Students and faculty in the Cornell in Turin program were recognized recently for their work in Turin’s San Salvario neighborhood as part of their research studies of migration and services for immigrants in Italy.The national daily La Stampa, based in Turin and one of the oldest newspapers in Italy, featured the Cornell program’s study of community centers in San Salvario as models of…
Think “Game of Thrones” meets “Hunger Games.” For the annual Cornell Fashion Collective show on March 12, warriors, rangers and magicians – models draped in LED lights and electroluminescent tape – will role-play on the runway.For the Cornell Wearable Tech team, led by fiber science student Eric Beaudette ’16 and Lina Sanchez Botero and Neal Reynolds, doctoral students in the fields of fiber…
Like the gravitational forces that are responsible for the attraction between the Earth and the moon, as well as the dynamics of the entire solar system, there exist attractive forces between objects at the nanoscale.
These are the so-called van der Waals forces, which are ubiquitous in nature and thought to play a crucial role in determining the structure, stability and function of a wide…
Congratulations to Roberto Sierra, Old Dominion Foundation Professor in the Humanities and professor of music, on the international release of his new CD “Boleros & Montunos” in Madrid, Spain.The CD, a compilation of classical piano pieces, contains 13 pieces composed by Sierra between 2010-2015. “The piano was my first bridge to the world of music and continues to be a fundamental tool for…
Katherine Kinzler, associate professor of psychology and human development, discusses her research on the advantages of bilingualism in an op-ed in The New York Times."Being bilingual has some obvious advantages" Kinzler writes. "Learning more than one language enables new conversations and new experiences. But in recent years, psychology researchers have demonstrated some less obvious advantages…
Mohammad Hamidian, Ph.D. ’11, has been named the 2016 winner of the prestigious Lee-Osheroff-Richardson Prize for his discoveries of new forms of electronic matter at the nanoscale and at extreme low temperatures.In particular he is cited for advances in the technology of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to allow operation at ultra-low temperatures – work done in the lab of J.C. Séamus Davis,…
by :
Linda B. Glaser
,
Arts & Sciences Communications
The mind that thinks our thoughts is a pretty special place. But is it distinct from the brain? Is there, in fact, a soul directing our thoughts or are they determined entirely by the output of our biology? Could that mouse scampering through your garden be thinking deep thoughts, or are humans really special?Before there was cognitive science, before there was neurobiology -- before there was…
In the Society for the Humanities Annual Invitational Lecture March 2, Gerard Aching drew parallels between the calls to action in books by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Franz Fanon and the unfolding of the Black Lives Matter movement.“The ability to look upon the body affirmatively must counter the historical dispossession of the black body and, in particular, the devastating combination of undervalued…
Cuban poet and slave Juan Francisco Manzano (1797–1854) and his 1839 “Autobiografía de un esclavo,” the only slave narrative to surface in the Spanish-speaking world, are the starting point of an examination of 19th-century Cuban literature and social politics in Gerard Aching’s recent book, “Freedom from Liberation: Slavery, Sentiment, and Literature in Cuba.”Published in 2015 by Indiana…
A memorial gathering for Cornell’s 13th president, Elizabeth Garrett, was held on Thursday, March 17, at 3 p.m. in Bailey Hall. Watch the event on CornellCast.On March 7, the Cornell community gathered solemnly across campus in the late afternoon to pay their respects to President Garrett, who had died the previous day of colon cancer.More than a thousand university leaders, students, faculty,…
In testimony before the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies March 3, Jonathan Lunine, the David Duncan Professor in the Physical Sciences, discussed the rationale for scientific, seafaring journeys to Jupiter’s moon Europa, and to Saturn’s moons Enceladus and Titan – trips that may take place in the 2020s.Lunine, who directs the Cornell Center for Astrophysics…
After combing through Cornell-archived data, astronomers have discovered the pop-pop-pop of a mysterious, cosmic Gatling gun – 10 millisecond-long “fast radio bursts” – caught by the Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico, as reported in Nature, March 2.In the past eight years, scientists have found 17 fast radio bursts, or FRBs, and another was reported Feb. 24. Until now, scientists believed these…
by :
Linda B. Glaser
,
Arts & Sciences Communications
