In the middle of the periodic table of elements, on the block that bridges the two jutting sides, is a series of elements known as transition metals. The electronic composition of transition metals makes them great catalysts for some of earth’s most life-enabling reactions. They mediate key reactions, for example, in photosynthesis and help convert nitrogen in the atmosphere so it can be used as a nutrient to sustain life.
This is an episode in the “What Makes Us Human?” podcast from Cornell University’s College of Arts & Sciences, showcasing the newest thinking from across the disciplines about what it means to be human in the twenty-first century.
Noam Maggor, a postdoctoral associate in the Department of History in the College of Arts & Sciences, writes in this op-ed for The Guardian that Amazon's search for a second North American headquarters has generated a race to the bottom bidding war to please Amazon that parallels the rise of capitalism in the19th century.
The concept of “valence” – the ability of a particular atom to combine with other atoms by exchanging electrons – is one of the cornerstones of modern chemistry and solid-state physics.
Assistant Professor Catherine Appert has been awarded this year's Richard Waterman Prize, bestowed by the Society for Ethnomusicology for “the best article by a junior scholar in the ethnomusicological study of popular music published within the previous year (in any publication).” Her article, "On Hybridity in African Popular Music: The Case of Senegalese Hip Hop," was published in ethnomusicology’s flagship journal, Ethnomusicolo
Craig Wiggers, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel with 25 years of service, is director of administration for the physics department and says he loves Cornell’s welcoming, supportive environment.
A new two-credit Learning Where You Live (LWYL) course this semester on West Campus, ENGL 1605: North/West Campus Dialogue on Race, “gives students the opportunity to learn from and with each other about issues of racial conflict … in an atmosphere of openness, mutual engagement and respect,”
Today, 245 million people live outside of the countries where they were born, many escaping economic conditions, political suppression, or wars. But despite their circumstances, many are unwelcome in their new countries.
In a new transdisciplinary pedagogy that encourages active learning, McKenzie has combined the kinds of conceptual, aesthetic, and technical learning found in seminar, studio, and lab spaces into an approach he calls “StudioLab.”
"Hamlet Wakes Up Late," a biting political satire of Shakespeare's tragedy by renowned Syrian poet and playwright Mamduh Adwan, will have its English-language premiere this month at the Schwartz Center. The production, translated by Margaret Litvin and directed by Rebekah Maggor, assistant professor in the Department of Performing & Media Arts, will feature original music, dancing, action-packed scenes, humor and extravagant costumes. Performances are Nov.
Raymond Bally ‘19, like every other first year student at Cornell, lived on North Campus freshman year. But a month after moving into his freshman dorm, someone handed him a quarter-card about volunteering to be a firefighter in Cayuga Heights.
The Department of English will host the Philip Freund Prize for Creative Writing Alumni Reading at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2 in the Rhodes-Rawlings Auditorium in Klarman Hall.
Michael Lucido ’19 is studying computer science and is minoring in film. Last fall, he searched for a club to join that would appeal to both of his interests.
“There were either film clubs that did shooting or CS clubs that did programming,” he said, “There weren’t a lot of technology and creative clubs – they weren’t talking to each other.”
David A. Usher, retired associate professor of chemistry and chemical biology, died Oct. 6 at his home in Dryden, New York. He was 80, one month shy of his 81st birthday.
The limited racial and ethnic diversity among people in biology-related careers has long roots, according to a new study.
As undergraduates, underrepresented minority students face challenges on campus and in the classroom, which can discourage them from pursuing science careers. Research has shown that the use of active learning techniques – such as working in groups and participating in classroom discussions – can help close the achievement gap among undergraduates.
Two Cornell anthropology graduate students will conduct their fieldwork overseas with support from the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad program. Alexandra G. Dalferro and Rebekah M. Cirbassi are among 91 students nationwide who received the prestigious award this year.
The prospect of reaching out to alumni and industry leaders seems daunting to most students. For students who are more introverted, networking can be as hard as taking a prelim.
Animals, neuroscience, consciousness and medicine: Associate Professor of English Elisha Cohn’s interests range far and wide, all seen through the lens of narrative, her driving passion.
Scholars and artists will explore the interaction between history, theatre and performance during the Escape from the Archive Conference, Oct. 27-29 at the Schwartz Center. The conference, organized by doctoral students Caitlin Kane and Erin Stoneking from the Department of Performing and Media Arts, features lectures, performances and roundtable discussions on theatre, film, dance and opera.
A new initiative by Cornell’s Department of Near Eastern Studies (NES) to provide continuing education opportunities for local K-12 teachers launched Sept. 26. The collaboration with Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga Board of Cooperative Educational Services (TST-BOCES) offers teachers a six-session professional learning opportunity focusing on the relationship between the United States and the Middle East through the lenses of politics, migration, religion and literature.
Carlos Andrés Gómez, an award winning poet, actor, speaker, and writer from New York City, will be visiting Cornell for a public performance sponsored by the Latina/o Studies Program, at 5:30 p.m., Nov. 2, in Hollis E. Cornell Auditorum (132 Goldwin Smith Hall).
“History doesn’t repeat, but it does instruct” is the ethos of Timothy Snyder's new book, ‘On Tyranny-Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century.” Four Cornell professors will be holding a community read and public discussion of Snyder’s book that has been described as presenting “twenty lessons from the twentieth century adapted to the circumstances of today.”
Four decades after NASA’s twin Voyager spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral, about 800 Cornellians gathered at Bailey Hall Oct. 19 to celebrate the unprecedented mission, its famous Golden Record and the university’s role in the mission.
“Think differently” – it’s been a central theme at Cornell for more than 150 years and a driving force behind numerous educational initiatives including the new Cornell Tech campus, which opened this fall on Roosevelt Island in the heart of New Yor
Six Cornell faculty members — including four in the College of Arts & Sciences — have been recognized by the university for excellence in their teaching of undergraduate students and contributions to undergraduate education.
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.
Conventional wisdom has said that when molecules known as monomers band together to create a polymer chain, that creation takes place steadily as the chain forms, like spaghetti out of a pasta maker. But a Cornell research collaboration shows that’s just not the case.
Rembrandt van Rijn’s art and artistic practice have fascinated scholars and collectors for centuries. His printmaking methods, and prints from across hiscareer, are revealed as an inspirational resource for research and teaching in a new exhibition of his etchings at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art.
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.
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.
