Literary scholar Jonathan D. Culler, the Class of 1916 Professor of English and Comparative Literature in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been elected to membership in the British Academy. Culler is one of 86 new fellows in the humanities and social sciences elected to the prestigious academy. A specialist in literary and cultural theory and French literature of the 19th century,…
Cornell’s Southeast Asia Program (SEAP) has received a $275,000 Luce Foundation award to strengthen graduate education in Southeast Asian studies by developing new mechanisms for sharing expertise and resources among major Southeast Asia centers across the United States. The award, over four years, will allow Cornell and other federally funded National Resource Centers specializing in Southeast…
A new edited volume, “Classics and Media Theory,” features participants from a Cornell media studies conference exploring the interactions between media and antiquity. The book, in the Oxford University Press “Classical Presences” series, gathers expert analysis from scholars engaging with myriad aspects of classical Greece and Rome, with a variety of interdisciplinary perspectives from fields…
Storage in the preindustrial world of ancient Rome was a factor that could make or break small farmers and giant empires alike, assistant professor of classics Astrid Van Oyen maintains in her new book, “The Socio-Economics of Roman Storage: Agriculture, Trade and Family.” For the book, Van Oyen studied the archaeological remains of storerooms and warehouses at the ports of Ostia and Portus,…
Influential scholar, writer and editor David I. Grossvogel, the Goldwin Smith Professor of Comparative Literature and Romance Studies Emeritus and member of the Cornell faculty since 1960, died June 14 in Chicago. He was 94. As a scholar, Grossvogel’s writing ranged from academic volumes on modern literature to film criticism and analysis to popular culture studies. He was a prolific author and…
The Cornell University Glee Club and Chorus perform on a new CD of works composed by Roberto Sierra, the Old Dominion Foundation Professor in the Humanities. Combining ancient and modern Latin American influences, “Roberto Sierra: ‘Cantares’/‘Loíza’/‘Triple Concierto’” was released May 22 by Naxos American Classics. It is the first time in decades a Cornell large music ensemble is featured on a…
The complex relationships and dynamics of influence in the development of global Islam and Asian history over 13 centuries are revealed in “Islam and Asia: A History,” the new book by Chiara Formichi, associate professor of Asian studies in the College of Arts and Sciences. The book documents the historical moments when active contributions of knowledge and practice flowed between regions and…
Sixteen faculty and professional staff members in three state contract colleges at Cornell have been selected for the 2019-20 State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence. The honor recognizes faculty and staff at SUNY colleges who demonstrate a commitment to intellectual vibrancy, advancing the boundaries of knowledge, providing the highest quality of instruction and…
Students in an innovative class this spring made their homes not only classrooms, but also studio and laboratory spaces as they imagined and created unique musical instruments out of materials close at hand. Taught by Marianthi Papalexandri-Alexandri, assistant professor of music, and Trevor Pinch, the Goldwin Smith Professor of Science and Technology Studies, both in the College of Arts and…
G. Peter Lepage, the Goldwin Smith Professor of Physics, and Thomas Pepinsky, professor of government, both in the College of Arts and Sciences, have received two of Cornell’s highest honors for faculty members. Lepage has been named to the Andrew H. and James S. Tisch Distinguished Professorship, which recognizes excellence in teaching and extends the undergraduate teaching role beyond…
Poets, artists, designers and composers at Cornell have found inspiration in the coronavirus era with creative work responding to the challenges of living during a pandemic – including community health, sudden changes to a once-familiar landscape, and separation and connection across social and physical distance. Many students adapted and even stepped up their game, finding creative ways to…
Twenty students recently completed a leadership program that gave them a chance to reflect and build on their community-engaged learning experiences. The Certificate in Engaged Leadership program, administered by the Office of Engagement Initiatives (OEI), aims to foster change and build continuity in leadership with a public purpose among group participants, on campus and beyond. Through a…
Beloved emeritus professor and scholar David Bathrick, who taught theater arts, German studies and Jewish studies at Cornell for 20 years, died April 30 at his home in Bremen, Germany. He was 84. Bathrick taught and inspired countless students and colleagues over a colorful and successful career in his chosen fields. “He was a really gregarious guy,” said Bruce Levitt, professor of performing…
