News
May 2005
Index to all monthsFor the full text of any story, click on the headline. Electronic queries may be made to cunews@cornell.edu.
Science and Technology Stories
Arts and Humanities Stories
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Campus Life
Cornell People
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Weill Cornell and collaborators identify two key players in angiogenesis, pointing to potential new anti-cancer targets
NEW YORK (May 23, 2005) -- A biochemical partnership between two novel compounds called cell-cycle inhibitors is crucial to the development of blood vessels that help tumors survive and thrive, according to a collaborative Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center study just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.When researchers transplanted tumors into mice genetically engineered to lack two of these inhibitors, those tumors failed to develop much-needed vasculature -- a process called angiogenesis.
Live vaccines more effective against horse herpes virus
Following the recent deadly outbreak of equine herpes virus at Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, a Cornell University virologist says his preliminary research indicates that vaccines containing weakened live viruses, called modified live vaccines (MLV), appear to be more effective in preventing horse herpes than other more widely used vaccines. (May 26, 2005)
Stem cell research in New York City receives pivotal boost from the Starr Foundation
NEW YORK (May 18, 2005) -- Three New York City biomedical research institutions -- The Rockefeller University, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) -- will receive $50 million over three years from The Starr Foundation to develop new resources and expertise in stem cell research.
18-month-old girl is first to receive titanium rib prosthesis
NEW YORK -- An 18-month-old girl was the first in the New York City area to receive a titanium rib prosthesis to correct a severe form of congenital curvature -- or scoliosis -- of her spine that constricts the lung cavity. (May 20, 2005)
'Cornell dots' for tagging, imaging and optical computing
Move over, quantum dots. Make way for the new kids on the block -- brightly glowing nanoparticles dubbed "Cornell dots." By surrounding fluorescent dyes with a protective silica shell, Cornell University researchers have created fluorescent nanoparticles with possible applications in displays, biological imaging, optical computing, sensors and microarrays such as DNA chips. These are all applications for which quantum dots have been used or are being considered. But the new Cornell nanoparticles offer an appealing alternative because of their greater chemical inertness and reduced cost. (May 19, 2005)
Nanoscale switch links electronics to photonics
Much of our electronics could soon be replaced by photonics, in which beams of light flitting through microscopic channels on a silicon chip replace electrons in wires. Photonic chips would carry more data, use less power and work smoothly with fiber-optic communications systems. The trick is to get electronics and photonics to talk to each other. Now Cornell researchers have taken a major step forward in bridging this communication gap by developing a silicon device that allows an electrical signal to modulate a beam of light on a micrometer scale. (May 18, 2005)
NEMS device detects the mass of a single DNA molecule
Some people are never satisfied. First, nanotechnology researchers at Cornell built a device so sensitive it could detect the mass of a single bacterium -- about 665 femtograms. Then they built one that could sense the presence of a single virus -- about 1.5 femtograms. Now, with a refined technique, they have detected a single DNA molecule, weighing in at 995,000 Daltons -- a shade more than 1 attogram -- and can even count the number of DNA molecules attached to a single receptor by noting the difference in mass. (May 18, 2005)
New institute for artificial intelligence studies
Suppose the computer from the starship Enterprise or the HAL 9000 from "2001, A Space Odyssey" had been scanning intelligence data four years ago. Perhaps it would have made the connection humans missed between terrorists and flight schools. Or suppose such a computer were designing airline flight schedules: You might get home for Christmas a little faster. These are just some of the possibilities of "artificial intelligence," or AI, which is not really about making computers that talk back but rather about using computers for the things they are good at: dealing with massive amounts of data or problems with a vast number of choices. These are the sorts of problems that are being examined by Cornell's new Intelligent Information Systems Institute, launched this year with a $5 million, five-year grant from the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). In keeping with university policy, none of the research will be classified. (May 18, 2005)
Mother birds increase progesterone to hatch females
Cornell researchers think they understand the mechanism that several bird species use to bias the sex ratios of their offspring toward female. By experimenting with domestic chickens, they have determined that the presence of higher-than-normal levels of the hormone progesterone during the first meiosis produces significantly more females. (May 17, 2005)
Cornell scientist wins prestigious award for research on viruses that kill cancer cells
A Cornell researcher has won a prestigious Burroughs-Wellcome Fund Investigators in Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease Award, given to a young researcher whose work focuses primarily on the interaction of pathogens with their human hosts. John Parker, assistant professor with the Baker Institute for Animal Health in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell, won one of the 11 awards given this year. (May 17, 2005)
Man, chimp difference may have made us prone to cancer
Chimpanzees and humans share a common ancestor, and even today 99 percent of the two species' DNA is identical. But since the paths of man and chimp diverged 5 million years ago, that one percent of genetic difference appears to have changed humans in an unexpected way: It could have made people more prone to cancer. A comparative genetic study led by Cornell researchers suggest that some mutations in human sperm cells might allow them to avoid early death and reproduce, creating an advantage that ensures more sperm cells carry this trait. But this same positive selection could also have made it easier for human cancer cells to survive. (May 13, 2005)
Scientists unexpectedly discover enols in flames
Scientists have discovered compounds nearly ubiquitous in fire that have amazingly eluded detection in spite of 150 years of research on how flames burn. According to a paper in the journal Science on its Science Express Web site (May 12), co-authored by a Cornell professor, enols, technically in the family of alcohols, are part of the chemical pathway that occurs when a wide variety of fires burn. (May 13, 2005)
Alien woodwasp, threat to U.S. pine trees, found in N.Y.
