Each year, a group of students in the colleges of Arts & Sciences and Human Ecology have a special opportunity to interview with employers in New York City, thanks to efforts of the New York Recruiting Consortium. The consortium connects students to employers and sponsors an interview day in New York City during winter break.“We have a large number of students looking for smaller employers or…
From September 8-10, students taking a new Spanish literature course traveled to New York City to examine its identity as a Latinx Caribbean diasporic city.“Nueva York: Caribbean Urbanisms” is a new four-credit seminar offered by the Department of Romance Studies, and cross-listed with Latina/o Studies, Latin American Studies, American Studies and Africana Studies. The course, taught by Assistant…
In his opening remarks at the second annual Cornell Neurotech Mong Family Foundation Symposium Sept. 22, Cornell Provost Michael Kotlikoff said: “The goals of Cornell Neurotech are vital ones, with life-changing implications, and I am grateful to Stephen Mong and the Mong Family Foundation for enabling Cornell faculty and staff to strive toward them. Cornell Neurotech fosters connections across…
An Oct. 20 lecture will kick off a new series on language and inequality co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of Inequality and the departments of linguistics and sociology.Michel DeGraff, professor of linguistics at MIT, will present a talk, “Language, Education, and (In)equality in Haiti: Struggling through Centuries of Coloniality,” which will focus on linguistic inequality and the…
Radio producers Chris Hoff and Sam Harnett, co-creators of the 90-second NPR radio show, “The World According to Sound,” will be on campus to offer a presentation at 7 p.m., Oct. 25 in the Rhodes-Rawlings Auditorium in Klarman Hall. The event is free and open to the public.
In this presentation, Hoff and Harnett will set up a ring of speakers, hand out eye masks, turn off the lights and engulf…
How have systems of communication evolved among the great apes? How did language arise? How can humans and apes best communicate? On Oct. 20-21, Cornell will host a trans-disciplinary workshop on apes, language and communication to explore these and other questions. “The Eloquence of the Apes” will feature renowned primatologist Sue Savage-Rumbaugh and Cornell researchers across multiple…
Alumni, students, and Ithaca area community members will come together Oct. 19-21 for a weekend of reconnecting, celebrating and football during Homecoming 2017. The weekend is highlighted by many Arts & Sciences sponsored events.
Though not an official part of Homecoming, many alumni will start the weekend at the Voyager Celebration, 8 p.m., Oct. 19, Bailey…
Sodalicium Loquentium Latine, Cornell’s new spoken latin club, held their inaugural meeting in September, bringing together individuals interested in learning and practicing speaking Latin. They discussed Ovid’s “Amores” in Latin and English.Nicole Marroquin ‘19 says she founded the club as a place “for people to have an outlet for creative expression in the form of art, in the midst of peers who…
Concentration camps existed before World War II and still exist, as Andrea Pitzer will explore in her Oct. 17 lecture, “Harbingers and Echoes of the Shoah.” Pitzer is a journalist and author of “One Long Night: A Global History of Concentration Camps.” The talk, at 4:30pm in Lewis Auditorium in Goldwin Smith Hall, is free and open to the public.“Even as the world tried to reckon with the singular…
In the spirit of the ancient bards, Joe Goodkin will perform an original musical adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey for solo acoustic guitar and voice on Oct. 24 in Klarman Hall, KG70, at 5 pm. The performance is sponsored by the Department of Classics. Part lecture, part musical performance, and part interactive discussion, the event draws on Goodkin’s bachelor's degree in classics from the…
Dan McCall, a beloved Cornell professor of American studies and creative writing, passed away in 2012, but his son Steven has just published his father’s memoir, “Boy on a Unicycle,” and will visit for a reading Oct. 23.Dan McCall, who taught at Cornell for 40 years, was the critically acclaimed author of 10 books of fiction and non-fiction, including “Triphammer,” “The Example of Richard Wright,…
Fifteen Cornell student delegates, including six students from the College of Arts & Sciences, participated in the Clinton Global Initiative University conference Oct. 13-15 at Northeastern University in Boston, Mass.The meeting brought together more than 1,100 student leaders, who made “Commitments to Action” in the initiative’s five focus areas: education; environment and climate change;…
Screenwriter Chase Palmer met with students Sept. 21 as part of the Professional Directions Series hosted by Austin Bunn, associate professor in the the Department of Performing and Media Arts (PMA) and talked about the importance of networking and taking the time to write.Palmer, who has had two works on the Black List (an annual industry survey of the “most liked” unproduced screenplays), wrote…
