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Psychology

Intriguing Human Behavior

Cornell Research

Imagine you are watching an NBA basketball game, and you are asked to bet on the outcome of the game. Are you likely to put your money on the team with the player who appears to be unstoppable- the one who just made his last three shots and is just about to shoot again? What if that same player goes for the shot and misses, but the referee mistakenly calls a foul when there was none and allows the player a free throw. Would you expect the player to make the shot?

Matthew Church
Chemistry & Chemical Biology

How a Theorist Thinks

Cornell Research

Matthew Church, a PhD student in chemistry and chemical biology, confesses in this Cornell Research story that he came to Cornell because he fell 

History

It was the Year, 1774

Cornell Research

"While other historical works on the revolution tend to skip over the year 1774," says Mary Beth Norton, "noboday has ever paused to look seriously at the events of the year 1774, to see how the American population, which previously has been quite united in opposition to Britain, divides over various issues."

Neurobiology & Behavior

eLab students pitch business ideas at NYC event

Cornell Chronicle

At this year’s eLab Pitch Night in New York City, 14 teams comprising 50 Cornell eLab students pitched their entrepreneurial ideas in hopes of securing mentors, advisers and supporters for their teams. The event, held Dec. 1 at Wilmer Hale’s World Trade Center offices, gathered Cornell students, alumni and those with an interest in entrepreneurship and innovation.

Science & Technology Studies

Doctoral student works to empower NYC high schoolers

A&S Communications

Each Wednesday Ellen Abrams, a Ph.D candidate in science & technology studies, leads a class of high school students in New York City through workshops and discussions about writing, history and current events, as she works to introduce them to the landscape of higher education.

Oxford, England: Cultivating Knowledge for the Sake of Knowledge

This week, senior Arlinda takes us to England, where she was able to expand her study of philosophy through courses and professors at the University of Oxford. By Arlinda Shehu '18, Philosophy and Psychology double major

Humanities

PMA professor pens new holiday tradition

Performing & Media Arts

When Michael Barakiva, artistic director of Ithaca’s Hangar Theatre, decided to bring Charles Dickens’ classic novella A Christmas Carol to the stage, he turned to Aoise Stratford.

International research

Einaudi Center announces grant recipients

Cornell Chronicle

The Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies has awarded five seed grants and four small grants to Cornell faculty members to support their international research. Recipients come from seven departments in six Cornell colleges.Seed grant recipients

Neurobiology & Behavior

Study: Bigger honeybee colonies have quieter combs

Cornell Chronicle

When honeybee colonies get larger, common sense suggests it would be noisier with more bees buzzing around.But a study recently published in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiologyreports that bigger honeybee colonies actually have quieter combs than smaller ones.

Performing & Media Arts

Student screen and stage plays honored

Six students were recently honored by the Department of Performing & Media Arts as winners of the Heermans-McCalmon writing competition for the best playwriting and screenwriting produced by students.“Giving students platforms for artistic expression is so important,” Gloria Oladipo ‘21 said. “PMA students need platforms for their work in the same way that science students need labs to run experiments. Artists should be able to stand by their work and embrace it fully.”

People sitting in a college classroom
Serge Petchenyi / Cornell University Students participate in an in-class discussion.
Education Innovation

College of Arts and Sciences launches education innovation web feature

A&S Communications

Innovative approaches to pedagogy are changing the future of Cornell, and the College of Arts and Sciences has launched a web feature to spotlight new developments throughout the college. The site includes stories about teaching methods, education research, curriculum redesign and more.

Rachel Bean
Astronomy

Astronomer shares $3M physics Breakthrough Prize

Cornell Chronicle

NASA’s Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe satellite team observed cosmic microwave background radiation to help understand the early universe.

Comparative Literature

Cisterns could boost sustainable tourism on Greek island of Santorini

Cornell Chronicle

Since the 1970s, the Greek island of Santorini has enjoyed a thriving tourism industry. While the nearly 2 million people who annually visit the island pump money into the local economy, they also put a tremendous strain on the island’s infrastructure, particularly the usage of water. This problem is compounded by a lack of rainfall during the dry summer months when the tourist season is at its peak.

History

Historian examines manipulation of international law

The final painting historian Mostafa Minawi shared in his Nov. 29 talk on the Ottoman Empire’s struggle for survival said it all: In the foreground, European delegates stand energetically discussing the partitioning of the African continent. The sole representative of the Ottoman Empire in the painting is hunched over in a chair, hand covering his face and identified only by the fez he wears.

Molecular Biology & Genetics

Professor honored with Entomological Society of America award

A&S Communications

Mariana Federica Wolfner ‘74, Goldwin Smith Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics, has received the 2017 Recognition Award in Insect Physiology, Biochemistry and Toxicology from the Entomological Society of America. The award recognizes scientists who have distinguished themselves through innovative research in these areas of entomology.