News

Alumna’s namesake observatory takes a deep dive into the cosmos

The facility, which honors astronomer Vera Cooper Rubin, MS ’51, has released its first images—and they’re mind-blowing

Alum still lives in the house Frank Lloyd Wright designed for him

Centenarian Roland Reisley ’46, BA ’45, an A&S physics alum, has resided in the Hudson Valley home for more than seven decades.

Barrier-breaking astronomer graces a U.S. quarter

Immortalized in a series honoring notable women, Vera Cooper Rubin, MS ’51, is the first Cornellian ever featured on a coin.

O Canada! Former Big Red player runs popular hockey bar in NYC

A passion project for Denis Ladouceur ’02, who majored in economics in A&S, The Canuck is a haven for his countrymen—offering beer, poutine, and games on TV.

A roundup of the Cornellians on the Hill – Capitol Hill

Seven alumni are currently serving in Congress, including a newly elected senator from Michigan. Two are A&S alumni.

‘Cosmos,’ a pulitzer, and more: fascinating facts about Carl Sagan

The astronomer’s legacy can be found on Earth and far beyond—from a record-setting exhibit to an iconic portrait of our planet.

New course sets sail on understanding physics–by boat

Students venture out onto Cayuga Lake for hands-on learning about wind speed, velocity, buoyancy, and more

The A.D. White House: Andrew’s abode is a campus gem

Commissioned by Cornell’s inaugural president, the villa later became an art museum—and has long hosted a humanities group.

New Book by Alumni Explores Walter LaFeber’s Life and Work

A year after former students held a conference in NYC that paid tribute to a giant in the field of U.S. history, Cornell University Press has published a companion volume to the event.

American Sign Language has found a growing home on the Hill

Now offered as a minor, the study of ASL at Cornell came about through years of student advocacy

Through cycling tours, alum peddles her passion

For more than three decades, anthropology graduate Lauren Hefferon ’83 has run a company that offers upscale trips on two wheels.

Racing toward her second Olympics, Taylor Knibb ’20 preps for Paris

The Arts & Sciences alum (psychology) and Big Red four-sport standout is set to compete in the women’s triathlon for Team USA.

For 75+ years, students have made Watermargin a home

The pioneering co-op led the way in creating an interracial, interfaith house as a nondiscriminatory ideal.

Campus time capsules are blasts from the past

From contemporary ephemera to a missive from Ezra himself, the historic containers are relics of an earlier Cornell.

Giving voice to the often voiceless, alum wins a ‘Genius Grant’

Fiction writer Manuel Muñoz, MFA ’98, draws inspiration from his upbringing in a Mexican-American farming family

Brains! Collection is a (slightly spooky) artifact of an earlier era

Now overseen by the psychology department, the vintage cerebra draw many a visitor to the second floor of Uris Hall.

Campus center holds the ‘keys’ to musical history

From fortepianos to pipe organs, the Hill boasts one of the world’s leading collections of performance-ready vintage instruments.

From corks to Corey to the cosmos: The Hill’s most ‘legendary’ courses

Cornellians offers a (not-at-all-comprehensive) roundup of quintessentially Cornellian classes—and invites you to weigh in!

Popular course offers life lessons from faculty dream team

Drawing on research in psychology and economics, the profs offer practical tools for relationships, finances, and more.

For Newman Lab’s 75th Birthday, Some Fascinating Facts

You don’t have to be a nuclear physicist to appreciate these tidbits about the Hill’s first facility devoted to accelerator physics

In a Posthumous Memoir, Famed Prof Recalls a Turbulent Childhood

Long before Isaac Kramnick joined the Cornell faculty, he was a foster child from a family grappling with poverty and mental illness.

CU in Congress: Alumni in the House

The seven Cornellians serving as representatives in D.C. include military veterans, businesspeople, and even a former MMA fighter — and two A&S graduates.

‘LaFeber Posse’ Gears up to Honor Legendary Professor

A posthumous festschrift and 2023 conference in New York City will celebrate the eminent historian’s impact—on former students and worldwide.

