civic engagement, which in many places has dramatically weakened over the years due to suburban sprawl, changes in work and family patterns and income inequality. That ethic, however, has largely shaped who Lee is today. For nearly 25 years this Cornell professor of applied economics and management has been caring about his neighbors, both far and near. (June 15, 2005)
David Harris is named Cornell vice provost for social sciences
David Harris, Cornell University professor of sociology and director of the Institute for the Social Sciences at Cornell, has been named the university's first vice provost for social sciences, Cornell Provost Biddy Martin has announced. The part-time position, which Harris will combine with his duties as director of the institute, will have a five-year term effective July 1. (June 15, 2005)
Lucky Spirit and even luckier Opportunity continue their odyssey with drama and discovery
Luck, it has been said, favors the well prepared. That explains, perhaps, the fortune of the plucky Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity -- and their creators, including Cornell Professor Steve Squyres, scientific leader of the NASA mission, back on Earth. (June 15, 2005)
Cornell Cooperative Extension works to prevent obesity in New Yorkers
Eating healthfully to prevent obesity doesn't have to cost a bundle, say experts at Cornell University, the land-grant institution of New York state. With a little know-how, which Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) offers free or at low cost across the state, New Yorkers can plan and prepare nutritious but thrifty meals and snacks and stretch their food dollars. (June 15, 2005)
Cornell and Princeton's Simon Levin is winner of 2005 Kyoto Prize
Simon A. Levin, a Cornell University professor of ecology and systematics from 1965 to 1992 and now an adjunct professor at Cornell, is the winner of the 2005 Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences, a prestigious award of international recognition. Levin is also now the George M. Moffett Professor of Biology and director of the Center for Biocomplexity at Princeton University. The prize, sponsored by the Inamori Foundation, is awarded annually to "individuals and groups worldwide who have contributed significantly to mankind's betterment." (June 15, 2005)
Summer sees Cornell students throughout the Big Apple
NEW YORK -- The symbiosis between Cornell's Ithaca and New York City campuses is never more apparent than in June. As quiet settles over the Ithaca campus and driving on East Avenue no longer is a white-knuckle affair, the "CU-NYC campus" is bursting at the seams with Cornell students participating in internships and cooperatives. (June 15, 2005)
Stepping away from e-mail for a few days? Try CIT's new Time Away Responder
Cornell Information Technologies (CIT) has announced its newest service for the campus community: Time Away Responder. If you've been waiting for this service, it's here. Time Away Responder (TAR) tells people who e-mail you that you are away (perhaps on business, vacation, or medical leave) and that you'll respond to them once you return. (June 15, 2005)
Reaching across generations, Bill Vanneman '31 helps Class of 2000 celebrate
When Bill Vanneman '31 heard that the Class of 2000 was having trouble meeting expenses for its first reunion, he did not hesitate to lend a hand -- and a buck. (June 14, 2005)
Rhodes lectures on the reunion with the terra mater
Speaking to Cornell alumni visiting their alma mater, Cornell President Emeritus Frank H.T. Rhodes talked about a reunion with the terra mater, mother Earth. Presenting the annual Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Lecture June 10 during Reunion Weekend, he urged responsible social policies for the planet. (June 14, 2005)
How Cornell got its Joyce collection: Abrams relates an 'unlikely' story
James Joyce was a "bizarre, often infuriating, but irresistibly engaging genius" who today is one of the most highly regarded 20th-century writers in English, Professor M.H. "Mike" Abrams told a gathering of alumni and friends who attended his June 9 lecture opening the Cornell Library exhibition "From Dublin to Ithaca: Cornell's James Joyce Collection." (June 13, 2005)
Tagging pathogens with synthetic DNA 'barcodes'
A supermarket checkout computer can identify thousands of different items by scanning the tiny barcode printed on the package. New technology developed at Cornell could make it just as easy to identify genes, pathogens, illegal drugs and other chemicals of interest by tagging them with color-coded probes made out of synthetic tree-shaped DNA. A research group headed by Dan Luo, Cornell assistant professor of biological engineering, has created "nanobarcodes" that fluoresce under ultraviolet light in a combination of colors that can be read by a computer scanner or observed with a fluorescent light microscope. (June 13, 2005)
Reaching for the sun, Cornell's student-designed solar house is going up
The walls are up, the roof is on and the summer crew of Cornell's Solar Decathlon Team is working hard to finish its fully functional, self-sufficient, solar-powered house. Scheduled for completion by the end of June, the only solar-powered house from an Ivy League school to enter the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) international Solar Decathlon competition will be moved to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in time for the Oct. 7 to 16 competition. (June 13, 2005)
ILR seminar considers whether foreign apparel workers have right to organize
