Things to Do: Week of Jan. 30
Things to Do for the week of Jan. 30 include a concert of Brazilian music, a lecture on the closing of Gitmo and a lecture on galactic luminosity. (Jan. 30, 2009)

CU in the City
Upcoming New York City events include lectures by Cornell professors Michael Kammen and Alison Lurie and an urban horticulture training program. (Jan. 30, 2009)

CU provides resources for staff who care for relatives
Cornell's Office of Workforce Diversity, Equity and Life Quality offers assistance for employees caring for relatives who are elderly, sick, disabled or have special needs. (Jan. 30, 2009)

Empire Plan coverage changes for psychiatric services
Effective Jan. 1, psychiatric services received at Cayuga Medical Center are considered out-of-network for Empire Plan participants. (Jan. 30, 2009)

Milstein Hall gets final site plan approval
Paul Milstein Hall cleared its final municipal hurdle Jan. 27 with a unanimous 6-0 vote on final site plan approval from the city of Ithaca's Planning and Development Board. (Jan. 29, 2009)

Board of trustees meeting notes
In addition to approving budget cuts at its Jan. 22-24 meeting, the Cornell Board of Trustees also approved a tuition rise, a new B.A. and a named professorship. (Jan. 29, 2009)

Annual giving remains on pace, but new commitments fall
Charles Phlegar, vice president for alumni affairs and development, talks about how the economic downturn is affecting fundraising and the capital campaign. (Jan. 29, 2009)

Planning begins on budget cuts for 2011
Beginning early February, Executive Vice President Stephen Golding and Provost Kent Fuchs will begin a strategic planning process with the goal of looking ahead to fiscal year 2010-11. (Jan. 29, 2009)

New hardship fund will help employees
Mary Opperman, vice president for human resources, describes help for Cornell employees facing difficulties due to the recession. (Jan. 29, 2009)

New course examines green issues in hospitality industry
Global poverty, climate change, ecosystem degradation and other issues are being tackled in a new course offered by the School of Hotel Administration and the Johnson School. (Jan. 28, 2009)

Plasma physics expert Ravi Sudan dies at 77
Ravi Sudan, the IBM Professor Emeritus of Engineering and a leader in the field of plasma physics, died Jan. 22 in St. Petersburg, Fla. (Jan. 28, 2009)

Despite downturn, endowment is in good shape, says CIO
James Walsh puts Cornell's endowment performance in historical context, saying while it has decreased by 27.3 percent in the past six months, on average it has increased by 6.7 percent each year over the past five years. (Jan. 27, 2009)

'Unzipping' DNA reveals clues to gene expression
By 'unzipping' single DNA molecules, a Cornell research team has gained new insight into how genes are packed and expressed within cells. (Jan. 27, 2009)

Senior mixes used clothing with organic textiles
Heber Sanchez '09 has reaped a $25,000 Geoffrey Beene National Scholarship for designing a sustainable fashion line for young men that combines second-hand clothing with organic textiles. (Jan. 27, 2009)

Do people lie on surveys? If so, why?
People lie on surveys to boast about themselves or to avoid embarrassment, among other reasons, but there was no evidence of the so-called 'Bradley effect' in the November presidential election. (Jan. 27, 2009)

University editor Jo Ann Wimer dies at 66
Wimer worked in Cornell's Office of Publications and Marketing from 1978 until her retirement in 2007. She died at Cayuga Medical Center Jan. 22 after a long bout with cancer. (Jan. 27, 2009)

Four professors named 2008 Weiss fellows
Bruce Ganem, Ronald Harris-Warrick, Mary Beth Norton and Richard Rand have been chosen for the 2008 Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellowships for excellence in teaching and advising. (Jan. 26, 2009)

Magic tricks thrill children in 'Hall of Wonders'
Scores of families attended the 'Hall of Wonders,' a presentation of interactive displays of science, art and music in Statler Hall, Jan. 24. The event was part of the annual Light in Winter Festival. (Jan. 26, 2009)

'Evil' fungi are beauteous and beneficial
Mycologist Kathie Hodge, presented 'Beneath Notice: Little Fungi for Good and Evil,' Jan. 25, in Cornell's Mann Library as part of the Light in Winter Festival of Sciences and the Arts. (Jan. 26, 2009)

Jay Walker named Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year
Walker '77, chairman of Walker Digital and founder of Priceline.com, will be honored on campus during the Entrepreneurship@Cornell Celebration April 16-17. (Jan. 26, 2009)