How many people can say they can speak Latin? Erchen “Erial” Zheng ‘18, a senior classics major with a minor in history, is part of the growing number of scholars invested in learning Latin as a living language.“I started learning Latin in high school,” Zheng said, “but I think my love for the classical world began much earlier when I was in the third grade. It started with Greek myth and then…
The first installment of the Creative Writing MFA program’s four-part tradition in which new writers read selections from their poetry and fiction kicks off this monthMFA student Sasha Smith read selections from her poetry and Remy Barnes read fiction during the first readings Oct. 5 from 6-7 p.m. at Buffalo Street Books, 215 N. Cayuga St. Smith read two poems, “Leaving”’and “slavecatchers.” …
The 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to three physicists for the momentous first observation of the gravity waves predicted by Albert Einstein. Rainer Weiss, Kip S. Thorne, and Barry C. Barish led the research done by LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. The experiment confirmed that the gravity waves came from a black hole merger by comparing the data with a…
Saida Hodžić, associate professor of anthropology and feminist, gender, and sexuality studies, was awarded the 2017 Michelle Z. Rosaldo Prize for her book, “The Twilight of Cutting: African Activism and Life after NGOs.” The award, given by the Association for Feminist Anthropology, is granted to a first book that embodies the theoretical rigor, ethnographic richness and advancement of feminist…
Only one human-touched object has ever entered interstellar space: NASA’s Voyager 1, bearing with it greetings to extraterrestrials in the form of a Golden Record. The university is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Voyagers 1 and 2 and Cornell’s central role in the missions and the Golden Record with a weekend of events that began Thursday, Oct. 19. All events are free, and the public is…
Ever since the invention of the laser more than 50 years ago, scientists have been striving to create an X-ray version. But until recently, very high power levels were needed to make an X-ray laser. Making a practical, tabletop-scale X-ray laser source required taking a new approach, as will be described by physicist Margaret Murnane in this fall’s Hans Bethe Lecture.Her talk, “Harnessing Quantum…
Can science alone deliver us from environmental catastrophe? Purely scientific, economic, and incentive-driven management solutions to problems like climate change, water security, and environmental justice no longer seem adequate, giving rise to a new interdisciplinary field of environmental humanities. The 2017-18 Environmental Humanities Lecture Series will bring to campus four pioneering…
Are humans special creatures, uniquely endowed with reason? Or are we simply animals who can talk and build?“What Makes Us Human,” a new podcast and essay series from Cornell University’s College of Arts & Sciences, created in collaboration with Cornell Broadcast Studios, will showcase the newest thinking from across the disciplines about what it means to be human in the 21st century…
The United States’ unique electoral system sets up congressional contests in frequently-redrawn regions. While the shapes of districts are expected to be somehow reasonable, this is very hard to formulate in a way that is mathematically robust, aligns with our ideals about representative democracy, and can persuade legislators, judges, and the public. Mathematician Moon Duchin of Tufts University…
This story has been updated.What are the odds that two Cornell professors, who happen to be spouses, are longlisted for a prestigious literary award at the same time? Edmundo Paz-Soldán, professor of Spanish literature, and Liliana Colanzi MA '14, PhD '17, visiting lecturer, were both longlisted for the Gabriel García Márquez Award for the Short Story. Colanzi has now been chosen as one of five…
Amber Moore '11, a graduate of the College of Arts & Sciences, is one of 35 citizens selected for the 2017-2018 Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program.The Fulbright Program is intended to address critical global challenges by building relations between U.S. citizens and residents of other nations.Moore, who doubled majored in psychology and sociology during her time at Cornell,…
In her recently published chapbook, "Chinatown Sonnets,” Dorothy Chan ‘12 reflects on her experiences growing up, the influence she felt from Philadelphia’s Chinatown neighborhood near her hometown, and from Chinatowns all over the world. Using her identity as a Chinese-American woman, she also considers the influence of Hollywood and westernization on the idea of Chinatown.Chan submitted the…
This story is one in a series, checking in with some of our seniors to explore how they’re doing as they plan for life after Cornell.
