Cornell e-News -- April 2008

April 2008

Rick Ward, Ravi Singh and Ronnie Coffman in a wheat field in Obregon, Mexico

Gates Foundation awards CU $26.8M to lead fight against wheat plague

The new Durable Rust Resistance in Wheat project will bring together 15 institutions to combat the emergence of deadly new variants of stem rust that can spread quickly, reducing healthy wheat to broken, shriveled stems. Wheat accounts for about 30 percent of the world's production of grain crops, and scientists estimate that 90 percent of all wheat varieties planted around the globe are susceptible to the virulent new wheat stem rust type, known as Ug99. Participating in the Gates Foundation announcement, April 2 in Obregon, Mexico, were, from left, project coordinator Rick Ward; Ravi Singh, wheat breeder at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center; and Ronnie Coffman, Cornell professor of plant breeding, who will direct the consortium of global partners.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

CAMPUS:
Record number of applicants ... Maya Angelou ... Cultural center ...
On-campus winery ... Business incubator ... Hotel Ezra Cornell ...
Union Days ... Tackling poverty ... Death penalty law ... Rankings ...
Goldsworthy sculpture ... 'Lunatic' celebration ... Lacrosse champs

PEOPLE:
Provost's Awards ... University Librarian ... Scholarship winners ...
Pulitzer winner ... Oprah's Biggest Giver ... Mellon fellows ...
Farmer-to-Farmer ... Weill appointment ... DARPA awards ...
Remembering: John Butler Babcock; John Doris; Leonard
Dworsky; Walter Federer; Stephen Weiss

RESEARCH:
Hartwell awards ... Veterinary clinical fellows ... CU satellite ...
Walking robot ... Cartilage strain ... Weill Cornell research ...
Vitamin D as cancer prevention ... Caffeine and MS ...
Flu pandemic ... Internet usage ... Internet chain letters

OUTREACH:
Glee Club and Chorus in China ... 'Spoglia' dance in New Orleans ...
Arecibo outreach ... Rain forest restoration ... Pet videos ...
Doing well by doing good ... Student ambassadors ...
Foodnet efficiencies ... Poem in Your Pocket ... Smart buoys

FAR ABOVE ... A CAMPAIGN UPDATE:
How scholarships increase diversity ... West Campus experience ...
Faculty call to excellence ... Every dollar matters

ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS:
Reunite for Slope Day ... D.C. Dragon Boat Festival and Races ...
Winepreneurs ... Engineering conference ... Dues payer rewards

CORNELL LINKS:
Quick links to Cornell resources

ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS:

Reunite for Slope Day throughout the United States May 2:
Join the Class of 2007 and celebrate Slope Day on May 2! No planning necessary; just show up and enjoy reuniting with classmates. Wear your Cornell attire and join fellow alumni on the anniversary of celebrating the last day of classes on Libe Slope. Find a celebration near you.

Cornell Club of Washington, D.C.: Dragon Boat Festival & Races:
The Cornell Club of Washington is again entering its team, the respected Big Red Dragons, in Washington's annual Dragon Boat Festival on the Georgetown waterfront, Saturday and Sunday, May 17-18. Come join the team or cheer on the Big Red! Each boat needs 20 paddlers, and the CCW tri-captains are eager to recruit some new talent -- no experience necessary. For more information, visit the club's Web site, where the team's specific race time will be announced close to the event day.

CEN Northern California presents 'Winepreneurs -- Cornellians in Wine':
Join us for a premier Cornell food and wine event as we feature Cornell wine entrepreneurs, or "winepreneurs," Thursday, May 15, at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. Pre-event educational seminars, 4-6 p.m.; main event, 6 p.m., featuring a talk by John Williams '74, president and winemaker, Frog's Leap Winery, plus reception and wine tasting. For details and to register, visit the CEN Web site.

Engineering alumni conference focuses on sustainability:
Solving the world's energy problems isn't just about research into new technologies, and neither is Cornell research on sustainability, a group of experts told Cornell engineering alumni March 28-29 on campus. Alumni responded with such suggestions as seeking support from government and major energy-related industry, working to position Cornell as a world center of sustainability research and possibly creating a major in sustainability. Read about the conference.

Class Dues Payer Rewards Program:
Beginning this year, when you pay your Cornell class dues, you will receive discounts at The Cornell Store, on computers and on Reunion registration, as well as many more offers, through the Cornell Class Dues Rewards Program. These rewards will be updated periodically to meet your needs on and off campus. For more information, visit the program's Web site.

CORNELL LINKS:

Far Above ... The Campaign for Cornell: http://www.campaign.cornell.edu/
Cornell alumni: http://www.alumni.cornell.edu/
Alumni events calendar: http://aadserv5.aad.cornell.edu/world/cal/external/default.cfm
Cornell Alumni Magazine: http://cornellalumnimagazine.com/
Get involved: http://www.alumni.cornell.edu/volunteer.cfm

Cornell home page: http://www.cornell.edu/
Search Cornell: http://www.cornell.edu/search/
Campus Events Calendar: http://www.cornell.edu/events/
CornellCast videos: http://www.cornell.edu/video/

Chronicle Online: http://www.news.cornell.edu/
Get Cornell news by RSS: http://www.news.cornell.edu/RSS/RSS.shtml

Big Red sports: http://cornellbigred.com/
CyberTower: http://cybertower.cornell.edu/
Cornell Adult University: https://www.sce.cornell.edu/cau/
The Cornell Store: http://www.store.cornell.edu

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