Seniors can 'go with their gut' when making decisions
Psychologist Joseph Mikels studies how emotion interfaces with such cognitive processes as working memory and selective attention, and he applies this to decision making in the elderly. (Jan. 26, 2009)

Trustees approve budget cuts
In a statement regarding actions taken by the board of trustees, President David Skorton urges community involvement to protect Cornell's strength. Actions include extended hiring and construction pauses, and tuition rises. (Jan. 25, 2009)

CU signs grape agreement with Sun World International
Cornell and Sun World operate two of the world's leading fresh grape breeding programs. The venture aims to combine their research strengths to develop improved varieties for grape growers, both here and abroad. (Jan. 23, 2009)

Student leaders train to combat hazing
Fraternity and Sorority Affairs and Cornell Outdoor Education has won an award for the Positively Challenging program, which seeks to provide alternatives to hazing and alcohol abuse through adventure-based learning. (Jan. 23, 2009)

Taking control of life in a time of uncertainty
Linda Starr of Cornell's Employee Assistance Program suggests ways to cope with the winter blues and financial uncertainties. (Jan. 23, 2009)

Credit counseling service helps employees control spending
Cornell has contracted with Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Central New York to provide financial counseling at no cost to faculty and staff members. (Jan. 23, 2009)

Work/life teleconferences are new time-saving aid
New 20-minute monthly teleconferences are available to inform employees about Cornell's work/life programs and services. (Jan. 23, 2009)

Yearlong intensive Arabic program planned
The Department of Near Eastern Studies will launch an Intensive Arabic Program in the fall, with a full semester of language study on the Cornell campus and a semester living and studying in Jordan. (Jan. 22, 2009)

Artist shares her cultural quilts with Parisians
Associate professor Riche Richardson recently spent a week in Paris as a cultural envoy. She gave talks, and her art quilts depicting Barack Obama, Josephine Baker and Simone de Beauvoir were exhibited. (Jan. 22, 2009)

CU in the City
New York City events include the fourth annual 21 Dinner, a reading by novelist Junot Diaz, MFA '95, art tours and champagne cognac tasting. (Jan. 22, 2009)

Things to Do: Week of Jan. 23
Editor's picks for events the week of Jan. 23 include the opening of a new play about body image, films about water, Soup and Hope and a celebration of the Lunar New Year. (Jan. 22, 2009)

Alumna lauds story about students at inauguration
In a letter to the editor, Alice Katz Berglas '66 comments on the story about students taking a bus to the presidential inauguration. (Jan. 22, 2009)

Culture, not biology, drives evolution of language
Professor Morten Christiansen challenges the long-held theory that human language stems from a genetic blueprint. Instead, he says, the neural machinery used for language likely predates the emergence of language itself. (Jan. 22, 2009)

Constance Cook obituary
Constance Knowles Eberhardt Cook, a lawyer, legislator, pilot, Congressional candidate, Fulbright scholar and Cornell's first woman vice president, died Jan. 20. (Jan. 22, 2009)

Pulitzer winner Junot Diaz to visit campus Feb. 19-20
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Junot Diaz, M.F.A. '95, will visit campus in February to kick off a yearlong 'Centennial Plus Five Celebration of Creative Writing at Cornell.' (Jan. 21, 2009)

Excited students take road trip to the inauguration
Among the throngs attending the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama were 100 Cornell students, faculty and staff who took an all-night bus together to brave the cold and witness the historic ceremony. (Jan. 21, 2009)

Remembrance of past amid inauguration celebration
Scholars commented on the historic milestones that led up to Barack Obama's inauguration at a celebration Jan. 20 at the Africana Studies and Research Center. (Jan. 21, 2009)

Pete Salino named director of Grounds Department
Peter M. Salino, operations manager in the Grounds Department within the Facilities Services unit of Cornell, is the new director of that department, succeeding Dennis Osika, who has retired. (Jan. 21, 2009)

10 ways to improve in the financial sector
Financial expert Leon Metzger offers recommendations for new legislation or regulation to improve the internal controls and reduce operational risk in the financial sector. (Jan. 21, 2009)

Freshman at inauguration is witness to history
ILR student Alyssa O'Connor '12 talks about what she experienced on inauguration day. She had a close-up view as part of the University Presidential Inaugural Conference. (Jan. 20, 2009)