More U.S. consumers are demanding that their brand-name sports sneakers, jeans and other apparel are manufactured in countries where workers are afforded basic rights. Concerned manufacturers have adopted social responsibility programs and codes of conduct for their overseas suppliers that can include the right of workers to organize and bargain collectively for better wages and working conditions -- often called "freedom of association" (FOA). But how well are those codes working? (June 13, 2005)
English skills, presence of family help integrate immigrant farmworkers, study finds
A study of five agricultural communities in New York state finds that Mexican immigrants comprise 95 percent of the fruits-and-vegetables agricultural workforce and that workers increasingly are choosing to settle with their families in these rural communities. In the recently published report, two Cornell researchers observe that while this newly forming population is a potential boon to areas struggling with economic downturn, their ability to integrate into their new communities is key to their long-term success. (June 13, 2005)
President Lehman announces he will step down to shocked alumni
President Jeffrey S. Lehman's State of the University address Saturday morning in Bartels Hall began as expected for a hot day in June. Newspapers used as fans in the stifling Newman Arena heat; jovial alumni, sorted by age -- 1940s and 1950s graduates in Cornell-red folding chairs; just-out-of-school 20-somethings in the bleachers behind. By the end of the address, the alumni would share sadness and shock as they digested the unexpected news: Lehman, the first Cornell alumnus to hold the university's highest office, had closed his speech by announcing his resignation after just two years as president. (June 11, 2005)
Statement by Peter Meinig on Lehman resignation
Peter C. Meinig, chairman of the Cornell University Board of Trustees, issued a statement June 11, 2005, to members of the Cornell community about the resignation of Cornell President Jeffrey S. Lehman. (June 11, 2005)
Cornell president to step down; interim president named
Cornell University President Jeffrey S. Lehman has notified the university's chairman of the Cornell Board of Trustees of his intention to step down as president of Cornell University effective June 30, citing differences with the board regarding the strategy for realizing Cornell's long-term vision. Hunter R. Rawlings III, president emeritus of Cornell and a current member of the faculty, has agreed to serve as interim president. Subject to approval by the board of trustees, Rawlings' appointment will become effective July 1, and he will serve in this role until the university names a new president. (June 11, 2005)
Activist Robert Moses calls for federal education reform at local forum
Veteran civil rights activist Robert Moses encouraged educators, parents and students to join a national debate and a movement for change in public schools in a community forum held June 7 in the Ithaca High School cafeteria. The second Community Forum on Education and Society, titled "Equity and Excellence: Quality Education as a Civil Right," was presented by Cornell University in partnership with other local educational institutions. (June 10, 2005)
Vet College celebrates opening of Pathology Teaching and Diagnostic Complex
The Pathology Teaching and Diagnostic Complex at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine has been upgraded for the first time since it was built in the 1950s. The $1 million upgrade will propel the veterinary pathology laboratory into the 21st century so it can better teach the next generation of veterinarians to diagnose infectious diseases, and better guard against such critical issues as bioterrorism. The college will celebrate the opening of the renovated complex on June 11, starting at 11 a.m. with a luncheon and ribbon-cutting at the Veterinary Research Tower on campus. (June 10, 2005)
Ristorante Banfi earns Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator
Ristorante Banfi at Cornell's Statler Hotel has received its first Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator magazine. The award will be listed in the Aug. 31 issue of the magazine. (June 10, 2005)
Education is key to preventing loss of life during tsunamis
High-tech gadgets like strategically placed ocean pressure sensors could be valuable tools for protecting residents of tsunami-prone areas. But the biggest need, says Cornell tsunami expert Philip Liu, is for sustained education so both residents and tourists understand the best ways to stay safe when a tsunami hits. In January, Liu led a team of scientists from the National Science Foundation's Tsunami Research Group and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to Sri Lanka, where he observed the devastation from last December's powerful Indian Ocean tsunami. He summarizes the team's findings in a paper in the latest issue (June 10) of the journal Science. (June 09, 2005)
New study looks at emotional and cognitive development of children adopted from abroad
NEW YORK (June 8, 2005) -- Each year, thousands of children from orphanages abroad are adopted by families in the United States. Yet the long-term impact of the early experiences of these children is unknown. Researchers at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center are currently conducting a study that employs tools -- including computer games used in conjunction with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans -- to better understand the cognitive and emotional development of these children, as well as their unique experiences.