Sgt. Scott Grantz ’99 Serves His Alma Mater on the CUPD

The Ithaca native and Arts and Sciences grad embodies a community-based approach to public safety

Geologic park manager receives NYS Hometown Alumni Award

Jonathan Weston ’04, manager of Panama Rocks, a park and geologic site in New York’s Chautauqua County, received the Cornell New York State Hometown Alumni Award Oct. 6 in a virtual ceremony.

Cornell history course marks 10 years of community

When Corey Ryan Earle ’07 began teaching the Cornell history course The First American University, he had several goals, including giving students a deep understanding and shared appreciation for Cornell’s uniqueness and many pioneering “firsts.” But he didn’t anticipate that 10 years later, the course would create a multigenerational, international community, thousands strong, connected by their ties to the university.

American history scholar Richard Polenberg dies at 83

Richard “Dick” Polenberg, the Marie Underhill Noll Professor of History Emeritus, died Nov. 26 in Ithaca. He was 83. Polenberg, a foremost scholar of American history, taught at Cornell from 1966 through his retirement in 2012. He served as department chair from 1977-80, taught memorable large lecture courses (including his popular class on modern U.S. history, which reliably filled Bailey Hall), and trained and mentored countless graduate students over the decades.

Alum and twin cross U.S. on foot to support COVID-19 relief

Zachary Prizant ’18, MPS ’19, and his identical twin brother, Maxwell, are crossing the continental United States on foot – running and hiking 3,000 miles – to support COVID-19 relief work.

Cornellians in China help send medical supplies to NYC, Ithaca

Cornell alumni, parents and friends have helped source and deliver more than 19,600 N95 respirator masks, 94,000 surgical and face masks, 59,000 surgical gloves, 2,600 sets of coveralls and other supplies.

Alumna receives Pulitzer’s newest prize, for audio reporting

Molly O’Toole ’09 was part of the “This American Life” reporting team that produced the November 2019 episode “The Out Crowd.”

Radical Collaboration sees new hires, custom approaches

More than three years into the provost’s Radical Collaboration initiative, about 15 faculty members have been hired across fields and colleges, partnerships continue to spark research and bold approaches into new areas, and each of the strategic task forces feeding the program has crafted its own approach to the effort.

Faculty forge archaeology partnership at Pompeii

Caitlín Barrett, associate professor of classics in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Kathryn Gleason ’79, professor of landscape architecture in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, have been collaborating since 2016 on the excavation and survey of a large house and garden site, the Casa della Regina Carolina Project, at Pompeii in southern Italy.

Alumna garners eighth Oscar nomination for film editing

Thelma Schoonmaker ’61 was nominated for her film editing work on “The Irishman.”

Vice provost illuminates Cornell’s global role and impact

"I would like to see every student at Cornell have the opportunity to have an international experience."

Eminent historian Isaac Kramnick dies at 81

Isaac Kramnick, the Richard J. Schwartz Professor of Government Emeritus, a renowned scholar of English and American political thought and history, and a longtime champion of undergraduate education, died Dec. 21 in New York City. Kramnick was 81.Cornell President Martha E. Pollack said Kramnick was “a beloved Cornellian; a teacher and leader who, in his time at Cornell, touched the lives of generations of students, faculty and staff.”

Literary icon Toni Morrison, M.A. ’55, dies at 88

Nobel Prize-winning author and alumna Toni Morrison, M.A. ’55, died Monday, Aug. 5, in New York City. She was 88.

Cornell’s radical beginnings still resonate today, Pollack tells Class of 2019

Alumna’s film screening included Q&A with Holocaust survivor

Price Arana ’87 will be on campus April 22 to host a 5:15 p.m. screening of her directorial film debut, “An Undeniable Voice,” in Milstein Hall’s Abby and Howard Milstein Auditorium.

