Paul McEuen, John A. Newman Professor of Physical Science in the Department of Physics, has been named a Citation Laureate for his seminal contributions to carbon-based electronics. Each year since 2002, analysts at Clarivate Analytics have mined millions of citations in the Web of Science to identify top-tier researchers in the fields of physiology/medicine, physics and chemistry whose work is…
Lisa Kaltenegger, associate professor of astronomy and director of Cornell’s Carl Sagan Institute, is featured in the new IMAX film, “The Search for Life in Space,” now released internationally.
“The filming was a fun adventure,” says Kaltenegger. “Instead of doing interviews, I got to crawl through lava caves, fly in door-less helicopters and explore Hawaii for extreme forms of life.”
The…
“Great scientist, teacher, leader and friend,” reads the plaque on the newly named Terzian Conference Room on the sixth floor of the Spaces Sciences Building, unveiled in a ceremony on Aug. 31. The Friends of Astronomy named the room in honor of Yervant Terzian, Tisch Distinguished Professor Emeritus, “in recognition of his many years of leadership, scholarship and citizenship to Cornell…
In a basement room in Lincoln Hall, students juggled pieces, game boards and instructions, determined to come out the winner in an intense game of Rithmomachia, a medieval game once more popular than chess. To win, they needed at least three pieces in enemy territory in a straight line, in which the pieces present one or more of the three Pythagorean means (arithmetic, geometric or harmonic)…
Why are public schools failing? Why is school segregation higher than it’s been since the mid-20th century? To answer these questions, Noliwe Rooks followed the money. Her new book, “Cutting School: Privatization, Segregation, and the End of Public Education,” traces the financing of segregated education in America, beginning with Civil War reconstruction to today.“Post-Reconstruction, the fight…
Next week, the Cassini spacecraft’s historic exploration will end with a dramatic crash into Saturn’s atmosphere. To honor Cassini’s achievements and Cornell’s research role, the Department of Astronomy will hold a community farewell celebration Sept. 15 in 105 Space Sciences Building. The event will begin at 7:30 a.m.; NASA’s live feed of Cassini’s grand finale is estimated to begin just before…
… 5716 … The second annual Cornell Neurotech Mong Family Foundation Symposium on Sept. 22 will feature … out more about how our brains work,” said Chris Xu, the Mong Family Foundation Director of Cornell Neurotech and … The symposium is supported by a seed grant from the Mong Family Foundation, through Stephen Mong ’92, MEN ’93, …
Debates about nuclear energy rarely address an issue critical for future generations: how to warn them away from buried nuclear waste. The problem: In 10,000 years, society and language would have gone through profound changes. What words or symbols would still be understandable that far in the future?In a recent paper published this summer in Critical Inquiry, Andrew Moisey, assistant professor…
Launching this fall, the Department of Anthropology’s new Global Gateways course sequence will give students the opportunity to prepare for, and make the most of, Cornell’s rich assortment of off-campus opportunities, from engaged learning programs to study abroad. The Global Gateways three-course curriculum utilizes techniques of active learning and peer mentorship to promote hands-on, practical…
Instructors of the six major national languages of Southeast Asia – Burmese, Indonesian, Khmer, Filipino (Tagalog), Thai and Vietnamese – from across the U.S. will gather at Cornell Sept. 8-10 for the Southeast Asian Language Teaching: New Directions Conference. Organizers expect the conference to be the largest ever to address pedagogical developments and innovations in the teaching of these…
Gold-digging ants in Herodotus; a bestiary written by Pliny: The ancient world is filled with zoological descriptions. Whether these ancient zoographers’ views were shaped by scientific study or by casual encounters with animals in nature will be explored in a conference Sept. 8 to 10 at Cornell, “Zoographein – Depicting and Describing Animals in Greece, Rome, and Beyond.”“Our main objective is…
When the 11 students in PSYCH 4500, Psychology at the Sciencenter!, first walked into their classroom, instead of chairs they found a “maker” space: walls lined with shelves of crafts supplies like glue, string, foam board, nails, marbles, and the ever-versatile duct tape. Their first assignment: create a science demo based on a simple description.In groups, the students constructed a hot air…
… SHUM 4616 Corrupting Environmental Media JWST 4708/NES 6708 Cosmopolitanism, Tolerance, and Coexistence AMST … 1817 Making Sense of World Politics JWST 2920/HIST 2910/NES 2620 Modern European Jewish History (1789-1948) PHIL …
Under sunny skies on Saturday, Aug. 19, incoming first-year students, transfer students, and their families gathered on the Arts Quad for a convocation ceremony. Rachel Bean, astronomy professor and the college’s new Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, welcomed students. She was followed by Gretchen Ritter ‘83, the Harold Tanner Dean of Arts and Sciences, who offered those…
On the slopes of Mt. Aragats, the tallest mountain in Armenia, archaeologists are painstakingly uncovering the ancient past. From July 17-20, six Armenian girls got an insider’s view as participants in the pilot session of Camp Aragats.