In lieu of its normally full slate of live events, the Department of Music is sharing a variety of faculty and student projects on a new Quarantunes page. The site includes music from pianist Xak Bjerken, violinist Ariana Kim, voice instructor Steven Stull (an aria from Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”); and projects by Lucy Fitz Gibbon and Ryan McCullough, postdoc Mark Gotham and the Cornell Concert…
Victor Nee, the Frank and Rosa Rhodes Professor of Economic Sociology in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the academy announced April 23. Nee is among 276 newly elected fellows honored for individual achievements in academia, the arts, business, government and public affairs. Nee served as founding director of the Center for the…
Two 21st-century works for recorder and orchestra by Cornell faculty composers are included in a recent feature by New York City classical radio station WQXR.The concertos, by the late Given Foundation Professor of Composition Emeritus Steven Stucky, and Roberto Sierra, the Old Dominion Foundation Professor in the Humanities, are featured among a selection of music written from 1728 (Vivaldi) to…
In her new book, “Clocking Out: The Machinery of Life in 1960s Italian Cinema,” professor of Romance studies and comparative literature Karen Pinkus explores themes of labor and automation and society reflected in Italian cinema, and what they can tell us about alternatives for living and working in today’s world. “I think all of [today’s] questions about what the future of work is are raised by…
Generations before Cornell’s shift to online classes this semester due to the coronavirus pandemic, the university was making strides in remote instruction – including some of the earliest, and one of the largest, distance learning programs in the United States.“Cornell was among the pioneers of extension education, particularly in home economics and nature study, with Liberty Hyde Bailey being a…
You’ve been working on your dissertation for what seems like forever, doing research abroad when you’re not teaching or holed up in the library, and making great progress – until one day, the library is closed indefinitely with your books still inside.Benedetta Luciana Sara Carnaghi, a doctoral student in history, didn’t have to wait long to get what she needed to continue her work, thanks to a…
Cornell and the Ithaca community celebrated the life, work and influence of synthesizer inventor Robert Moog, Ph.D. ’65, with three days of events March 5-7.Moog and his inventions revolutionized pop, jazz and classical music in the 1960s as the unique sound and versatility of his electronic instruments found favor with artists including classical musician Wendy Carlos of “Switched-On Bach” fame…
Cornell has been recognized for its commitment to improving experiences and advancing outcomes for its first-generation students.The Center for First-Generation Student Success has chosen Cornell to participate in its 2020-21 First-Gen Forward cohort. Supporting higher education institutions implementing evidence-based practices and breaking down barriers impeding student success, the center is…
The focus was on the period from the late 15th to the early 17th century, he said, or “the long 16th century of change in the northeast.”New research is producing a more accurate historical timeline for the occupation of Native American sites in upstate New York, based on radiocarbon dating of organic materials and statistical modeling.The results from the study of a dozen sites in the Mohawk…
Criminal justice activist Yusef Salaam, one of “The Exonerated Five” wrongly accused and convicted in the Central Park jogger case in New York City three decades ago, offered wisdom and hope to students and community members in the 2020 Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture, Feb. 17 in Sage Chapel.Salaam and four other teenagers were subjected to intense media coverage starting in 1989,…
Early American historian Mary Beth Norton gives a detailed account of the crucial 16 months when the American Revolution fomented, from the Boston Tea Party to the Battles of Lexington and Concord, in her new book “1774: The Long Year of Revolution” (Alfred A. Knopf).Norton is the Mary Donlon Alger Professor Emerita of American History at Cornell and a Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow.She…
Young people are filming TikToks in the family bathroom, Snapchatting with friends, documenting their lives on Instagram and logging into Google Classroom at school. A Cornell professor is helping them see the conceptual possibilities in these platforms.Jon McKenzie is working with area school teachers and their students to address issues meaningful to them and their communities, using strategic…