A message from President Lehman: Of parking lots and sustainability
Cornell President Jeffrey S. Lehman issued a statement June 8 concerning the parking lot that is under construction as part of the West Campus Residential initiative. (June 8, 2005)
Harry Katz named dean of ILR School
Harry Charles Katz, the Jack Sheinkman Professor of Collective Bargaining and director of the Institute of Collective Bargaining at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR), has been named dean of the school, Cornell President Jeffrey S. Lehman has announced. Katz's five-year term as dean begins July 1. (June 8, 2005)
Reunion '05 features Rhodes lecture, president's State of the University address
As many as 6,000 Cornellians and their families will be on campus Thursday, June 9, through Sunday, June 12, for Cornell's Reunion 2005. The earliest alumni class planning special events this year is the Class of 1930. Two returning alumni -- Roger Abell of Clarence, N.Y., and Sidney Kaufman of Houston -- will be attending their 75th reunion. Kaufman plans to make the trip by driving, from Houston, noted an impressed Margaret Gallo, director of class and reunion programs in the Office of Alumni Affairs. (June 07, 2005)
Recipe to prevent weight gain, says expert: 2,000 more steps and 100 fewer calories each day
The most effective way to curtail the worsening obesity epidemic is to prevent weight gain with small behavioral changes before people become overweight or obese, said James O. Hill, professor of pediatrics and medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, speaking at Cornell, June 6. Addressing obesity and energy balance at Cornell's conference, "Ecology of Obesity: Linking Science and Action," Hill stressed that dieting doesn't work: Most people regain lost weight because once a person is overweight, it's more difficult to keep off lost weight. Instead, prevent weight gain in the first place. All it would take, he said, is an additional 2,000 steps -- walking about a mile or 15 minutes -- and 100 fewer calories a day. (June 07, 2005)
'Return to Ithaca' -- James Joyce scholars gather at Cornell
Author James Joyce will be well-received in the namesake of the original Ulysses' hometown, when more than 180 Joyce scholars from around the world gather at Cornell University starting Tuesday, June 14. "Return to Ithaca," the 2005 North American James Joyce Conference, will feature academic panels and papers on topics including censorship, language, psychoanalysis, sexuality, music, film, chaos theory and the literary significance of a cup of cocoa. The conference runs through June 18. (June 07, 2005)
Hal Craft, not just a bricks and mortar guy, looks back fondly at CU people
It would be easy to sum up Harold D. "Hal" Craft's career at Cornell as a series of building and facilities projects. During his 34 years here, he has led close to $1 billion in campus construction, from the Sage Hall renovation to Lake Source Cooling. But as Craft enters retirement and looks back at his three decades at Cornell, he doesn't talk about buildings or projects, business matters or finance. He talks about people. (June 06, 2005)
Oaks grow from boulders in Andy Goldsworthy's exhibit at Cornell Plantations
An exhibit of four boulders with oak trees growing out of them are on loan indefinitely from New York City's Museum of Jewish Heritage -- A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. The extension of the "Garden of Stones" exhibit by famed environmental artist and Cornell A.D. White Professor-at-Large Andy Goldsworthy is on view at the Cornell Plantations. (June 06, 2005)
Academic leaders to assess diversity in American higher education July 30 at Cornell
Five current and former university presidents and a Stanford scholar will meet to assess the nature and value of diversity on American campuses at a July 30 symposium at Cornell University organized by the Future of Minority Studies Research Project (FMS), an academic think tank and research team composed of scholars from more than 25 campuses in the United States and abroad. (June 06, 2005)
Astronomers find evidence supporting theory of quasars
Astronomers led by Cornell research associate Lei Hao find new evidence of a dusty torus surrounding active galactic nuclei. The evidence, published in the June 1 issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters, supports the unified theory of active galactic nuclei. (June 6, 2005)