Series of events to mark 50th anniversary of Willard Straight Hall occupation

On April 19, 1969, dozens of members of Cornell’s Afro-American Society and several Latino students occupied Willard Straight Hall for 36 hours to call attention to what they perceived as the university’s hostility toward students of color, its student judicial system and its slow progress in establishing an Africana studies program.

Tackling cancer biology research across colleges and campuses

Cancer biologist Richard Cerione is seeking to understand what makes a cancer cell more aggressive and more invasive, in a cross-college collaboration with biomedical engineer Claudia Fischbach.

Cornell creates multicollege Center for Immunology

Building on Cornell’s decades of fundamental and comparative research in the immunological sciences, Provost Michael Kotlikoff has announced the creation of a new Cornell Center for Immunology.The virtual center will combine multiple research efforts across several departments and colleges on the Ithaca campus and strengthen ties to the university’s ongoing immunological research at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City.

Five alumni to serve in the 116th Congress

Sharice Davids J.D. '10 is one of the first two Native American women elected and A&S grad Kurt Schrader ’73 was re-elected to a sixth term in Oregon.

Thom-Levy channels innovation to benefit faculty and students

Julia Thom-Levy, professor in physics and vice provost for academic innovation, oversees Cornell’s Center for Teaching Innovation (CTI) and the Office of Undergraduate Research. Her position was created a year ago, and CTI was formed by merging the former Center for Teaching Excellence with the Academic Technologies unit in Cornell Information Technologies.

Married physics researchers share lab, students and the joy of discovery

Jie Shan, professor of applied and engineering physics in the College of Engineering, and Kin Fai Mak, assistant professor of physics in the College of Arts and Sciences, are experts on atomically thin materials, particularly their optical and electronic properties.

Cornell benefactor Imogene Powers Johnson dies at 87

Imogene “Gene” Powers Johnson ’52, a devoted alumna, benefactor and matriarch of a multigenerational philanthropic Cornellian family, died March 3 in Racine, Wisconsin. She was 87.

36 Cornellians named to Presidential Task Force

A broad, representative group of three dozen students, faculty and staff — including 10 faculty and students from the College of Arts & Sciences — has been named to the Presidential Task Force on Campus Climate, Cornell President Martha E. Pollack announced Dec. 4.

Engaged Cornell's Spirit Grows

Engaged Cornell’s spirit grows in the colleges, schools and other campus units, such as the Community Learning and Service Partnership, Cornell in Washington, the Center for Teaching Innovation, Cornell Abroad, the Cornell Public Service Center, The Cornell Commitment collection of programs, the Cornell Prison Education Program, the Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives, the Office of Engagement Initiatives and more.A few examples:

Cycling with a philosophical bent

Cornellians on wheels were a big part of the Southern Tier AIDS Program’s 19th Annual AIDS Ride For Life Sept. 9.

New unit merges teaching excellence center with academic technology

Recent changes in the provost’s office have set the stage for better implementation of technology and teaching initiatives, blending them behind the scenes in a way that matches, and enhances, how they complement each other throughout Cornell.

2017 Merrill scholars honor their teachers and mentors

The program was created by the late Philip Merrill ’55 and is funded by annual support from the Merrill Family Foundation.

'Radical collaboration' through machine learning

An Ithaca-Cornell Tech partnership explores machine learning possibilities using visual recognition, crossing the humanities with technology.

Humanities proposal springs from 'radical collaboration' effort

Cornell’s “radical collaboration” initiatives – launched last fall as a series of provost’s task forces targeting faculty hiring and retention across a slew of interdisciplinary areas and fields – already are generating momentum and success stories.

'Radical collaboration' sets its sights on cancer treatment

A&S alum Dr. Lewis Cantley is a leader on the project, which could dramatically shorten the timeline for new drug treatments and possibly save millions of lives.

Einaudi director on collaboration and crossing borders

Hirokazu Miyazaki, professor of anthropology and director of the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, is the program chair for this year’s Society for Cultural Anthropology biennial meeting at Cornell May 13-14.