Joy Zhang ’21 has won the 17th Cornell Concerto Competition, held Dec. 15 in Barnes Hall. She performed Georges Hüe’s Fantaisie for Flute and Piano, accompanied by Andrew Zhou. The competition is presented by the Department of Music.Zhang will perform as a featured soloist on the Hüe concerto, Feb. 29, 2020, at 3 p.m. in Bailey Hall with the Cornell Symphony Orchestra (CSO) conducted by Katherine…
George Hutchinson, Newton C. Farr Professor of American Culture in the Department of English, has been recognized by the Modern Language Association (MLA) of America in the competition for its fourth annual Matei Calinescu Prize, with an honorable mention for his book “Facing the Abyss: American Literature and Culture in the 1940s” (Columbia University Press).The Calinescu Prize recognizes a…
Professor Emeritus Brian Tierney, who taught medieval history at Cornell for 33 years and was recognized as a leading authority on medieval church law and political thought, died Nov. 30 in Syracuse. He was 97.Tierney taught in the Department of History from 1959 until his retirement in 1992 as the Bryce and Edith M. Bowmar Professor in Humanistic Studies.He was an internationally renowned…
Acclaimed writer James McConkey, the Goldwin Smith Professor of English Literature Emeritus and mentor to young writers at Cornell for nearly four decades, died Oct. 24, 2019 at his home in Enfield. He was 98.Known for his meditative nonfiction narratives based on personal experience, McConkey created profound imagery sparked by memory, making intuitive connections as he wrote. His essays often…
Cornell professor Benjamin Piekut’s latest book is an exhaustive study of an experimental British group that blurred the lines between genres as it created captivating music.In “Henry Cow: The World Is a Problem,” Piekut achieves an intimate, and comprehensive, portrait of Henry Cow, the avant-garde rock band that found diverse audiences and sought autonomy from the music establishment, operating…
Harold Bloom ’51, a bestselling literary critic and a friend to many of Cornell’s English faculty over the years, died Oct. 14 in New Haven, Connecticut. A longtime professor of English at Yale University, Bloom was 89.Harold Bloom ’51 published more than 40 books on literature and religion, and was a champion of the Western canon.Bloom was born July 11, 1930, in the East Bronx. His parents were…
Robert Morgan, an influential American writer and one of Cornell’s most beloved professors, will be honored at a celebration on campus on the occasion of his 75th birthday.MorganFest: A Robert Morgan Celebration, scheduled for Oct. 3, is free and open to the public. Presented by the Department of English and the Creative Writing Program, the daylong celebration will feature scholarly panels, a…
Cornell faculty and staff are the recipients of three National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grants totaling more than $300,000, to fund research and preservation projects.Sturt Manning, the Goldwin Smith Professor of Classical Archaeology in the College of Arts & Sciences and director of the Cornell Tree-Ring Laboratory, is directing “Medieval Monuments and Wooden Cultural Heritage on…
The 3,218 first-year students arriving on campus Aug. 23-24 bring a diversity of experiences, backgrounds and accomplishments to Cornell.The Class of 2023 includes researchers and entrepreneurs, athletes and musicians, app creators and dairy princesses, dancers and FFA leaders. They hail from every state but Montana, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. New…
Thirteen students came to campus July 20-28 for The Warrior-Scholar Project (WSP), an immersive college preparation experience for current and former enlisted service members.The academic boot camp has partnered with Cornell since 2015. During the weeklong program, participants attend seminar-style classes in the liberal arts taught by Cornell faculty, and writing seminars and tutoring sessions…
E.D. (Ed) Intemann, M.F.A. ’84, a senior lecturer in the Department of Performing and Media Arts and resident lighting designer at the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts for more than two decades, died Feb. 21 at Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse. He was 60.Intemann joined the department – then known as Theatre, Film and Dance – in 1995 and created the lighting for more than 60 shows…
Cornell’s Active Learning Initiative (ALI) will nearly double in scope and impact with a new round of funding for innovative projects to enhance undergraduate teaching and learning in nine departments.In the first universitywide ALI grant competition, about $5 million has been awarded in substantial new grants ranging from $195,000 to almost $1 million, spread over two to five years. The funded…
Faculty members Denise N. Green ’07 and Rachana Kamtekar have received grants for preservation and research projects from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The awards were announced Dec. 12 by the National Humanities Alliance (NHA).Green, assistant professor of fiber science and apparel design in the College of Human Ecology, was awarded a $6,000 Preservation Assistance Grant to…