Despite dozens of interceptions at U.S. ports, a public enemy has infiltrated the nation's borders. Taken captive in Fulton, N.Y., and identified by a Cornell expert, the adult female alien is the only one of its kind ever discovered in the eastern United States. The discovery of a single specimen of Sirex noctilio Fabricius, an Old World woodwasp, raises red flags across the nation because the invasive insect species has devastated up to 80 percent of pine trees in areas of New Zealand, Australia, South America and South Africa. If established in the United States, it would threaten pines coast-to-coast, particularly in the pine-dense states in the Southeast. One target would be loblolly pines in Georgia. (May 12, 2005)
Long search for ivory-billed woodpecker -- a Bigfoot no more -- detailed in new book
Until recently, the ivory-billed woodpecker was like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster -- a famed creature that for years eyewitnesses claimed to see but that science could not substantiate. This impression runs through "The Grail Bird" (Houghton Mifflin, 2005), a new book by Tim Gallagher, an editor at the Lab of Ornithology at Cornell who played a primary role in the rediscovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker, once considered extinct. (May 12, 2005)
Simple but seminal: Building a robot that can reproduce
One of the dreams of both science fiction writers and practical robot builders has been realized, at least on a simple level: Cornell researchers have created a machine that can build copies of itself. Admittedly the machine is just a proof of concept -- it performs no useful function except to self-replicate -- but the basic principle could be extended to create robots that could replicate or at least repair themselves in space or for work in hazardous environments, according to Hod Lipson, Cornell assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, and computing and information science, in whose lab the robots were built and tested. (May 11, 2005)
President Bush calls to say thanks for the slime-mold beetle
President George Bush wasn't bugged by having a slime-mold beetle named for him. In fact, he was so pleased that he telephoned former Cornell Professor Quentin Wheeler in London on April 29 to thank him. (May 4, 2005)
Researcher gets NSF grant to create mutant maize lines
A Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) researcher at Cornell has received a grant to help assemble a unique database of DNA mutations in maize (corn). The project not only will allow researchers to study the effects of knocking out the function of single genes, one at a time, but also will create seeds for each mutation, or disrupted gene. The seeds will be made widely available to researchers. (May 04, 2005)
Study shows how retinoic acid enters a cell's nucleus
Cornell researchers have revealed a process that has stumped scientists for many years: exactly how an acid derived from vitamin A enters a cell's nucleus, where it has strong anti-carcinogenic effects. Discovery of this basic transport mechanism opens a new door for future research on related compounds. The finding has important implications for the fight against cancer and other diseases. (May 2, 2005)
Grandparent at home buffers single-parenthood
Many studies have shown that children living in a single-parent family tend to do worse academically and receive less intellectual stimulation than children living with married parents. Having a grandparent in the home, however, appears to buffer some of these negative effects, according to a new Cornell study. (May 2, 2005)
Why are coyotes getting more aggressive?
Coyotes tend to avoid human contact. But recently, coyotes have been getting increasingly aggressive in the eastern United States, including southeastern New York state, attacking neighborhood pets on the fringe of urban and suburban areas. Paul Curtis, associate professor of natural resources at Cornell, and his colleagues are launching a five-year study of coyote ecology and behavior in urban and suburban areas of New York state, thanks to a grant of $428,000 from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. (May 02, 2005)
'Dublin to Ithaca,' rare look at James Joyce collection, opens June 9
For the first time in 30 years, Cornell Library's Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections will exhibit parts of the university's extensive collection of James Joyce letters, manuscripts and books, considered the richest in the world on the Irish writer's early life and career. The exhibit, "From Dublin to Ithaca: Cornell's James Joyce Collection," will be on view from Thursday, June 9, through Oct. 12 in the Hirshland Exhibition Gallery of the Carl A. Kroch Library. (May 24, 2005)
Emphasizing the 'human' in humanities, scholars seek 'common-sense touch'
Two dozen scholars and academic administrators launched a new initiative in the humanities on campus with a round-table conversation, "The Humanities at Cornell and Beyond," in Sibley Hall May 9. Led by Provost Biddy Martin, the collective self-examination marked the latest effort at Cornell to address what some academics have framed as a "crisis in the humanities." (May 18, 2005)
Ah, the humanities -- what are they?