The camp is the first programmatic initiative of the U.S.-based Aragats Foundation and its Armenian sister organization, the Aragats Cultural Heritage…
War and displacement, music and gardens, language and earth: These are the themes of Valzhyna Mort’s new book of poetry, “Rose Pandemic,” just released in Belarus, her native country. It includes new poems as well as selected works from her two American books, “Factory of Tears” (2008) and “Collected Body” (2012).“The landscape of Belarus is burdened by silence, by the unverbalized history of war…
A new play about borders has found an unusual way to transcend them: by integrating local experiences in each new place it is performed. When it travels Aug. 26 to Akwesasne, the Mohawk Nation territory divided by the U.S.-Canada border, the script will incorporate stories of local Mohawk people, some of whom will join the cast.“Root Map,” an international collaboration between Cornell University…
Men continue to be much more likely to earn a degree in STEM fields than women, despite efforts made over the last few decades. New research from Cornell's Center for the Study of Inequality (CSI) on fields of environmental study offers unexpected hope in closing this gender gap.In a study of nine million degree recipients in the United States between 2009 and 2014, Dafna Gelbgiser and Kyle…
Prize-winning French novelist Laurent Binet’s new book features a chapter on a fictional conference at Cornell, organized by none other than (the real) Jonathan Culler, the Class of 1916 Professor of English and Comparative Literature in the College of Arts and Sciences.“The Seventh Function of Language” brings together everyone who is anyone in the world of critical theory, dead or alive,…
Humans aren’t the only actors on the planet. To avoid being eaten, the ant-mimicking jumping spider pretends to be an ant, according to Cornell research published July 12 in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.Ants are aggressive at defending themselves: They are well-armed with bites and stings and formic acid. Ant-mimicking jumping spiders (Myrmarachne formicaria), in contrast, can’t do much…
Rebecca Macklin, a PhD candidate in comparative literature at the University of Leeds, has received an All Disciplines Fulbright Award to undertake research at Cornell University. Macklin will spend a year as a Visiting Student Researcher under the supervision of Eric Cheyfitz, Ernest I. White Professor of American Studies and Humane Letters in the English Department in the College of Arts and…
Gopher tortoises and blue jays… a vintage Army-issue shovel… sun and rain and wind: the hundreds of students who have gone on field courses through the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology over the last 50 years have memories as diverse as the ecosystems they studied. But there is one common thread that faculty hear about when they encounter alumni, from postdocs to members of…
Origami usually brings to mind folded paper cranes, but Cornell scientists see in origami the promise of nanoscale machinery. On June 16-17, the Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR) held a symposium in the Physical Sciences Building to explore using origami to create machines at the micron scale using atomically thin materials.The symposium, “Atomic Origami: a Technology Platform for…
Kaushik Basu, C. Marks Professor of International Studies and Professor of Economics in the College of Arts and Sciences,elected president of the International Economic Association (IEA), began his three-year term on Friday, June 23. The IEA is a leading organization founded in 1950 for professional economists and seeks to shape global economic policy and research. Among IEA past presidents are…
Alejandro L. Madrid, professor of music, has been awarded the Royal Musical Association’s Dent Medal.“This is the highest honor awarded by Britain’s foremost scholarly body in music studies,” said Steven Pond, associate professor and chair of music. “It is a rare honor, indeed.”The award, honoring Edward J. Dent, has been given annually since 1961 to a mid-career music scholar for their…
A Cornell researcher studying neural circuits that regulate hunger sensation and food intake has received a prestigious award from the Pew Charitable Trusts.Nilay Yapici, assistant professor of neurobiology and behavior, Nancy and Peter Meinig Family Investigator in the Life Sciences and Adelson Sesquicentennial Fellow has been named a 2017 Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences. The award, given…
Producer Dan Cohen '05 cares deeply about the integrity of the projects he works on. And when he meets a potential director or screenwriter, he cares as much about whether they're someone he can be friends with as about their talent."You only want to develop a script with someone you want to go get beers with," Cohen says. "Because it is a long and challenging process that will ultimately require…
College of Arts and Sciences faculty members Roger Moseley and Lori Khatchadourian received the Robert and Helen Appel Fellowship for Humanists and Social Scientists, and Margo Crawford received the Robert A. and Donna B. Paul Academic Advising Award at a May 27 trustee-faculty dinner that recognized universitywide teaching and advising and newly tenured faculty.