On Feb 24th, Cornell inducted its 2016 class of Phi Beta Kappa students, which included 54 seniors and 23 juniors. Parents and friends were invited to the event, which concluded with an address, “The Art of Learning,” by Phi Beta Kappa Faculty President Daniel R. Schwarz, the Frederic J. Whiton Professor of English and Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow.The College invites the top 3 percent of…
In the shadow of Saturn’s hulking planetary mass, Titan’s liquid hydrocarbon seas seem a bit choppy, astronomers say.Two and a half years ago, surfing through Cassini mission radar images of Ligeia Mare, the second-largest sea on Saturn’s moon Titan, a team of Cornell astronomers found a bright, mysterious feature – a transient feature they dubbed “Magic Island.”Now, after Cassini observations in…
Dan Schwarz, the Frederic J. Whiton Professor of English and a Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow, recently released a new book on undergraduate education, “How to Succeed in College and Beyond: The Art of Learning.”In the book, Schwarz reflects on his 48 years of experience as a faculty member at Cornell, his in-depth research and suggestions and comments from university and college students,…
When Leslie Adelson, professor of German literature, was living in Berlin and just beginning her research on contemporary German literature, she came across a short story or “miniature” by Alexander Kluge that’s been with her ever since.The story of a young boy whose strengths were buried as he was made to conform to society’s expectations moved her in a way she wouldn’t fully understand until…
A tribute to Alice Colby-Hall, emeritus professor of Romance Studies, will be released this May and includes essays by colleagues, some of whom are also former students. The volume will be presented to her on May 14 at a banquet at the International Congress on Medieval Studies at the University of Western Michigan in Kalamazoo, Michigan.“The Epic Imagination in Medieval Literature: Essays in…
Gene editing, a burgeoning technology that allows scientists to manipulate a specific region of DNA, has profound implications for medicine and agriculture. The technology makes use of a bacterial immune system known as CRISPR, an acronym for “clustered regularly-interspaced short palindromic repeats.”Scientists believe there may be as many as five types of such CRISPR systems. So far, scientists…
Richard Swedberg, professor of sociology recently received an honorary doctorate from the Social Science Faculty of Upsala University in Sweden for his contributions to economic sociology and sociological theory.The formal ceremony, which honored his work, included an open lecture by Swedberg, “Can You Visualize Social Theory? On Theory Pictures, Theorizing Diagrams and More.” In 2013, Upsala…
by :
Linda B. Glaser
,
Arts & Sciences Communications
President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s radio Fireside Chats reached into the homes of frightened Americans to soothe and reassure them during the Depression and World War II. The chats were made possible by newly sensitive microphones that created an emotional intimacy with the audience – but also required Roosevelt to use a dental implant to reduce the whistle caused by the microphone.Scholars in the…
We are living through an “extended moment of making fun of philosophers” in America, according to National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Chair William D. Adams, who spoke on the past and future of the humanities in Klarman Hall auditorium Feb. 24.Adams said a presidential candidate boldly and unapologetically stated in a recent debate that our country needs more welders than philosophers…
Just as the single-crystal silicon wafer forever changed the nature of electronics 60 years ago, a group of Cornell researchers is hoping its work with quantum dot solids – crystals made out of crystals – can help usher in a new era in electronics.The multidisciplinary team, led by Tobias Hanrath, associate professor in the Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering,…
Hands and feet are two examples of chiral objects – non-superimposable mirror images of each other. One image is distinctly “left-handed,” while the other is “right-handed.” A simple drinking glass and a ball are achiral, meaning the object and its mirror image look exactly the same.In science, chirality is a fundamental concept in a number of disciplines, including medicine. In the 1950s and…
Students used Cornell’s photography and textile collections in creative ways as they developed research, critical thinking and writing skills in a pair of fall first-year writing seminars. Their course work culminated in the students curating two exhibitions on campus.In associate professor of history Judith Byfield’s seminar “Dress, Cloth and Identity in Africa and the Diaspora,” students…
Cornell assistant professors Yimon Aye and David Mimno have been named recipients of fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, which supports early career faculty members’ original research and broad-based education related to science, technology and economic performance.Aye is the Howard Milstein Fellow and an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, as…