Cornell's James Joyce collection goes on display; Joyce conference begins June 14
Letters, first drafts and more from James Joyce's formative years as a writer are going on display after years in the Cornell University Library vaults, in "From Dublin to Ithaca: Cornell's James Joyce Collection." The exhibition opens June 9 and continues through Oct. 12 in the Hirshland Exhibition Gallery in Carl A. Kroch Library. (June 03, 2005)
Noted watercolorist and Cornell art professor Kenneth Evett dies
Kenneth Evett, painter and professor emeritus of art at Cornell University, died May 28 in Ithaca. He was 91. A prolific painter, he exhibited in national group shows at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. (June 03, 2005)
Blue-ribbon advisory team helps Cornell restructure life sciences
Given the monumental task of completing the most ambitious project in Cornell's history -- the $650 million New Life Sciences Initiative -- it makes sense that decision makers would want all the help they could get. One unique source of wisdom comes from the External Life Sciences Advisory Council, a blue-ribbon team of five scientific leaders from prominent institutions around the country. With insights on advances in the sciences, the team has the expertise to address subject areas within the biological sciences offered at Cornell. They also complement a local Cornell faculty group, the Internal Life Sciences Advisory Council. (June 03, 2005)
Wilson Synchrotron Laboratory open house is June 11
The Wilson Synchrotron Laboratory at Cornell is hosting an open house, Saturday, June 11, from 1 to 4 p.m. to celebrate the 2005 World Year of Physics. Featured will be entertaining and educational activities for visitors of all ages, and everyone is welcome. The open house is one of a series of events marking the World Year of Physics, which celebrates the 100th anniversary of Albert Einstein's revolutionary scientific breakthroughs in the year 1905. (June 03, 2005)
Dr. Richard Coico is named vice provost for inter-campus affairs
Dr. Richard Coico has been named vice provost for inter-campus affairs, Cornell Provost Biddy Martin has announced. This is a joint appointment with the university's Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. His term began April 15, 2005, and will continue through June 30, 2010. Coico also will have a faculty appointment at the medical college as professor of microbiology and immunology education. (June 01, 2005)
Videos on computer graphics pioneer Don Greenberg '55, architect Jill Lerner '75 highlight reunion
What would Cornell Reunion Weekend be without video portraits of the lives of graduates from the College of Architecture, Art and Planning (AAP) by videographers Phil and Maddy Handler? Cornellians themselves -- Phil is Class of '62, B.Arch. '64, M.Arch. '65, and Maddy is Class of '65 -- they have been creating unique, personal films about alumni for the past six years that have delighted reunion goers and thrilled campus historians. (June 01, 2005)
Lactose intolerance linked to ancestral environment
Got milk? Many people couldn't care less because they can't digest it. A new Cornell University study finds that it is primarily people whose ancestors came from places where dairy herds could be raised safely and economically, such as in Europe, who have developed the ability to digest milk. On the other hand, most adults whose ancestors lived in very hot or very cold climates that couldn't support dairy herding or in places where deadly diseases of cattle were present before 1900, such as in Africa and many parts of Asia, do not have the ability to digest milk after infancy. (June 01, 2005)
Member of original Disneyland design team finally gets her due
Reaching into its archives, Cornell University is dusting off the original printing plate of the 1933 bachelor of landscape architecture degree to issue one more diploma. It is for Ruth Shellhorn, 96, whose storied career as a landscape architect encompassed bringing to life Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom. A noted landscape architect, Shellhorn, who attended Cornell in the early 1930s, wasn't available to attend the festivities of this year's Commencement Weekend ceremonies, May 28-29, in Ithaca. Instead, she will receive her diploma on June 4 at a special dinner in the Los Angeles area. (June 01, 2005)