It's all well and good to discuss the importance of the humanities and their place in the scheme of things. But exactly what are the humanities? If you find yourself bereft of a ready answer, you're in pretty good company. Many humanist scholars themselves are unsure of the mix. The humanities are not a unified domain but represent a broad range of disciplines loosely classed under the rubric "liberal arts." (May 18, 2005)
The novel 'Things Fall Apart' is bringing people together
"Things Fall Apart" is bringing people together. Nearly 5,000 students from 59 high schools in 17 New York counties and New York City will read Chinua Achebe's masterful novel "Things Fall Apart" as part of a statewide pilot program coordinated through Cornell Cooperative Extension and the 2005 New Student Reading Project at Cornell. In addition, 24,000 Cornell alumni from 31 class years also will join what has become an annual rite of passage for incoming freshman and transfer students at Cornell. (May 06, 2005)
Campus discussion on state of the humanities will take place May 9
An important and far-ranging discussion on the humanities will take place on the Cornell campus May 9. Provost Biddy Martin is convening a group of faculty and academic administrators for a round-table discussion on the state of the humanities at Cornell and on a national level. (May 03, 2005)
Aftermath of spring floods includes mold, which can cause health problems
After the widespread flooding in various areas of New York state in April, mold is growing in many homes and could be prompting allergies and asthma-type symptoms and other health problems in otherwise healthy people, say Cornell University housing experts. (May 31, 2005)
Boyce Thompson Institute's reference library goes on the auction block June 5
A public auction will be held Sunday, June 5, at noon to sell the reference library of the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) for Plant Research. Scholars and other interested parties can obtain an exhaustive collection of approximately 2,000 books printed between the 1800s and the late 1900s. Many of the titles are rare and deal with very specific plant research topics. (May 31, 2005)
Student-organized group spreads awareness of delicate issue of organ donation
NEW YORK -- Last fall two students at Weill Cornell Medical College -- Brant W. Ullery '08 and Avnish Deobhakta '08 -- founded the Medical Students for the Advancement of Transplantation (MSAT) to raise awareness about organ donation for medical students and the public alike, and to build a support system among organ donors and recipients. At the inaugural meeting May 5, the students invited Rob Kochik, clinical director of the New York Organ Donor Network, to describe scenarios in which organ donation could save a life. (May 25, 2005)
Viburnum leaf beetles are back in Northeast, hungrier than ever
The eggs of the viburnum leaf beetle have hatched, and the larvae are beginning to chow down once again on viburnum shrubs in New York state and New England. Without the use of pesticides to protect susceptible varieties, the bushes are doomed, says a Cornell University entomologist. (May 19, 2005)
CU's Dump & Run program has begun
Cornell's third annual Dump & Run collection began this week on May 9. Students moving out after a hectic finals week can dump items they no longer want or cannot fit into their cars or suitcases into Dump & Run collection boxes located all over campus. Staff, faculty and community members are also encouraged to donate. Dump & Run accepts almost all donations: non-perishable food, clothing, shoes, books, electronics, kitchenware, toiletries, decorations, school supplies and more. Items not accepted are trash, foam mattress pads, underwear and socks. (May 12, 2005)
Strings and superstrings: Lecture, concert celebrate World Year of Physics
Albert Einstein was not only a great physicist, but also a lover of violin music. As part of a celebration of the World Year of Physics, which has been timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the publication of three of Einstein's most significant discoveries, the Cornell Department of Physics will present a combined lecture and concert Saturday, May 14, from 2:30 to 4 p.m. in Barnes Hall on the Cornell campus. (May 11, 2005)
Community events celebrate World Year of Physics
A series of events sponsored by Cornell University's Department of Physics and Laboratory for Elementary-Particle Physics (LEPP) and other Cornell outreach programs along with the Tompkins County Public Library and the Ithaca Sciencenters are helping mark the World Year of Physics, which celebrates the 100th anniversary of Albert Einstein's revolutionary scientific breakthroughs in the year 1905. (May 10, 2005)
New Cornell scholarship assists the deaf community
Cornell University has announced the creation of a scholarship for deaf, hearing impaired and/or people fluent in American Sign Language that will provide free tuition for Cornell Outdoor Education (COE) class offerings. Qualified Cornell students, community members and members of the general public are all eligible for this new scholarship. The Moving Hands Scholarship is the result of a gift from the Figure Foundation of Bethel, Maine. It is an outgrowth of an earlier, successful scholarship providing free tuition to members of the deaf community for wilderness first-aid training at COE. (May 10, 2005)
Cornell conference, June 8, to focus on women's financial well-being
Women have unique financial circumstances. They earn less, on average, than men. They may have employment gaps due to family caregiving, which can affect their future retirement benefits. They also live longer, on average, than men, so their money has to last longer. Of the elderly poor in the United States, more than 70 percent are women. Issues such as these, and strategies to empower and equip women to become more financially savvy, are the focus of the Cornell University conference "Money Talk: A Conference on Women's Financial Health and Well-Being" to be held at the Holiday Inn, Hancock International Airport in Syracuse, June 8. (May 09, 2005)
Cornell Design League makes fashion debut in New York
NEW YORK -- Pouting models -- including a Cornell student -- and live music mixed it up at the W Hotel in Manhattan May 1 as Cornell Design League and Harvard's Veritas Records performed to raise money and awareness for thyroid cancer. The models were showing off original designs by 40 Cornell students before a packed house of 300. (May 9, 2005)
'21 Run' honors George Boiardi
In a fitting tribute to the late Mario St. George Boiardi, a selfless contributor to the Cornell University and Tompkins County communities, the first annual "21 Run" will take place Saturday, May 7. The 5-kilometer run and memorial walk was founded to honor Boiardi, a former captain of the Cornell men's lacrosse team who died during a game March 17, 2004. The 21 Run will raise funds for youth literacy programs. (May 03, 2005)
Conference, June 6-7, to focus on the effects of the social and physical environment on obesity