Belan Antensaye '18Major: Biology & Society – Pre-MedMinor: Global HealthHometown: Essex, VTWhy did you choose Cornell?I know it’s cheesy, but I love the phrase, “Any person, any study.” It drew me in. I felt like I had options here, and I would be able to study so many things. I’m drawn to science and medicine, but I’m interested in so much more than that. One of the best things is that…
Xinyi Chen '17Major: Near Eastern StudiesMinor: Jewish StudiesHometown: Shanghai, ChinaWhy did you choose Cornell?The most important reason is that the faculty of Cornell have distinguished academic and research achievements, which they also integrate into their teaching. As I gathered more information about Cornell, I found the courses and programs offered in the Near Eastern Studies major…
A platoon of Cornell faculty, alumni and students contributed to the mix of eminent global researchers at the 2016 meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C., Feb. 11-15. They offered fresh thought on the world’s scientific strides.As part of a “Smart, Autonomous Machines May Threaten Jobs” news briefing Feb. 13, Bart Selman, professor of computer…
This past December, Assistant Professor of English Elisha Cohn published her new book Still Life: Suspended Development in the Victorian Novel (Oxford University Press), an extension of her research on Victorian novels and theories of the aesthetic.Through the writings of novelists such as Charlotte Bronte, George Eliot, George Meredith and Thomas Hardy, Cohn examines themes like reverie, trance…
Steven Stucky, a leading American composer who taught at Cornell for 34 years, died Feb. 14 at his home in Ithaca. He was 66.Stucky, the Given Foundation Professor of Music Emeritus, joined the Cornell faculty in 1980. An important mentor to emerging composers for decades, he also was a prominent advocate for new music as artistic director of Ensemble X and host of the New York Philharmonic’s…
Six panels of faculty from across various disciplines in Arts and Sciences will share glimpses of their latest research on topics as diverse as technology and humanitarianism in a series of “Big Ideas” panel discussions this semester.The panels are part of the College of Arts and Sciences’ New Century for the Humanities celebration, which will culminate May 26 with the dedication of Klarman Hall,…
The ice stretches as far as the eye can see, but it is rotten: nowhere can the polar bear find safe footing. It lifts its massive head, desperately scrambling for purchase as the ice crumbles beneath its massive paws. – Polar Bear PSAWe are all at risk from climate change and other 21st century environmental dangers, and technology alone does not hold the answers. Humanists at Cornell offer a…
William D. Adams, chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), will deliver the Society for the Humanities’ annual Future of the Humanities Lecture Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 5 p.m. in Klarman Hall Auditorium. His topic: “The Common Good and the NEH at 50.”Both NEH and the Society for the Humanities are observing their 50th anniversaries this year, and Adams will be joined by Timothy…
Once, she soared above the heads of Cornell greats like A.A. Ammons and Roald Hoffmann as they debated the great questions of their time in the Cast Gallery of Goldwin Smith, later turned into the Temple of Zeus café. Then for years she lay forgotten, abandoned to dust and mold and neglect.But as of Feb. 10, the Flying Nike soars again from her pedestal above the heads of Cornell students and…
Director Jeff Guyton can’t remember the first time he heard the saying, but believes it’s the perfect way to describe his upcoming production, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] (Feb. 25-March 5). “If you love Shakespeare, you will love this play. If you hate Shakespeare, you will love this play.”As the name suggests, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged…
The Cornell Center for Materials Research JumpStart program, funded by Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR), has helped 71 New York state small businesses develop and improve their products through university collaborations.The ultimate goal is revenue growth and job creation. JumpStart projects receive up to $5,000 in matching funds for project costs…
Cornell faculty, staff and graduate students from a variety of disciplines will share their research and work on Latin America at the inaugural conference of the Latin American Studies Program (LASP), Feb. 19 at the A.D. White House.“This is a way for everybody at Cornell to become familiar to what others at the university are doing in Latin American studies,” said conference organizer Wendy…