“These exemplary faculty have…
In the 1970s, politicians – and the public – interpreted the social movements, rising crime rates and economic downtown as proof that welfare programs didn’t work and certain marginalized groups were unfit for full citizenship. These attitudes were codified in a public policy of “getting tough” that echoes today in “law and order” political rhetoric.In her new book, “Getting Tough: Welfare and…
Peter C. Hinkle, Cornell professor emeritus of biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, died May 12 in Ithaca of pancreatic cancer. He was 76.Widely acknowledged as a brilliant biochemist, Hinkle was an early adopter of a groundbreaking new approach to understanding the energy metabolism in cells. Though originally trained in classical biochemistry, Hinkle chose to do postdoctoral work in…
Pursuing a life of science and a life of faith is not incompatible, said astronomer Jonathan Lunine at the St. Albert the Great Forum on Science and Religion April 26. As proof, Lunine offered the example of Catholic priest George Lemaître, who first identified what became known as Hubble’s Constant, invented the Big Bang theory and first described what we now call dark energy.“The dialogue…
Andrew Hicks, assistant professor of music and medieval studies, has been awarded a prestigious Berlin Prize from the American Academy in Berlin. Hicks is one of 21 scholars, writers and artists awarded Berlin Prizes for 2017-18. Academy president Michael P. Steinberg called them “a particularly stunning class of fellows.” The highly competitive Berlin Prize is awarded annually to scholars,…
Elissa Sampson, visiting scholar and lecturer in the Jewish Studies Program, will be honored May 18 with a Lower East Side Community Hero Award as part of the Lower East Side History Month celebration in New York City. The award recognizes community members “whose contributions have been deeply meaningful and yet are often the ‘unsung’ heroes of the neighborhood,” according to the award…
For almost 20 years, Stacey Langwick, associate professor of anthropology, has conducted research on medicine and healing in East Africa. In a lecture sponsored by the Institute of Comparative Modernities April 11, she explored how concerns over toxicity shape public conversations about the forms of nourishment and modes of healing that make places livable. The talk was based on…
After 4.5 billion years of existence, Earth’s fate may be determined this century by one species alone – ours. The unintended consequences of powerful technologies like nuclear, biotech and artificial intelligence have created high cosmic stakes for our world.
The United Kingdom’s Astronomer Royal, Lord Martin Rees, will explore our vulnerabilities and possibilities in the first Carl Sagan…
Cornell’s first Conference on Creative Academic Writing, exploring the relationship between artful prose and scholarly production, will be held May 13 in Klarman Hall. The community is welcome, and the conference is free.Although all graduate students are expected to become professional writers, few of them have the opportunity to study writing as an art and a craft, notes conference organizer…
Italy, land of piazzas and volcanoes, is also home to the oldest Jewish community in the Diaspora. Yet few readers outside of Italy know that some of the most important works of modern Italian literature were written by authors who are Jewish. At 6:30 p.m. on Monday, May 1, Kora von Wittelsbach will explore how the work of these Italian-Jewish writers relates to modern Italian and world…
The election of President Trump has triggered outrage in some quarters that white nationalists/white supremacists have taken up residence in the White House. They fear these idealogues will enact laws and govern from a perspective that elevates white identity above all others. At a panel discussion on May 1, Cornell faculty will discuss how white supremacy was actually the norm in 20th century U…
A celebration of National Poetry Month and language learning on April 21 at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art featured multilingual poetry, song, dance and an international dessert reception. The goal, said Dick Feldman, director of the Language Resource Center (LRC), was “to experience the beauty of poetry in many languages and to celebrate success in learning those languages.”
