As the 119th U.S. Congress began its session in January 2025, the total number of Cornellians serving remained the same as last year—seven—although one person moved from the House to the Senate. Democrat Elissa Slotkin ’98, who served three terms representing Michigan’s 7th District, was elected her state’s newest senator, defeating a Republican opponent.
Slotkin becomes the first Cornellian elected to the Senate since Mark Kirk ’81 (R-Illinois), who finished the final months of then-President Barack Obama’s Senate term and then served one full term from 2010–17. Slotkin is only the seventh Cornellian (including two who attended but didn’t earn degrees) to serve in the U.S. Senate.
Cornellians takes a look at the alumni currently serving on that other “Hill” in D.C., including Arts & Sciences alumni Beth Van Duyne '95, a Republican in her third term representing Texas’s 24th District, located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area; and Dan Muesser '88, Republican, in his fourth term representing Pennsylvania’s 9th District, located in the east central part of the state.
Serge Petchenyi/Cornell University
From left, Xi Yang, PhD '10, senior lecturer of finance in the SC Johnson College of Business; Christine Ye; Christine Ye Award recipient Margaret E. Foster, doctoral candidate in communication; Cornelia Ye Award recipient Naman Agrawal, doctoral candidate in neurobiology and behavior; Cornelia Ye; and Derina Samuel, associate director of graduate student development at the Center for Teaching Innovation.
NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI)
Artist concept of the gas giant planet WD 1856 b orbiting a white dwarf star. The planet is 7 times larger than the Earth-sized white dwarf it orbits. WD 1856 b has methane and hazes in its atmosphere, which would give it a similar color to Saturn's moon Titan. The white dwarf formed from a star that died 5 billion years ago, and has been cooling ever since, giving it an orange colour similar to the Sun.