Cornell University News Service Releases

June 1999

Index to all months

For the full text of any story, click on the filename at the end of the description. These stories are also available via anonymous FTP at cunews.cornell.edu. Electronic queries may be made to cunews@cornell.edu.

2002 mission to return asteroid sample
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Beth E. Clark, a research associate in Cornell University's Department of Astronomy for the past three years, has been named by NASA to lead a research team for history's first asteroid sample return mission. The 2002 joint mission with Japan will send a space vehicle to land on an asteroid, collect a sample of the surface and return it to Earth for analysis. This will be the first time that a space vehicle has attempted a landing on an asteroid. clark.nasa.deb.html (June 30, 1999)

Park Foundation awards $7.5 million to Johnson School Leadership Fellows program
ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Park Foundation has renewed its support of the Park Leadership Fellows Program at Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management with a gift of nearly $7.5 million that extends support of the program through the Class of 2004. The Park fellowships, named for the late media entrepreneur Roy H. Park, offer full tuition and stipend support to 60 top Johnson School MBA students each year. Linking full scholarship support with an enhanced MBA leadership development experience, it is the only program of its kind in the country. johnson.park.mh.deb.html (June 30, 1999)

Board of Trustees Executive Committee meets in New York City June 24
ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell University Board of Trustees Executive Committee will meet in New York City Thursday, June 24. The meeting will be held in the Fall Creek Room of the Cornell Club of New York, 6 E. 44th St. Executive.committee.jkp.html (June 23, 1999)

Forget minimum wage and expand tax credits
ITHACA, N.Y. -- The minimum wage is an outdated mechanism that does not help the working poor fight poverty, asserts a Cornell University economist. In fact, he says, 83 percent of minimum-wage benefits go to teenagers and other workers living in families above the poverty line, the majority of whom live in middle-class families far above the poverty line. "Minimum wage policies should be abandoned and placed in the museum of antiquated policies," said Richard Burkhauser, the Sarah Gibson Blanding Professor of Policy Analysis and Management at Cornell. A prominent economist and policy scholar on the minimum wage, Burkhauser made these statements in April, while testifying before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce. minimum.wage.ssl.html (June 23, 1999)

Apple dessert's ice cream survives microwave
ITHACA, N.Y. -- With ice cream that won't melt when you put it inside a microwave oven, Sweet Spots might well have been a Willie Wonka creation. The new dessert creation -- cored Jonagold apples filled with vanilla ice cream and coated with a caramel and sweet-oat veneer -- is ripe for popping into a microwave. Imagine grandma's warm apple pie a l‡ mode. Sweet Spots is now a national finalist in the annual Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Product Development Student Competition. And Cornell University food science students are pinning their hopes on the creation to retain a fourth championship in five years for the university's Food Product Development Team. SweetSpots.bpf.html (June 23, 1999)

Board of Trustees elects Elizabeth D. Moore as a trustee fellow
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Elizabeth D. Moore of Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., has been elected as a trustee fellow to a four-year term on the Cornell University Board of Trustees, beginning July 1. Moore is a partner in the New York City law firm of Nixon Hargrave Devans & Doyle LLP in its labor and employee benefits practice group. She previously served as counsel to the governor of the state of New York (governor's chief legal adviser) and director of the governor's Office of Employee Relations. She also is a past chair of the New York State Ethics Commission, and she was first assistant counsel to Gov. Mario Cuomo and assistant counsel to Gov. Hugh Carey. New.trustee.Moore.sfm.html (June 21, 1999)

New field guide covers Cornell's wild areas
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Just in time for summer's educational adventures, Cornell Plantations has published A Field Guide to Cornell's Natural Areas On and Near Campus, by Nancy L. Ostman and F. Robert Wesley. Complete with maps and descriptions of plant communities, the booklet details wild areas within walking and bicycling distance of Cornell University's central campus. Habitats include remnants of old-growth forest, young forest, creek gorges, meadows, flood plains and shrub thicket. field-guide2.hrs..html (June 18, 1999)

Board of Trustees will seat new and re-elected members
ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell University Board of Trustees recently elected three new trustee fellows and re-elected three at-large trustees, one trustee from the field of agriculture and two trustee fellows. Board members also elected an outgoing trustee to fill out a two-year term as a trustee fellow and welcomed two new alumni-elected trustees and one new student-elected trustee. New.trustees.99.html (June 18, 1999)

James Garbarino elected to Elizabeth Lee Vincent Professorship
ITHACA, N.Y. -- James Garbarino, Cornell University professor of human development and co-director of the Family Life Development Center, has been elected the Elizabeth Lee Vincent Professor, Department of Human Development in the College of Human Ecology. The Cornell Board of Trustees approved the election of Garbarino to the endowed professorship at its May 29, 1999, meeting; it will be effective July 1, 1999. Garbarino.prof.ssl.html (June 17, 1999)

