April 2009
Early in the morning of Parents' Weekend, April 18, 1969, 11 fire alarms rang out across the Cornell campus. At 3 a.m., a burning cross was discovered outside Wari House, a cooperative for black women students. The following morning, members of the Afro-American Society occupied Willard Straight Hall to protest Cornell's perceived racism, its judicial system and its slow progress in establishing a black studies program. The events that were to prompt decades of social, cultural and political change on campus were in play.
More on the anniversary of the takeover:
* At campus commemoration, Skorton says diversity challenge persists
* Takeover discussed at New York City event
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
CAMPUS:
Fungi reclaimed ... Swine flu ... CU's tartan ... Winery opens ...
Diversity talks ... Library cuts ... Senator visits ... Big Ideas ...
Tracking construction ... NCAA recertification ... HEC goes to Vegas
PEOPLE:
Trustees elected ... Sudanese scholar ... 40 years of 'Garbage!' ...
Hartwell fellow ... Goldwater scholars ... Entrepreneur on CU ...
Skorton honored ... Operation OF ... Undergraduate artist
RESEARCH:
Mapping world photos ... 'Instant on' memory ... SARS insights ...
Protein production ... Move over, Newton ... Nanotube reactions ...
Engineering work ... Breast cancer metastasis ... Poverty and the brain
OUTREACH:
Eco-design in China ... Gardens in Belize ... Animals in Honduras ...
Business in Colombia ... Mentoring in Florida ... Consumer Camp ...
Nurse home visits ... ILR partnership ... Presenting science in D.C.
FAR ABOVE ... A CAMPAIGN UPDATE:
Helmsley scholarship ... Weills' campaign boost ...
Shaping public policy ... Erasing poverty
ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS:
Metropolitan Museum of Art tours ... Ted Lowi in Boston ...
San Francisco book club ... Gold Coast social ... Class of '98 survey
CORNELL LINKS:
Quick links to Cornell resources
CAMPUS:
Chinese delegation visits campus to reclaim fungi after 70 years
Gannett Health Services issues swine flu precautions
Call us MacCornell: University now has its own tartan
Teaching winery opens on campus
Day Hall officials take over Ho Plaza to talk diversity
Library scales back on books, journals, database access
CU's ag and vet roles emphasized by new N.Y. senator during visit
Innovative bike design, rape alert system win Big Idea Competition
Campus construction projects now tracked on new Web site
NCAA recertifies CU's Division I athletics program with no concerns
84th Hotel Ezra Cornell an "Oscar-worthy" event focused on Las Vegas
PEOPLE:
Sophomore Asa Craig wins a seat on board of trustees
Paul Salvatore and Eileen Walker elected alumni trustees
Sudanese scholar finds freedom to write at Cornell
Bill Steele's "Garbage!" remains an Earth Day anthem 40 years later
Weill Cornell's Brian Lamon earns $100,000 Hartwell fellowship
Four juniors named Goldwater scholars
Entrepreneur Jay Walker calls Cornell an "academic feast"
Skorton designated a "master" of American College of Cardiology
Alumnus targets medical condition afflicting 2 million women
Dancer Jon Wong receives 2008-09 Undergraduate Artist Award
RESEARCH:
Analysis of Flickr photos could lead to online travel books
Putting the squeeze on could lead to "instant on" electronic memory
Researchers discover mechanism that increases SARS virulence
New way to produce critical proteins sidesteps use of live cells
Scientifically ignorant computer derives natural laws from raw data
Pinpointing catalytic reactions on nanotubes could lead to clean fuels
Engineering research conference showcases graduate students' work
New test may predict breast cancer metastasis
Poverty can impair brain development, affecting working memory
OUTREACH:
Student team in China offers innovative urban eco-design
Horticulture class helps school gardeners in Belize
Veterinary students work on monkeys, macaws and crocs in Honduras
Johnson School students help advise Colombian businesses
Students mentor disadvantaged children in Florida
Consumer Camp participants get the skinny on overeating
CU nurse home-visit studies have led to national program
ILR institute partners with American Arbitration Association
In briefings series, professors present science to D.C. policymakers
FAR ABOVE ... A CAMPAIGN UPDATE:
Helmsley Charitable Trust endows scholarship program
Weills boost campaign with $170M cash payment of pledge
CU panel in D.C. ponders higher ed's role in shaping public policy
Marquise McGraw believes education is key to erasing poverty [video]
ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS:
Alumni Association of Westchester hosts museum tours May 8
Take a guided tour of the Egyptian collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with Frank Robinson, the Richard J. Schwartz Director of the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Friday, May 8. Tours start at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m., and are limited to 20 people; $20/person. All are welcome at a dinner at a nearby restaurant following the second tour; dinner cost is not included in the event fee. For more information contact Andrea Glanz '74 at 914-428-7340.