How do social, economic and manmade environments influence diet and physical activity throughout life? Why might vulnerable populations be affected more seriously by these environmental impacts? These questions are the focus of the conference "Ecology of Obesity: Linking Science and Action," slated for June 6-7 at Cornell. The conference, sponsored by the College of Human Ecology, is intended for practitioners and researchers who are interested in implementing an ecological perspective in obesity research and prevention. (May 02, 2005)
In Commencement address, Lehman cautions against 'dark side'
With the newest Star Wars movie installment, "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith," breaking records at the box office, President Jeffrey S. Lehman turned to the "dark side" on May 29 in warning graduating students of the pitfalls along the way to reaching their potential. (May 29, 2005)
Commencement 2005: Cell phones, cameras, congratulations, challenges and a princess
Perfect weather -- temperatures in the 60s, the lightest of breezes and blue skies with postcard-perfect clouds -- graced Cornell University's 137th Commencement May 29, as about 5,600 graduates assembled on the Arts Quad for the academic procession to Schoellkopf Stadium. (May 29, 2005)
Vedic scholar Uma Saini urges graduates to practice patience
Drawing from her life's journey and from ancient Indian scriptures, Uma Saini offered five simple lessons, from developing a positive attitude to living in unity, to the 2005 graduating class in her baccalaureate address before Commencement ceremonies on Sunday morning, May 29. (May 29, 2005)
In Convocation speech, Wesley Clark urges students to take risks -- and to 'move people with our ideals'
Mixing traditional graduation sentiments with a smattering of politics, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Wesley Clark got Cornell's Commencement Weekend off to a rousing start with a Senior Convocation address in which he invited the graduates to assume leadership roles in the "community of American citizens" and, incidentally, to lead the country in a different direction than the one it's now pursuing. (May 28, 2005)
Wesley Clark charges Bush administration with 'many failures' in Iraq policy
Gen. Wesley Clark, a 2004 Democratic Party presidential primary candidate, doesn't rule out a continued political future for himself, reiterating his anthem of being "a strong supporter of a two-party system." The four-star general was speaking at a press conference at Cornell University's three-star Statler Hotel, prior to his May 28 Senior Convocation address. (May 28, 2005)
For the students, by the students: Vincent du Vigneaud Symposium celebrates science
Students at the Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences received their first taste of professional life at the Vincent du Vigneaud Symposium, May 3, 2005. Every year since 1981, the symposium has devoted a day for students to present their research in front of colleagues and faculty. The symposium honors the Nobel laureate and head of the Department of Biochemistry at the medical college from 1938 to 1967. (May 25, 2005)
Robert Moses to speak at Community Forum on Education and Society
Pursuing a quality education is more than a personal responsibility; it is an individual right. On June 7, educators from around central New York will be meeting at Ithaca High School to explore this concept during the second Community Forum on Education and Society. The featured speaker will be Robert Moses, a renowned educator and civil rights activist. His talk is free and open to the public. (May 24, 2005)
Cornell's Formula SAE team takes another world championship
Cornell University's Formula SAE race car team won its ninth world championship May 22 at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich. Cornell has won the competition three years out of the last four. It was the 19th year that a Cornell team has entered. (May 24, 2005)
Ready to improve world, first Ford program fellow at CU prepares to graduate
When Anisa Draboo receives her master's degree in International Development from the College of Architecture, Art and Planning on May 29, she will be the first Cornell University graduate among a new group of dedicated international students studying ways to make the most troubled areas of the world more livable. The students in the group know some of the world's worst problems firsthand -- and they have an extra dose of motivation to find the solutions. (May 24, 2005)
CU in the City: A quick tour of Cornell's Manhattan campus
NEW YORK -- New York City hosts its fair share of art exhibits, fashion shows and Fifth Avenue parades. But when it's an art exhibit at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations in New York City (ILR-NYC), Cornell Design League's New York City debut show or the Big Red Band marching down Fifth Avenue after a Columbia football game, Big Red in the city takes note. Cornell and Cornellians are all over the city, on and off the New York City "campus." The Cornell University-New York City (CU-NYC) campus stretches from the southern tip of Manhattan, up the island to Lenox Hill on the Upper East Side. (May 18, 2005)
Cornell team raises $147,000 in World Series of Birding
The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology's competitive birding team shattered a fund-raising record for the annual World Series of Birding May 14. Bird lovers pledged $700 for every bird species the team could find in New Jersey during the 24-hour competition. With 211 species seen or heard, Team Sapsucker earned $147,000 for bird conservation -- more than any other team. The Delaware Valley Ornithological Club took home the Urner Stone Cup for spotting the most bird species (222). (May 18, 2005)
Cornell hosts higher education research conference May 22-23
The 2005 conference of the Cornell Higher Education Research Institute (CHERI) will take place Sunday and Monday, May 22 and 23, on campus. Its title and theme is "Assessing Public Higher Education at the Start of the 21st Century." The presentations are free and open to the public. (May 17, 2005)
Students and faculty meet to protest genocide in Darfur
On three evenings last week, when most students were cramming for exams and writing papers, a handful came together to raise awareness about the slaughter of innocent civilians in the Darfur region of western Sudan, where genocide on the scale of that in Rwanda 10 years ago is taking place. Sponsored by the Darfur Action Group, a student group on campus, "Documenting Darfur" featured back-to-back three-hour showings of films and videos about the tragedy, on May 9, 10 and 11 in 165 McGraw Hall. (May 16, 2005)
Chinese fungi photos are on display in Mann Library
About 1 percent of Cornell's Fungi of China Collection, as interpreted through the lens of Department of Plant Pathology photographer Kent Loeffler, is on display at Mann Library through Aug. 31. (May 16, 2005)
Law students take on real-life cases saving asylum seekers