Milk check-off funds better spent on ads
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Six years ago, an economics journal published a seminal work that suggested that milk producers who pay "check-off" allocations may be better served spending that money on research, rather than on milk promotion and marketing. Now, Cornell University agricultural economists say that the mathematical model used in that study may be incorrect due to erroneous assumptions. Most agricultural commodities have check-off programs used primarily for generic promotion to increase consumption. For example, for every 100 gallons of milk a farmer sells, a farmer pays a check-off fee that goes toward airing those popular "Got Milk" commercials. "Producers raise about $750 million a year for the check-off programs," according to Chanjin Chung; Cornell research associate in agricultural economics, and Harry M. Kaiser, Cornell professor of agricultural economics, authors of a new study. PivotalMilk.bpf.html (June 17, 1999)

Several road construction projects under way on campus
ITHACA, N.Y. -- People who drive on Cornell University's campus this summer will face detours aused by several road improvement projects. Areas involved will include Campus and Caldwell roads near the College of Veterinary Medicine, Sage Avenue and the intersection of Central Avenue and Campus Road. All projects are expected to begin Monday, June 14, and to reach completion during the month of August. Road.construction.html (June 15, 1999)

Biodiversity Laboratory in Dominican Republic
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Officials from the Dominican Republic and Cornell University will celebrate the groundbreaking for a multipurpose facility -- a biodiversity laboratory for undergraduate students and a distance-learning center for scholars of the Caribbean nation -- in ceremonies set for June 18 in the Punta Cana region of the Dominican Republic. High-level officials, including the directors of the departments of Interior and Public Works of the Dominican Republic, are expected to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Punta_Cana.hrs.html (June 14, 1999)

Families struggle with outdated work structures
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A new Cornell University study on work and the family finds that support from supervisors and a sense of control over work schedules and workloads are becoming more and more important to today's workers as they struggle to work and raise families in antiquated work structures. "Couples are managing as best they can, given the existing culture and organization of work and of career paths," said Cornell's Phyllis Moen, an author of the study, speaking at a special symposium today (June 15) on working families sponsored by at the Economic Policy Institute and the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C. Moen is director of the Cornell Employment and Family Careers Institute, funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. She is also the Ferris Family Professor of Life Course Studies at Cornell. working.lifequality.ssl.html (June 14, 1999)

Summer School of Criticism and Theory
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Lani Guinier, Houston Baker and Stanley Fish are among more than a dozen prominent guest speakers who will present public talks as part of the 1999 summer session of the School of Criticism and Theory (SCT) hosted by Cornell University beginning June 14. The session's events are free and open to the public (see listing below). Designed as a hothouse for intellectual discourse, SCT was founded in 1976 by a group of leading literary scholars in the conviction that an understanding of theory is fundamental to humanistic studies. The SCT offers professors and advanced graduate students of literature and related social sciences a chance to work with pre-eminent figures in critical thought. Together they explore literature's relationship with history, art, anthropology and the law, examine its role in ideological and cultural movements, and reassess theoretical approaches that have emerged over the last 50 years. School.of.Crit.Theory.html (June 14, 1999)

Pittsburgh resident Amber Seligson wins national fellowship
ITHACA, N.Y. -- When Pittsburgh resident Amber Seligson, a Cornell University doctoral student in government, first heard she'd been awarded a national predissertation fellowship from the Social Science Research Council, she said, "I was thrilled. It's extremely hard to get." That's putting it mildly. The council, which is supported by the Ford Foundation, gave out only 24 such awards, choosing from thousands of doctoral students across the United States. The process is so selective that Seligson was the first Cornell winner in five years. Amber.Seligson.PhD.html (June 10, 1999)

Hotel School grad Julie Margolin grew up in Westchester, but her interests are Universal
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Julie Margolin, the daughter of Yonkers residents Barbara and Arthur Margolin in Westchester County, is the top winner of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration's prestigious 1999 Drown Prize. Margolin is the ideal ambassador for the Hotel School. Outgoing and well-spoken, she easily conveys her enthusiasm for the school while acting as a tour guide to prospective students. They brighten visibly when she tells them, "I've truly made the most of my experience here." Julie.Margolin.Hotel.html (June 10, 1999)

Northeast suffers worsening drought
ITHACA, N.Y. -- From the mountains of West Virginia to the shores of the northern Chesapeake Bay, drought conditions grip the middle Atlantic states. According to climate statistics released today, the drought shows signs of worsening, according to climatologists at the Northeast Regional Climate Center (NRCC) at Cornell University. Most of Maryland is suffering either severe or extreme drought conditions, based on statistics provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency's (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center in Washington. Over 10 months, from Aug. 1, 1998, to May 31, 1999, Maryland had below-average precipitation resulting in a "precipitation deficit" of between 8 inches and 14 inches, says Keith Eggleston, a senior climatologist at the NRCC. NRCC.SevereDrought.bpf.html (June 9, 1999)