Cornell Club of Boston annual meeting May 8
Political contrarian Ted Lowi, the John L. Senior Professor of American Institutions, will discuss presidential succession and the reality of his predictions in "The Permanent Campaign: How Presidents Rehabilitate Their Predecessors," Friday, May 8, at the Downtown Harvard Club, One Federal Street, Boston's financial district. Visit the club's Web site for more information. For questions about the annual meeting, contact Shane Dunn '07, director and programming chair, Cornell Club of Boston, at sad37@cornell.edu.
San Francisco book club discussion and dinner May 29
Join members of the Cornell Alumni Association of Northern California for a lively book discussion over dinner with Sung Woo, author of "Everything Asian," Friday, May 29, University Club, 800 Powell St., Fourth Floor Library, San Francisco. $15 including dinner. RSVP online. Purchase copies of the book at Books Inc., located in the Opera Plaza in San Francisco, to obtain a 15 percent discount. Once you RSVP, your name will be added to the book club list at the store. Check in at the register to obtain your discount. Contact Lisa Jarboe at lisatjarboe@gmail.com to learn more.
Cornell Club of the Gold Coast year-end social June 4
Gather for a social hour at the Himmarshee Bar and Grille Wednesday, June 4, to officially close another year of great events. Includes hors d'oeuvres and two drinks. Co-hosted by The Ben Law Firm PLLC and the Cornell Club of the Gold Coast. RSVP with Lawrence S. Ben '76 at BulldogLSB@aol.com or 954-961-3710. No charge for members. Non-members $20 ($10 will be applied to next year's membership dues if you join at this event). 210 Southwest 2nd St., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 954-524-1818.
Reminder about Class of 1998 Alumni/Alumnae Survey
President David Skorton has invited Cornell's Class of 1998 to participate in the 2009 Alumni/Alumnae Survey. So far we have heard from just over 20 percent of the members of this class. If you have not yet completed the survey, we hope you will make the time to do so within the next few weeks. The survey will close May 15. If you would like to receive a new paper copy or instructions for accessing the Web version, or have any questions concerning this survey, contact Cornell's Office of Institutional Research and Planning at irpsurvey@cornell.edu.
CORNELL LINKS:
Far Above ... The Campaign for Cornell: http://www.campaign.cornell.edu/
Cornell alumni: http://www.alumni.cornell.edu/
Alumni events calendar: http://online.aad.cornell.edu/Content/event/calendar/index.cfm
Get involved: http://www.alumni.cornell.edu/volunteer.cfm
Cornell Alumni Magazine: http://cornellalumnimagazine.com/
The March/April 2009 issue marks the 110th anniversary of the publication, founded by alumni in 1899. The cover story, "Getting It Straight," looks back at the Willard Straight Hall takeover of April 1969, one of the most dramatic -- and divisive -- moments in Cornell history.
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/
Cornell in the News: http://www.pressoffice.cornell.edu/inthenews/
Chronicle Online: http://www.news.cornell.edu/
Get Cornell news by RSS: http://www.pressoffice.cornell.edu/rssfeeds.cfm
Ezra magazine: http://ezramagazine.cornell.edu/
The spring issue of Ezra is now available online. The cover story looks at the experiences of a few of the many Cornell undergrads who are seeking to change the world through hands-on research.
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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