The inside of a U.S. jail cell is what he has been looking at for the past 13 months, waiting for his asylum appeal to be ruled on. If he is deported to the Dominican Republic, he could be killed. He believes this because he has been threatened in jail, and thugs have made menacing remarks to his wife. For that reason, too, his name and location are not mentioned in this story. Two second-year law students, Ralph Mamiya and Kristin McNamara, have taken on his case through a Cornell University Law School course -- the Asylum and Convention Against Torture Appellate Clinic. (May 16, 2005)
Cornell celebrates 137th Commencement May 29 with address by President Jeffrey Lehman
Cornell University will celebrate its 137th Commencement on Sunday, May 29, with approximately 4,500 graduates receiving degrees at a ceremony beginning at 11 a.m. in Schoellkopf Stadium. President Jeffrey S. Lehman, Cornell's first alumnus president (Class of 1977), will present his commencement address and confer degrees as he presides over his second commencement ceremony. Senior Convocation ceremony May 28 features retired Gen. Wesley Clark. (May 16, 2005)
Law School graduates 272 degree holders
The Cornell Law School recognized its graduating students during convocation ceremonies Sunday afternoon, May 15, in Bartels Hall on campus. The actual degrees will be conferred during the university Commencement on May 29. (May 16, 2005)
'Masters in Excellence' weekend features visit by Israel's chief rabbi
A "Masters in Excellence" weekend, held May 6-8 on campus, featured a symposium commemorating 350 years of Jewish history in America (and 140 years of Jewish history at Cornell) and was capped with a regale May 8 that featured the chief rabbi of the State of Israel, HaRav Yona Metzger, as speaker. It is believed to be the first visit by an Israeli chief rabbi to a U.S. university campus. (May 11, 2005)
CU students head to D.C. as semifinalists in sustainability contest
Thirteen Cornell students will head next week to the nation's capital to compete as semifinalists in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) First Annual P3 (People, Prosperity, Planet) Award. The sustainability design competition, to be held on the National Mall May 16 and 17, will draw more than 400 university students from around the country to exhibit their designs. (May 10, 2005)
Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar honors Hamad Medical Corp. physicians
DOHA, Qatar -- On May 4 Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) honored preceptors from the Hamad Medical Corp. (HMC) in recognition of their contributions to the clinical education of WCMC-Q's inaugural class of first-year medical students. (May 9, 2005)
Grassroots efforts, not guns, will bring Mid-East democracy, Shirin Ebadi says
"Fighting terrorism is a legitimate fight, but it has to be done within the framework of human rights," Shirin Ebadi told a packed house in Kennedy Hall's Call Auditorium May 4. "Democracy and human rights are the common needs of all nations," said Ebadi. But there are those who use the fight against terrorism as an excuse for violating human rights in both Western nations and Islamic countries, including Iran, she warned. (May 6, 2005)
Priceline's Jay Walker '77 outlines wired future
NEW YORK -- The man who founded the popular travel Web site Priceline.com, Jay S. Walker, ILR '77, told a standing-room-only New York City audience on April 27 that the "age of the muscle is ending" and is "being replaced by the age of the mind." Walker was addressing more than 225 Cornell alumni and guests at Cornell Theory Center's (CTC) Manhattan offices. (May 05, 2005)
Hotel School rolls out a Guinness record: A super-long spring roll for tsunami relief
Efforts to raise money for charity were on a roll Saturday afternoon, April 30, in Barton Hall: a spring roll, or Southeast Asian-style egg roll, that is. Roll for Relief beat the old Guinness record by more than 200 meters (656 feet), while raising more than $20,000 for tsunami relief in Southeast Asia. (May 4, 2005)
Gro Harlem Brundtland discusses sustainable development at Iscol lecture
When Gro Harlem Brundtland talks about sustainability, people listen. As head of the World Commission on Environment and Development, she helped coin the term "sustainable development" in the organization's landmark 1987 report, "Our Common Future." She spoke April 28 at Cornell on "The Global Significance of Sustainable Development," presenting the 2005 Jill and Ken Iscol Distinguished Environmental Lectureship. (May 4, 2005)
Former Ambassador Dennis Ross speaks on 'loss of fear' in Middle East
"We have a moment. A moment to transform the situation. It is not a moment, by the way, to make peace. It is a moment to end the war," said former U.S. Ambassador Dennis B. Ross, speaking April 27 in the Statler Auditorium at Cornell as this year's Bartels World Affairs Fellow. Ross was referring to the decades-old war between the Israelis and the Palestinians. (May 4, 2005)
Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug addresses innovation and sustainability in final salute to CALS centennial
"The whole issue of sustainability is a difficult one, because it's sustainability for how many and at what standard of living? This we should never forget," said Nobel Peace Prize laureate Norman Borlaug, speaking April 29 as part of the closing centennial observance of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Cornell. (May 4, 2005)
Mosaic conference speaker helps celebrate diversity
"My talk today will be mostly from the vantage point of black Americans, which, of course, is my perspective. But I want to be clear that I view the celebration of diversity to be inclusive of all groups in our society." The Hon. Harry Edwards '62, chief judge emeritus, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, prefaced his speech with these words April 30 when he spoke about his experiences as an African-American student during the 1960s and about issues facing minority students, then and now. Edwards, who received a standing ovation after his speech in Bartels Hall at Cornell, was one of several keynote speakers at last weekend's conference, "Cornell Mosaic: Celebrating Diversity and Advancing Inclusion." (May 4, 2005)
Africana Studies and Research Center is on the ascendant
The intellectual and academic genius of the Africana Studies and Research Center (ASRC) at Cornell was fully evident in a brilliant display of scholarship and celebration April 29. In a keynote address that crowned a colloquium on Brown v. Board of Education, Cornell alumna and legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw (Class of 1981, Africana studies) delivered a nuanced discussion of the challenges faced by the "post-Brown generation" of black students entering law schools in the 1980s and her efforts to put critical race theory on the academic map. (May 4, 2005)
King Committee receives Perkins Prize for Interracial Understanding
When Yolanda King, the eldest child of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, visited the Cornell campus last February and performed "Open My Eyes, Open My Soul: Discovering the Power of Diversity" in Sage Chapel, she received a standing ovation from the audience. That visit has now garnered the James A. Perkins Prize for Interracial Understanding and Harmony for the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Committee, which organized the event. The prize was awarded in a special ceremony April 29 in the Willard Straight Hall Memorial Room. (May 04, 2005)