President's Council of Cornell Women awards 10 research grants
ITHACA, N.Y. -- The President's Council of Cornell Women (PCCW), an alumnae group that serves as an advisory council to the university's president, has awarded its 1999 research grants to four women faculty members and six graduate students. The PCCW grants program was established eight years ago to help advance the careers of women in academia through support of research leading to tenure, promotion and the completion of dissertations. This year, 10 recipients were chosen from 67 applicants to receive approximately $25,000 in grant funding; faculty received two-thirds of the funding. Previously, PCCW awarded $191,000 to 104 women; 85 percent of faculty recipients are still at Cornell, and several have moved up the tenure ladder. PCCW.grants.1999.lgk.html (June 9, 1999)

Alumni return to campus for Reunion 1999, June 10-13
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Old friends, familiar haunts and updated memories await more than 5,500 Cornell University alumni and guests returning to campus for the university's Reunion 1999 weekend, June 10-13. As in past years, a full slate of entertaining educational and recreational activities is planned for Cornell's former students and loyal friends. Two highlights of Reunion weekend are: the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Lecture by noted economist Lester Thurow, Friday, June 11, at 3 p.m. in Bailey Hall; and the annual State of the University address by Cornell President Hunter Rawlings, Saturday, June 12, at 10:30 a.m., also in Bailey Hall. Admission to both the Thurow and Rawlings lectures is limited primarily to registered alumni and guests with tickets. Members of the public will be admitted to Bailey Hall 10 minutes before each lecture to claim any remaining seats. Reunion.99.sfm.html (June 9, 1999)

Voracious viburnum leaf beetles have munched their way south from Lake Ontario to Ithaca, Cornell entomologists say
ITHACA, N.Y. -- For the ravenous viburnum leaf beetle, a relentless southern march continues. The beetle (Pyrrhalta viburni) was found in the Ithaca and surrounding areas late last month by a Cornell University entomologist. The beetle had chewed its way through ornamental shrubs in several New York counties along Lake Ontario, leaving the skeletal remnants of once-beautiful bushes in its wake. "We probably won't see much damage here for about a year," says E. Richard Hoebeke, entomologist, and an assistant curator of the Cornell Insect Collection. "If it follows what it did in Rochester, it's going to be a major pest. Right now the damage is minimal here, but this is the first year that the larval stage of this beetle has had a foothold in the area." IthacaBeetle.bpf.html (June 7, 1999)

Booklet helps assess senior friendly communities
ITHACA, N.Y. -- More than 80 percent of America's seniors say they want to remain at home as they age. Their degree of independence, however, depends largely on their community's features and services. Now, communities can assess how "liveable" they are for seniors by using a new evaluation guide written by a Cornell University housing expert. "Liveable Communities: An Evaluation Guide" by Patricia Baron Pollak, Cornell associate professor of policy analysis and management, is the first community/citizen liveability assessment guide. Published by the Public Policy Institute of the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons), the guide enables community residents to assess whether their communities have programs and services that help older persons remain independent. aarp.book.ssl.html (June 4, 1999)

Researcher outlines farm decline crisis
PHILADELPHIA -- In the 1940s, farmers and their families numbered about 35 million people, or about one-fourth of the U.S. population. Today, that number has plummeted to under 5 million, or less than 2 percent of the population. In a plenary address June 7 at the Keep America Growing Conference at the Adam's Mark Hotel, Charles C. Geisler, a Cornell University professor of rural sociology, will outline the crisis of disappearing small farms in a talk, "Working Lands and Working People: Coupling Smart Growth with Smart Ownership." The conference is sponsored by the American Farmland Trust. FarmDecline.bpf.html (June 4, 1999)

Radar provides first 3-D views of moon's frigid poles, indicating sites for ice deposits, say Cornell astronomers
ITHACA, N.Y. -- The hidden poles of the moon have been revealed by Cornell University and Jet Propulsion Laboratory researchers working with the radar antennas of NASA's Deep Space Network at Goldstone, Calif. The south pole image, in particular, reveals a chaotic surface, with deep craters that are in permanent shadow from the sun and which are potential repositories for water ice. These first three-dimensional topographic images of the lunar polar regions will provide essential data for the proposed crash of the orbiting Lunar Prospector spacecraft into the lunar south pole in late July. If NASA approves, the controlled, high-speed dive into a massive crater, 50 kilometers (32 miles) across and 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) deep, will attempt to provide absolute proof of the existence of water on the moon.moon.poles.deb.html (June 3, 1999)

International Conference on Asteroids, Comets and Meteors to be held at Cornell University July 26-30
ITHACA, N.Y. -- The seventh International Conference on Asteroids, Comets and Meteors will be held at Cornell University July 26-30. The following includes information for media representatives wishing to attend the conference and a media registration form. ACM.newsadv.deb.html (June 2, 1999)

Major addition will give Cornell's high-energy X-ray facility a quantum leap in on-campus research
ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS), one of the world's leading centers for X-ray research in biology and materials science, is building a major addition that will provide a quantum leap in its capabilities. Although CHESS is largely funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) as a National Research Facility, the addition is being funded entirely by $3 million from the Cornell University administration. An NSF grant of $2.5 million over three years will fund the X-ray beam line equipment for the building. Cornell also is funding two graduate fellowships for students who will work in the new facility. chess.gline.deb.html (June 1, 1999)