Professor: Memory, meaning of MLK will haunt Obama
Speaking Jan. 19 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Celebration in Ithaca, professor Locksley Edmondson said that Barack Obama's election does not indicate that America has become a 'post-racial society.' (Jan. 20, 2009)

Informal activities are vital for science literacy
Such activities as visiting museums and zoos and watching science documentaries significantly contribute to scientific literacy, according to a new report from the National Research Council. (Jan. 20, 2009)

CNF receives renewal grant from NSF
The nanotechnology facility is set to receive $2.68 million per year from the NSF for the next five years. (Jan. 20, 2009)

New toxicant safety standards needed to protect the young
Toxicologist Rodney Dietert stresses the need to focus more attention on identifying environmental factors that can damage the immune system during prenatal, infant and juvenile development. (Jan. 20, 2009)

Support meeting offered for friends of Matthew Lanzing
Student Matthew Lanzing of Bradenton, Fla., died Jan. 12. A community support meeting will be held Jan. 22 at 4:30 p.m. in the Founders Room of Anabel Taylor Hall. (Jan. 20, 2009)

How protein receptors on cells switch on and off
Researchers have provided a new insight into how receptors on cell surfaces turn off signals from the cell's environment. The findings have implications for better understanding cancer, AIDS and other illnesses. (Jan. 16, 2009)

President, Nobelist sign letter to Obama to increase funding
President David Skorton and professor Robert Richardson were among the 19 university presidents and 49 Nobel laureates who signed a letter urging Barack Obama to support an increase in funding for science. (Jan. 16, 2009)

Technology can help us weather the recession
Tracy Mitrano calls on the government to create a regulatory federal agency devoted to issues surrounding the Internet so that we can more readily create a prosperous global information economy. (Jan. 16, 2009)

Schwartz Center celebrates 20 years
After hundreds of performances by thousands of students, the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts is still a very young member of the Cornell family, celebrating its 20th anniversary. (Jan. 16, 2009)

Things to Do: Week of Jan. 16
Editor's picks for events the week of Jan. 16 include a Glee Club concert and a performance by a noted hammered dulcimer player. (Jan. 16, 2009)

CU in the City
Upcoming New York City events include a dinner honoring Ed Marinaro '72, a Johnson School alumni dinner and a discussion of the Employee Free Choice Act. (Jan. 16, 2009)

Physician Referral Center links employees with doctors
Cayuga Medical Center's new Physician Referral Center Web site can help match Cornell staff members' needs and health plans with local doctors. (Jan. 16, 2009)

Cornell Employee Celebration Day is Feb. 14
Tickets are on sale through Feb. 6 for the annual winter event, which features Cornell athletic events and a community dinner in Barton Hall among other events. (Jan. 16, 2009)

Andrew Clark is first Meinig Family Investigator
The professor of population genetics has been named the first Nancy and Peter Meinig Family Investigator in the Life Sciences. The award supports 'outstanding, innovative faculty life sciences research at Cornell.' (Jan. 15, 2009)

New Cornell Police officers commissioned
In a Jan. 14 commissioning ceremony, Christopher Cady, Kyle Hollenbeck, Blair MacDonald and Eric Stickel were sworn in, and officers Anthony Tostanoski and Scott Salino were promoted to sergeant. (Jan. 15, 2009)

Revised Family and Medical Leave Act
Two FMLA entitlements related to the military are new for Cornell employees: a qualifying military exigency leave and a military caregiver leave. The provisions take effect Jan. 16. (Jan. 15, 2009)

Two longtime employees retire
The Cornell community celebrated the dedicated service of Dennis Osika '64, director of the Grounds Department, and of Richard McDaniel, M.P.A. '74, M.B.A. '78, vice president for risk management and public safety. (Jan. 15, 2009)

Spitzer telescope detects dust around carbon star
The observation gives scientists a glimpse into the early universe and enlivens a debate about the origins of all cosmic dust. (Jan. 15, 2009)

Memorial for Nicholas Kau
A vigil for Nicholas Kau, a student who died Jan. 10 in New York City, will be held Jan. 16 in Manhattan, and funeral services will be Jan. 17. A campus memorial service is being planned for next week. (Jan. 15, 2009)

Students help Botswana natural-foods company
Over winter break, a Cornell team went to Botswana to help a fledgling natural-food products company that produces snacks from plants in the wild while benefiting local communities. (Jan. 14, 2009)