Johnson School 'wizards' take first place in stock pitch challenge
A team of three MBA students from Cornell's Johnson Graduate School of Management earned $3,000 and the informal title "Wizards of Wall Street" by making stock recommendations that impressed the financial professionals who served as judges. The Cornell students defeated nine other university teams at the third annual MBA Stock Pitch Challenge April 22 at the Johnson School in Sage Hall on Cornell's campus. (May 04, 2005)
ILR workshop aids women entrepreneurs
About 170 women small-business owners, including those who are members of minority groups, got help April 21 at a special Cornell-sponsored workshop, "Rebuilding New York City: What Every Minority/Woman-Owned Business Should Know." The event took place at the Cornell Conference Center in Manhattan and received excellent reviews from the participants, reported IWW Director Francine Moccio. (May 04, 2005)
How Cornell got the message out about the ivory-billed woodpecker
Although the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's search for the ivory-billed woodpecker began in February 2004, an announcement wasn't planned until May 18, 2005. The long lead time was crucial to permit the lab's partner, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), time to protect the Arkansas discovery area through land acquisitions and to allow the search team to gather convincing evidence of the bird's existence. But on April 26 the news began leaking on the Internet. (May 04, 2005)
Digital archive expands with 'communities' for open-access publishing
Cornell's DSpace, an online digital archive administered by Cornell University Library to make university scholarship freely available, is offering new options for the university's scientists and scholars with the creation of "communities" for every department on campus. Faculty are invited to a half-day workshop to learn how the DSpace repositories will work and to discuss possible uses, May 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Philip Lewis Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall. (May 04, 2005)
Rawlings' presidential portrait: Delight, yes -- surprise, no
When the black cloth came down and the dinner crowd at Duffield Hall got its first look at Hunter Rawlings' official presidential portrait, Cornell's 10th president, who stepped down in 2003, was pleased and gracious. But surprised? (May 28, 2005)
Paul Hartman, physicist, historian and '100 percent human being' dies at 91
Paul Leon Hartman, a pioneering researcher and Cornell professor emeritus recognized by his colleagues for his grace and humility, died at his home at Kendal at Ithaca on May 20. He was 91. Hartman was one of the first to investigate the use of X-rays generated as a byproduct of high-energy electron accelerators. (May 27, 2005)
Honored CU seniors in turn honor their most influential teachers
Cornell's Merrill Presidential Scholars Program honored 37 Cornell undergraduate students this week, while also honoring the high school teachers and university faculty members who made important contributions to the students' lives. Merrill Presidential Scholars, representing approximately the top 1 percent of the graduating class, have demonstrated outstanding scholastic achievement, strong leadership ability and potential for contributing to society. (May 25, 2005)
Shahin Rafii named Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator
NEW YORK -- Shahin Rafii, an internationally acclaimed cancer and vascular biologist and stem cell authority at Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC), has been named one of 43 new investigators by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). The honor is bestowed annually on the nation's most promising and gifted biomedical scientists. (May 25, 2005)
Cornell honors 99-year-old protégé of Edison, fulfilling his dream a week before death
At 99, Robert Halgrim had one remaining wish -- to be honored by Cornell University. In 1927, his mentor and employer, Thomas Edison, arranged for him to attend the university's College of Agriculture where Halgrim studied horticulture. But two years into his degree, Edison requested that he return to Florida to tutor the great inventor's grandchildren. And Halgrim never returned to Cornell. (May 24, 2005)
James Houck receives a top NASA honor for work on orbiting Spitzer telescope
James Houck, Cornell's Kenneth A. Wallace Professor of Astronomy, has been awarded NASA's Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal for leading the successful development of the Spitzer Space Telescope's infrared spectrograph. The spectrograph, the largest of the three instruments on the orbiting space telescope, has been providing scientists with a new perspective since the observatory's launch in August 2003. (May 24, 2005)
Nine graduates given recognition by the Cornell Tradition
Every spring since 1989 the Cornell Tradition, an alumni-endowed student recognition program at Cornell University, has honored its own graduating seniors with recognition awards. The nine Tradition fellows who have been honored this year for their community service and leadership efforts will use their monetary awards to benefit others. (May 24, 2005)
Cornell juniors in Capital Semester program honored for internships
Two Cornell undergraduate students have been recognized by the New York State Assembly as 2005 New York State Assembly Distinguished Interns, after participating in the university's Capital Semester program in Albany this spring. (May 24, 2005)
Five Veterinary College faculty members awarded named professorships
The Cornell University Board of Trustees has awarded named professorships to five faculty members in the College of Veterinary Medicine. They include three new James Law Professorships, an Alfred H. Caspary Professorship and a John Olin Professorship. (May 23, 2005)
'Mud man,' manager of Cornell's 91 research ponds, receives awards
Robert L. Johnson is better known to his friends and co-workers as "Bob," but he's "the mud man" to his wife on some days when returning home from work as Cornell's first -- and so far only -- manager of the university's Research Ponds Facility. Arriving at Cornell in 1961 as an undergraduate student in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Johnson has been on campus ever since. Johnson recently earned two awards. (May 23, 2005)
Global focus essential for new lawyers, law journal editor believes
Kimberly Taylor, J.D. '05, can barely remember a time when she wasn't planning to become a lawyer. "My father is an attorney, [so] the legal profession always seemed like a natural career path for me," she explained. Judging by her performance as a student at Cornell's Law School, it looks like she was right. Born and raised in Hawaii, Taylor attended Yale University, where she received a bachelor's degree in political science. She also served as Yale student body president and was an active member of Yale's Mock Trial and International Relations associations. (May 18, 2005)