James Bessoir’s ’18 resume was mostly filled with summers spent volunteering for a non-profit until this past spring, when he landed a sweet internship with NASA. Paola Ocampo ’18 is applying to grad school, but she worries about a few specific classes she…
The Arts & Sciences Career Development Center held an alumni and employer panel, “Marketing Your Liberal Arts Degree,” Sept. 6 in the Physical Sciences Building.The panel, moderated by Jennifer Maclaughlin, assistant dean and director of the Career Development Center, included recruiters and alumni from Gap Inc., Capital One and Tortoise Investment Management, who offered in-depth details…
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…
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…
Julia Adolphe ‘10 is one of 19 recipients of the 2017 ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Awards. The awards are given to concert music composers up to 30 years of age whose works are selected through a national competition. More than 500 entries were submitted to the competition in 2017.The competition, established in 1979, is named in honor of Morton Gould, a Pulitzer prize-winning…
Nima Arkani-Hamed is one of the leading particle physicists in the world. On September 25, he will be presenting the lecture, “Three cheers for ‘Shut up and Calculate!’ in fundamental physics,” in his last public talk as an A.D. White Professor-at-Large. The talk, at 7:30 p.m. in Cornell’s Schwartz Auditorium, Rockefeller Hall, is free and open to the public. There will be a pre-lecture reception…
Roald Hoffmann, Frank H.T Rhodes Professor Emeritus of Humane Letters, was awarded the inaugural Primo Levi Prize from the German Chemical Society and the Italian Chemical Society in Berlin, Germany Sept. 10. The prize, named after the great Italian writer who also was a chemist, honors chemists who promote human rights and improve the dialogue between chemistry and society. Hoffmann received…
“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…
With a new senior associate dean for undergraduate education and seven new staff members, the offices of admissions, advising and career development within the College of Arts & Sciences are piloting new programs and assessing student needs as they roll out a new model for student services within the college.“There are lots of ideas we are actively thinking about to improve the student…
“Chasing the North Star,” the new novel by Robert Morgan, Kappa Alpha Professor of English, was recently chosen by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA), for the Southern Book Award in the category of historical fiction.SIBA represents bookstores and sellers in the south and gives awards to southern authors or to books written with a southern viewpoint voted on by booksellers.In…
Euripides may have written his tragedies about war, loss, and grief millennia ago, but their themes continue to resonate in the present day. The intense emotional lives of his female characters, in particular, are richly brought to life in “Bitter Banquet,” an original staged song cycle composed and performed by Annie Lewandowski, lecturer in music, which will be staged at the newly opened Cherry…
Morten Christiansen, professor of psychology, was recently elected as a Society Fellow by the Cognitive Science Society. The award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the cognitive science community. As one of nine new fellows elected in 2017, Christiansen is the first Cornell faculty to receive this honor, joining 143 others.The Cognitive Science Society was…
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…
From researching the intersection of international law and nuclear weapons to meeting Queen Noor of Jordan, Brandon Mok ‘19, a history major in the College of Arts & Sciences, spent his summer immersing himself in international affairs.Mok interned at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs in Stockholm, Sweden (Utrikespolitiska institutet in Swedish, or UI) for part of the summer and…
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…
Abu Qader ’21 is just settling into his room at Mary Donlon Hall. Like any new Cornell freshman, he’s been spending lots of time joining clubs and hanging out with new friends on his floor.But unlike lots of freshman, Qader is also running a company, GliaLab, which is developing software that can improve the accuracy of breast cancer diagnoses, especially in developing countries. He’s been…
What if Hamlet was actually … a woman? The restored 1921 German silent film Hamlet, starring*/Asta Nielsen, Denmark's most famous film actress, as Hamlet, offers an answer. The film will screen Sept. 14 in Cornell’s Sage Chapel, accompanied by a new score featuring music by the sons of J.S. Bach and performed by The Filmharmonia Duo: Dennis James (organ), Michael Tsalka (harpsichord and piano)…
The second annual Cornell Neurotech Mong Family Foundation Symposium on Sept. 22 will feature three renowned neuroscientists who will discuss their research and techniques exploring the brain: Edward Boyden, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Catherine Dulac, Harvard University; and Thomas Jessell, Columbia University. Cornell Provost Michael Kotlikoff will offer opening remarks.The symposium…
On Aug. 26, more than 45 participants — actors, dancers, directors, playwrights, stage managers, and technical crew — came together at the Schwarz Performing Arts Center to produce four plays and a dance in 24 hours during the annual Festival 24 event. The event, which originally involved only theater productions at its inception in 2008, took its current form in 2015 when it added film and dance…
State of the College AddressGretchen Ritter, The Harold Tanner Dean of Arts & SciencesCornell UniversityThank you all for coming together today.It was four years ago that I arrived at Cornell to become dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. I was incredibly excited to be returning to my alma mater, to help lead a college that I love – one that is unique and unparalleled in my experience in…
Russell Rickford, associate professor of history, was awarded the 2016 Hooks National Book award for his book “We Are an African People: Independent Education, Black Power, and the Radical Imagination.” The award, given by the The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the University of Memphis, is granted to an author whose book “best furthers understanding of the American Civil Rights…
Cornell Cinema’s diverse fall schedule includes a 3D movie extravaganza, four documentaries premiering in Ithaca, and an event Cornell Cinema director Mary Fessenden describes as “one of the most spectacular events [Cornell Cinema] has ever hosted in our near 50-year history.” All films are open to the public, with discounted admission for Cornell students, seniors and children.Thanks to…
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…
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…