At the jam-packed first installment of Cornell University Library’s Chats in the Stacks series for the spring semester Feb. 4 in Mann Library, World Bank chief economist and Cornell professor Kaushik Basu spoke about his new book, “An Economist in the Real World: The Art of Policymaking in India.”Prior to his current role at the World Bank, Basu served as chief economic adviser to the government…
Cornell astrophysicists and scientists played a vital role to validate the historic news of the first direct detection of gravitational waves – as predicted 100 years by Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity.Led by scientists from the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) collaboration at the California Institute of Technology and the Virgo group collaboration,…
by :
Linda B. Glaser
,
Arts & Sciences Communications
For 50 years, the Society for the Humanities has fostered path-breaking scholarship in the humanities. It has sponsored numerous internal grants, workshops and funding opportunities for Cornell faculty and graduate students in the humanities, as well as hosting over 100 annual lectures, workshops, colloquia and conferences organized by Cornell’s distinguished humanities faculty.“The Society for…
As the Cornell Chorus and Glee Club meandered through Guatemala and Mexico during their three-week winter break tour, they filled churches, sang at orphanages, worked with college-age musicians and even spent a day making a professional studio recording.More than two years in the making, the tour included 96 students, along with director Robert Isaacs and assistant conductor Steve Spinelli…
Chinese politics has remained opaque for political analysts and external observers for decades. Nevertheless, journalists and scholars across the world have been watching modern China to discern its internal logic and identify recurring patterns.For many such observers, the People’s Republic of China seems to be entering a period of increased governmental crackdown on civil society. Panelists and…
After examining hidden density waves from Saturn’s B-ring – the largest of the planet’s awe-inspiring, cosmic bands – astronomers confirm that this circular object is as lightweight as it is opaque. Their findings are published online in the journal Icarus.Philip Nicholson, Cornell professor of astronomy, and lead author Matthew Hedman, a University of Idaho professor of physics and a former…
Oil shapes human life and affects human values in profoundly connected ways across the planet. Yet rarely is oil – or other forms of energy – considered beyond technology and policy. A Feb. 26 symposium, “Oil and the Human: Views From the East and South,” will consider the relationship of oil with everyday life, human choices, politics and art across Africa, Latin America, Russia and East Asia…
Stephanie Czech Rader '37, a chemistry graduate who became a U.S. spy in Europe at the end of World War II, died Jan. 21 at the age of 100 at her home in Alexandria, Virginia.Among the university's oldest alumni, Rader had participated in Cornell's recent sesquicentennial celebrations -- she was honored at a Washington, D.C., event in November 2014, where she was welcomed on stage at the Warner…
Tony Brown's deep understanding of the scientific method has served him well as he's pursued careers in chemistry, consulting and cooking.Brown '86, executive chef and proprietor of Macon Bistro and Larder in northwest Washington, D.C., said he's used the following method in everything from recipe creation to parenting."The idea of making a hypothesis and then testing one variable at a time to…
Six panelists, including Cornell faculty members, who attended the 21st United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP21) in Paris last fall recalled the historic proceedings for a spirited audience that spilled into the hallway of the Tompkins County Public Library’s BorgWarner Room Feb. 3.The panel, “COP21: Reflections on the Historic Climate Agreement,” was co-sponsored by…
Cornell faculty and students will be among thousands of scientists from about five dozen countries – representing a broad array of research – to swarm Washington, D.C., Feb. 11-15 for the “The world of science – from agriculture to engineering to zoology – is inherently collaborative,” said Ronnie Coffman, director of International Programs at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “By…
The Black Power movement of the 1960s and '70s is often described as essentially rhetorical. But as assistant professor of history Russell Rickford explains in his new book, “We Are an African People: Independent Education, Black Power, and the Radical Imagination,” the movement was galvanized by complex political and cultural ideas that found their expression in black national and Pan-African…
Students and scholars can now freely search a new database of Latin and Greek authors that provides links to online versions of their works.The database, the Classical Works Knowledge Base (CWKB), contains metadata about 5,200 works by 1,500 ancient authors, allowing users with a limited knowledge of the classics’ canonical citation system to simply link to passages of digital texts.“Let’s say…