The debut album by the Aizuri Quartet, with violinist and assistant professor of music Ariana Kim, has been nominated for a 2019 Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance. The 61st Grammy Awards ceremony is Feb. 10 in Los Angeles.The album, “Blueprinting,” was released Sept. 28. It features premiere recordings of new works written for the quartet by five contemporary American…
Aditya Deshpande ’22 performed Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major to win the 16th Cornell Concerto Competition, held Dec. 9 in Barnes Hall. He will perform the concerto with the Cornell Symphony Orchestra at a concert on campus in March.A freshman computer science major, Deshpande is a highly accomplished pianist and is studying piano at Cornell with Ryan McCullough, a doctoral…
Cornell has recognized eight faculty members for excellence in their teaching of undergraduate students and contributions to undergraduate education.The Stephen H. Weiss Awards were announced Nov. 2 by President Martha E. Pollack at a meeting of the Cornell University Board of Trustees, following unanimous recommendation by a selection committee that considered 14 distinguished nominees in all…
The 2018 Cornell Council for the Arts (CCA) Biennial launched with a tour of outdoor projects on campus Sept. 28 and artist panels at a conference Sept. 29. The Biennial features Cornell and invited artists, such as Carrie Mae Weems and Xu Bing, with 18 project installations and performances on the theme “Duration: Passage, Persistence, Survival,” curated by CCA director Timothy Murray.In her…
The Cornell Prison Education Program (CPEP) has received a grant for $1.7 million to ensure the success of ongoing efforts to accelerate degree completion for incarcerated college students, to look at the benefits of college-in-prison in the broader society, and facilitate Cornell students’ education and engagement in criminal justice reform.The grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation allows…
The 2018 Cornell Council for the Arts (CCA) Biennial kicks off Sept. 14-15 at 8 p.m. at the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts with “A Meditation on Tongues,” conceived and directed by guest artist Ni’Ja Whitson and performed by The NWA Project.Whitson’s dance and multimedia adaptation of Marlon T. Riggs’ 1989 video portrait of black gay identity, “Tongues Untied,” opens a series of fall…
Did America’s founders intend it as “one nation under God”? Does the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of religion extend to freedom from religion?
In a new book, “Godless Citizens in a Godly Republic,” Professors Emeriti Isaac Kramnick and R. Laurence Moore explore these questions and atheism in America from historical and legal perspectives. The book appeared atop a list of new and…
Cornell Cinema will host a special screening of “RBG,” a multidimensional portrait of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’54, at 7 p.m. Sept. 17 in Willard Straight Theatre, which will include an introduction by Government Professor Gretchen Ritter, who will also lead a post-screening discussion. The screening is also sponsored by the Cornell University Democrats.Ritter, former dean of…
Historian Joel H. Silbey, the President White Professor of History Emeritus and a member of the Cornell faculty since 1966, died Aug. 7. He was 84.Silbey was a prolific scholar of American history and political behavior, with a particular focus on the 19th century, and his teaching and scholarly interests included the Jacksonian era, sectional controversy, the Civil War and Reconstruction, and…
The first graduating class of Five Points Correctional Facility inmates in the Cornell Prison Education Program (CPEP) received their degrees to congratulations and cheers at a recent ceremony.Cayuga Community College, Cornell’s partner in the program, conferred 16 Associate of Arts degrees at the May 24 ceremony in the Romulus, New York, facility’s gymnasium. The event was attended by the…
Scientific research often depends on a degree of certainty in the data while allowing for the likelihood of change – new findings overriding old theories and creating new ones. Change is a given, especially true when taking weather and climate into account.Archaeologist Sturt Manning and colleagues have revealed variations in the radiocarbon cycle at certain periods of time, affecting frequently…
As a Fulbright scholar at Cornell this year, Rebecca Macklin deepened her research through engagement with Native American communities, including joining Cornell students in educational outreach to indigenous high school students.A doctoral student in comparative literature at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, Macklin came to campus as a 2017-18 Fulbright visiting student researcher,…