Bryan Lowrance receives prestigious Beinecke Scholarship
Cornell junior Bryan J. Lowrance, a Presidential Research Scholar and College Scholar majoring in English and classics, has been named one of 18 Beinecke Scholarship winners nationwide for 2005. Beinecke scholars receive $2,000 prior to entering graduate school and an additional $30,000 for graduate study in the arts, humanities or social sciences. (May 13, 2005)
East meets West in multicultural human resource expert Lisa Nishii
Rudyard Kipling, who famously wrote, "East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet," obviously never met Lisa Nishii. Negotiating cultural differences is something she has had to do from birth. Now an assistant professor of human resource (HR) studies and international and comparative labor at Cornell's School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR), Nishii has a most unusual heritage: Her Japanese father is descended from Buddhist monks, while her mother traces her ancestry back to the original Mayflower settlers. (May 13, 2005)
Turf grass professor receives EPA's Environmental Quality Award
A. Martin Petrovic, professor of turf grass in the Department of Horticulture at Cornell University, is the winner of a 2005 Environmental Quality Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The awards honor individuals and organizations "for their outstanding efforts to protect the environment in New York." (May 10, 2005)
Harry Greene: A passion for 'icons of danger, life and death'
More than 40 years of snake hunting have taken Harry Greene, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, to 18 countries on six continents. He has slogged through snake-infested jungles, forests, deserts, rain forests, swamps and savannas, camping for weeks at a time. He has squeezed out prey from the guts of slithering serpents to see what they eat and implanted tiny radio transmitters into their body cavities to track where they go. And although he has handled hundreds, if not thousands, of specimens and has been bitten hundreds of times, only once was it by a venomous snake. And that was when he was an inexperienced 17-year-old. (May 10, 2005)
Steve Johnson moves to D.C. to lobby for Cornell in capital
"As a lobbyist, my job is advocacy. Like any advocate, if you have a good cause to promote, you are ahead of the game, and I have a great cause: strengthening and globalizing Cornell University," says Stephen Philip Johnson, assistant vice president for government relations at Cornell. Johnson has been advocating for Cornell to state or federal legislators since 1984. Now he is switching his base of operations to Washington, D.C. (May 10, 2005)
Rayor, Weiss are winners of Kaplan fellowships in service-learning
Cornell faculty members Linda Rayor and John Weiss have been named 2005 winners of the Kaplan Family Distinguished Faculty Fellow in Service-Learning Award. The annual award, which comes with a $5,000 purse for each recipient, recognizes the winners' involvement with service-learning projects that actively involve Cornell students in research, teaching and outreach efforts addressing important community-identified policy issues. It is given by Cornell's Public Service Center. (May 09, 2005)
'Bee lady' Kathryn Gardner studies bumblebees to answer question, 'What does it take to be a queen?'
Kathryn Gardner studies bumblebees. "Not honeybees," she quickly emphasizes to show her disapproval for all who might dare confuse the two. Her sternness lasts only a moment before she cracks a playful smile. "There's a big difference," she insists. "And a bit of an unspoken rivalry between those of us who study the two types." (May 06, 2005)
Grad student receives award to meet science policy leaders in D.C.
Cornell University doctoral candidate in ecology and evolutionary biology Karen Deen Laughlin will travel to Capitol Hill May 10 and 11 to speak to members of Congress about science policy. She will do so as a 2005 Emerging Public Policy Leader, an award from the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), a Washington-based nonprofit scientific association. (May 04, 2005)
Three Cornell professors elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Three Cornell University faculty members are among the 213 new fellows elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in honor of their distinguished contributions to their professions. The three Cornell honorees to be inducted in October are Gregory Lawler, professor of mathematics; Mars rover scientist Steven Squyres, Goldwin Smith Professor of Astronomy; and novelist Alison Lurie, F.J. Whiton Professor of American Literature Emerita. (May 2, 2005)
CU prof and five students honored by the AAPSS
Francine Blau, the Frances Perkins Professor of Industrial and Labor Relations and Labor Economics, and five Cornell students were honored by the American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS) as new fellows for 2005 on April 10. The AAPSS designates new fellows each year "to recognize and honor individual social scientists for their distinguished scholarship in the social sciences, sustained efforts to communicate that scholarship to audiences beyond their own discipline and professional activities that promise to continue to promote the progress of the social sciences." (May 02, 2005)
Trustees hear reports on diversity, construction, land-grant mission
The Cornell community continues to be a welcoming place for women and minorities, Robert Harris, vice provost for diversity and faculty development, told the Cornell Board of Trustees on May 27. Other universities may be getting more press for increasing attention on diversity, Harris said, but Cornell's hiring and enrollment statistics show a consistent, positive trend toward attracting and retaining a diverse workforce and student body. (May 28, 2005)
New version of uPortal.Cornell is unveiled
Are you a weather junkie? Do you want to keep up with the latest computer security updates? Do you routinely check your stock quotes throughout the day? If you are one of the 37,000 people who have used uPortal.Cornell to keep these and other services on your computer screen and to navigate Cornell's Web space and the Internet at large, you will have discovered that a new version appeared May 22. (May 24, 2005)
Trustees to meet in Ithaca, May 26-29, during Commencement weekend
The Cornell University Board of Trustees will meet in Ithaca, Thursday, May 26, through Sunday, May 29, during the university's Commencement weekend. The full board will meet from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. Friday, May 27, in Room 196 in the Beck Center of Statler Hall and again Saturday, May 28, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. in Sage Hall on the Cornell campus. (May 20, 2005)
Commencement weekend road, parking lot closings
The Cornell Commencement Committee has issued a list of special road and parking lot closings to accommodate numerous activities scheduled for Commencement weekend. Please note that East Avenue and the portion of Tower Road between East Avenue and Judd Falls Road will be closed Sunday, May 29, from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. (May 19, 2005)