According…
A generous gift from Joel I. Picket ’60 and David L. Picket ’84 has endowed the Picket Family Chair in the Department of English, in honor of the family’s long association with Cornell and their commitment to the humanities. The gift will help the department to pursue its mission of fostering thoughtful and passionate conversation about books, writers and literary ideas both in and out of the…
Rachel Bean, professor of astronomy, has been named the first senior associate dean of undergraduate education for the College of Arts & Sciences and will begin her position on July 1. The appointment is the next step in a restructuring of the college’s admissions and advising office, which is undergoing a reorganization this year to better serve the needs of current and future students…
Students offered feedback and asked questions about the College of Arts & Sciences’ proposed curriculum changes at a student-led forum in Uris Hall auditorium April 19. Student members of the Arts and Sciences’ Dean’s Student Advisory Council began by outlining the draft proposal, then opened the floor to a Q&A with members of the Curriculum Committee, including Madeline Gerrick ’17 and…
“Transforming Bodies,” an interdisciplinary conference April 21-22, will explore the centrality of bodies to concepts and practices of conversion in the early modern world. The conference will examine how bodies – whether animal, human, vegetal or epistemological – are an integral part of concepts and practices of conversion (how they can be transformed and how they can instigate or shape…
Only 4 percent of our universe is made of ordinary matter like atoms and molecules. The other 96 percent is in entirely unfamiliar forms we know almost nothing about. About 25 percent is dark matter, which holds galaxies and larger-scale structures together; another 70 percent is thought to be dark energy, an even more mysterious entity that appears to be driving the accelerated expansion of the…
by :
Linda B. Glaser
,
Arts & Sciences Communications
For 30 years, the Latina/o Studies Program (LSP) has been a hub for research and community. To celebrate the anniversary, the program has launched the “Let’s Dream Together” crowdfunding campaign to raise $20,000 in support of LSP students.Donations will be used to support student research and conference participation; provide book awards for LSP courses; provide commencement stoles; support the…
As part of its ongoing effort to advance and disseminate knowledge on equality of opportunity, the Center for the Study of Inequality will host the “Social Mobility in an Unequal World: Evidence and Policy Solutions” conference April 20-22. The conference is free but RSVPs to inequality@cornell.edu are required.The conference will bring together university-based academics, policy researchers and…
“Pan-African Connections,” a symposium in honor of Africana professor Locksley Edmondson, was held April 13-14 at the Africana Studies and Research Center.“Professor Edmondson has been a major contributor to the articulation of Africana studies at Cornell,” said event organizer Carole Boyce Davies, professor of Africana studies and English. She cited his expertise on the Pan-African aspects of…
by :
Linda B. Glaser
,
Arts & Sciences Communications
Scientists announced this week that a consortium of U.S., German and Canadian academic institutions led by Cornell University will begin construction of Cerro Chajnantor Atacama Telescope-prime (CCAT-p), a unique and powerful telescope capable of mapping the sky at submillimeter and millimeter wavelengths.The 6 meter aperture telescope, slated for completion in 2021, will be located near the…
by :
Linda B. Glaser
,
Arts & Sciences Communications
For more than 25 years, the Department of Mathematics has been engaged in outreach and building solid partnerships with local teachers and schools, such as the annual T-shirt design contest held at Ithaca High School in honor of April's Math Awareness Month. The students submit designs related to math; the winning design is printed on a T-shirt that the mathematics department distributes to…
For 100 years, Cornell’s Fuertes Observatory has been wowing students – and the Ithaca community – with galactic wonders.
To ensure that Fuertes’ gifts keep giving for another century, the Cornell Astronomical Society is launching a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for renovations. The campaign kicks off with the annual Yuri’s Night event, this year on Friday, April 14, from 7 p…