Architecture program reclaims top ranking
Cornell's undergraduate architecture program received top ranking - its fourth No. 1 ranking in five years - in the annual survey conducted by DesignIntelligence magazine. (Jan. 14, 2009)

How a terrorist food scare would affect consumers
In a study, when people at a buffet learned that the chicken being served might be tainted by bird flu, they ate less of it. But they ate even less when they were told that terrorism was behind the flu threat. (Jan. 14, 2009)

Obama nominates alum as deputy defense secretary
William J. Lynn III, J.D. '80, has been nominated by President-elect Barack Obama for deputy defense secretary, the No. 2 position at the Pentagon. (Jan. 14, 2009)

Hiatt receives a Kauffman Foundation fellowship
Shon R. Hiatt, a Ph.D. student in organizational behavior and strategy in Cornell's ILR School, has received a Kauffman Dissertation Fellowship in Entrepreneurship. (Jan. 14, 2009)

Students cook up concepts to help elderly
Students have developed ideas for a machine that allows seniors to put on their pants without bending over, a coat that cushions a fall and a jacket that is easy to pull on and off while sitting in a wheelchair. (Jan. 13, 2009)

ILR freshman to get close-up view of inauguration
ILR freshman Alyssa O'Connor has a ticket for the presidential inauguration and for a ball as a student in a five-day program sponsored by the University Presidential Inaugural Conference. (Jan. 13, 2009)

eLab grows student businesses
Recent graduates of Student Agencies eLab, the not-for-profit business accelerator for Cornell undergrads, has secured major funding, stemming from eLab's help. (Jan. 13, 2009)

Light in Winter brings science, art and magic to Ithaca
The Light in Winter Festival of Science and the Arts is Jan. 23-25 on campus and other venues in Ithaca. The festival showcases cutting-edge ideas through theater, lectures, music and multimedia events. (Jan. 12, 2009)

ECE welcomes new director Tsuhan Chen
Chen, who comes from the faculty of Carnegie Mellon University, started in January as director of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. (Jan. 12, 2009)

Chantal Thomas to head Law School Middle East initiative
The Cornell law professor has expertise in the Middle East, northern Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. The Clarke Initiative for Law and Development in the Middle East was formerly called the Clarke Middle East Fund. (Jan. 12, 2009)

Study: Mosquitoes beat out love song before mating
Cornell researchers report in Science that the mosquitoes that carry dengue and yellow fevers create harmonic love songs before mating. Disrupting the duets could lead to control measures. (Jan. 8, 2009)

Cornell, DuPont make nanotubes for flexible electronics
Cornell and DuPont researchers have invented a method of preparing carbon nanotubes for suspension in a semiconducting 'ink,' which can then be printed into thin, flexible electronics. (Jan. 8, 2009)

N.Y.'s first lady partners with Cornell on children's health
New York first lady Michelle Paige Paterson visited campus Jan. 5 with hopes to improve the health of New York's children and reduce childhood obesity with help from Cornell University. (Jan. 8, 2009)

Head Start marks 20-year milestone in visit
This past fall, the Geneva Head Start marked its 20th year touring the various facilities at Cornell's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva. (Jan. 8, 2009)

Professor emerita Sally Blackwell dies at age 92
Professor emerita Sara 'Sally' Blackwell, who played a crucial role in the 1966 reorganization of the College of Human Ecology, died Jan. 4. (Jan. 8, 2009)

Evolutionary history of diatoms needs to be rewritten
A new study suggests that after a sudden rise in species numbers, oceanic plankton called diatoms abruptly declined about 33 million years ago -- trends that coincided with severe global cooling. (Jan. 7, 2009)

Eisner shows butterfly's hind wings help evade predators
Cornell research suggests that butterflies' hind wings help them evade predators, and their bright colors warn birds that chasing them isn't worth the energy. (Jan. 6, 2009)

Law student's article wins three prizes
Third-year Cornell Law School student Michael Zuckerman '09 won three national awards for his article, 'The Offshoring of American Government.' (Jan. 6, 2009)

Levine named interim director of Einaudi Center
Gilbert E. Levine is serving as interim director of the university's Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies through June 30, 2009. (Jan. 6, 2009)

Materials scientists partner with startups
Three New York state small businesses will receive JumpStart awards to work with the Cornell Center for Materials Research this spring. (Jan. 6, 2009)