New Office for Humanities and Social Sciences Communications established
To give the humanities and social sciences a new focus on campus, an Office of Humanities and Social Sciences Communications has been established within Cornell's Division of University Communications. (May 18, 2005)
TCAT makes changes to Routes 93 and 86, extending summer nighttime schedule
Through the combined efforts of East Hill area residents and Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) management staff, TCAT's Route 93, a Cornell nighttime service route, will continue to operate through the summer months. The service will run Monday through Saturday nights, using the current bus schedule. Route 86 will be eliminated as of May 31. (May 18, 2005)
Salah Hassan appointed director of Africana Studies and Research Center
Salah Hassan has been appointed to a five-year term as director of Cornell's Africana Studies and Research Center effective July 1, the Office of the Provost announced May 12. Hassan, chair of the Department of History of Art and associate professor of African and African Diaspora art history and visual culture, has served as the center's acting director for two years, overseeing the renovation and expansion of the facility that was celebrated with a formal dedication ceremony April 29. (May 16, 2005)
Cornell campus mourns the death of student Dan Pirfo; candlelight memorial is May 14
Counselors at Cornell University are offering special services to groups and individual students following confirmation of the death of Cornell freshman student Daniel A. Pirfo, Thursday, May 12. "We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Dan Pirfo," said Susan H. Murphy, Cornell vice president for student and academic services. "Our thoughts and prayers go to his family and his many friends. During this time, the university is offering support and counsel to all who have been touched by this tragic event." A candlelight memorial will be held Saturday, May 14, at 10 p.m. on Rawlings Green. (May 12, 2005)
Alumni magazine wins CASE gold
Each year, CASE, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, singles out universities for awards in several areas of communications, alumni relations and fund-raising. In this year's CASE Circle of Excellence competition, Cornell Alumni Magazine received a gold medal in the Best Articles of the Year category for the feature story "Dr. Eponymous" by Brad Herzog '90, published in the March/April 2004 issue. Herzog is a regular contributor to the magazine and the author of several books. The article is a profile of Henry Heimlich '41, MD '43, the inventor of the Heimlich maneuver. (May 12, 2005)
A room of one's own: Why telecommunications space is critical
What is, typically, the most challenging part of an EzraNet project? Surprisingly, it's not the construction. It's not meeting the wide-ranging needs of multiple departments in the same building. It's not even the painstaking work of mapping out, reviewing and revising network plans. It's finding space for the telecommunications rooms. (May 12, 2005)
New version of Eudora recommended for Windows users
Cornell Information Technologies (CIT) announces that a new version of the e-mail program Eudora is now available for Windows users. With its improved user interface, version 6.2.1 also fixes a security hole that could enable a specifically crafted mail message to cause Eudora to crash or to execute virus-like code simply by opening or previewing the message. If you use Eudora to access your e-mail through uPortal.Cornell, you've already been prompted to upgrade. (If you haven't yet accepted, do so.) (May 12, 2005)
Ostrander named director of Cornell University Police
Curtis S. Ostrander is the new director of the Cornell University Police Department, Steve Golding, executive vice president for finance and administration, announced May 2, effective immediately. As director of Cornell Police, Ostrander will be responsible for leading the university's broad-based campus law enforcement agency. (May 05, 2005)
Michael D. Johnson is new dean of the School of Hotel Administration
Michael D. Johnson has been named dean of Cornell's School of Hotel Administration, President Jeffrey S. Lehman and Provost Biddy Martin announced May 3. Johnson currently is the D. Maynard Phelps Collegiate Professor of Business Administration and professor of marketing at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. He will take over as dean July 1, 2006. Professor Sheryl Kimes will serve as interim dean for the 2005-06 academic year. (May 04, 2005)
Students stage Day Hall sit-in to protest West Campus parking plan
Students opposed to Cornell's plans to build a parking lot for the West Campus house system on a parcel of land owned by the university for more than half a century took their protest into Day Hall on April 28. They sat in President Jeffrey Lehman's office for five hours before being removed by Cornell Police. (May 4, 2005)
Cornell News Service wins silver medal for science writing
CASE, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, has awarded Cornell News Service a silver medal for excellence in news writing in the category of research, medicine and science news. Each year CASE singles out universities for awards in several areas of communications, alumni relations and fund-raising. In 1998 Cornell News Service won the CASE grand gold medal for writing in research, medicine and science. (May 4, 2005)
Express service with luxury touches: Campus-to-campus bus hits its stride
Fred Rhoades has been driving buses -- all kinds of buses, from school and senior citizens' buses to charter coaches -- for more than 35 years. But according to Rhoades, the Prevost motor coaches that run eight times a week on Cornell's Campus-to-Campus express charter service beat them all -- at least, based on comfort and passenger response from students, faculty, staff and alumni. Take a Quicktime virtual-reality tour of the bus. (May 4, 2005)
Slope Day promises to be better -- and safer -- than ever
Slope Day's organizers say that this year's May 6 event should be better -- and safer -- than ever. "First of all, the level of the performers is greater than in past years," says Steve Blake '05, a government major from San Francisco who serves as president of the Slope Day Programming Board and co-chair of the Slope Day Steering Committee. (May 03, 2005)
D*es yo()r paSSw0rd me3t tHe c@mp1eXi+y T3sT?
On April 25, Cornell Information Technologies rolled out its newest effort to strengthen electronic security by moving to enforce stronger passwords for NetIDs. The NetID and password combination is your private key to a wide range of services -- employee benefits, student grades, e-mail, to name a few -- that are provided by and restricted to the Cornell community. What this means to current faculty, staff and students is that the next time they change their NetID passwords, they will have to follow new, more stringent rules. (May 02, 2005)