Science

Panelists Discuss ‘Hidden’ Math in Everyday Life

Jade Tabony  —  Apr 15, 2009

April marked the beginning of Math Awareness Month. On Apr. 8, 2009 the mathematics department held a panel discussion titled “Math and Climate Change” that featured not only Cornell professors, but also visiting lecturers from the University of Vermont and Ithaca College.

The panel discussed the role of mathematics in everyday weather predictions and in outlining the possible scenarios for climate change, as well as math’s growing role in the fields of economics, medicine and construction. Scientists around the world looking to predict the outcomes of global climate change have been turning to differential equations to minimize uncertainty.

The Scientist: David Usher

Usha Rao  —  Apr 15, 2009

Scientific research often takes place at an interface, between people and between fields of study. Assoc. Prof. David Usher, chemistry and chemical biology, seems to live at such an interface, boasting a diverse range of interests in both his scientific research and his hobbies.

Usher studies the origins of life, a controversial topic in science. He currently teaches the large lecture course CHEM 2080: General Chemistry.

Biofortification

Chris Bentley  —  Apr 8, 2009

The 2008 food crisis exposed some very rotten spots in the global food system, but for almost half of the people on Earth the system failed a long time ago.

Many simply do not have enough food to survive. These are the world’s hungry. According to the United Nations, however, more than 840 million people receive all the calories they need and are still dying. They suffer from what is known in nutrition circles as the Hidden Hunger: malnutrition.

Drastic Increase in Diagnoses of Autism Moves Scientists, Charities to Action

Lucy Li  —  Apr 8, 2009

“Dread. It permeated our home, seeped into the nooks and crannies of our lives,” wrote Nicholas Sparks — author of The Notebook — in his memoir Three Weeks with My Brother. “By late August, Ryan was coming on his third birthday. His evaluation showed little, if any, improvement. Now, instead of having the skills of a 14-month old, he had the skills of a 15-month old.”

Sparks' son was diagnosed with autism, a critical brain developmental condition.

April is Autism Awareness month. Since the first diagnosis of autism in 1943, the fraction of affected children in the United States mushroomed from one in 10000 to one in 150, affecting four times as many boys than girls. Today, autism is more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes and AIDS combined.

Annual Engineering Conference Showcases Student Research

Usha Rao  —  Apr 8, 2009

The annual Cornell Engineering Research Conference took place in Duffield hall on April 3, 2009. This conference was organized by engineering graduate students and gave M. Eng. and Ph.D. students a venue to showcase their current research to the students and faculty in attendance.

This conference, unlike many others in the engineering school, spanned applied research from a wide range of engineering departments at Cornell University.

The conference was sponsored by Becton, Dickinson and Company, Exponent and Lockheed Martin.

Eat Less, Live Longer?

Alex Rojas  —  Apr 8, 2009

In 1934, Prof. Clive McKay made an extraordinary discovery about the effect of caloric restriction on health and longevity. McKay found that rats fed considerably less food lived approximately 40 percent longer. In fact, rats on a low calorie diet displayed a reduced incidence of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other ailments. Since then, research has been targeting a variety of animals — most interestingly humans.

Bioacoustics Is Music to Conservationists' Ears

Usha Rao  —  Apr 1, 2009

Life without vocal communication is quite hard to imagine. Humans rely on communication for social interactions and to exchange information — many animals also use vocal communication to develop complex social networks. However, research into animal communication has only picked up in the last 50 years.

Chemical physicist and poet Roald Hoffmann may be the only Nobel laureate with his own cabaret

Trevor Halle  —  Apr 1, 2009

Professor emeritus Roald Hoffmann, chemical and chemical biology, cannot contain himself to just the arts or the physical sciences. In addition to continuing his research on molecular bonding structure, he spends his time writing poetry, studying ceramics and managing a science-oriented cabaret in New York City.

Hoffmann was born in Zloczów, Poland in 1937 and moved to New York City in 1949 at the age of 11. In 1955, he began his studies at Columbia University in chemistry. He next attended Harvard, where he earned his M.A. in physics in 1960 and his Ph.D. in chemical physics in 1962. Three years later, Hoffmann came to Cornell University as an Associate Professor of Chemistry.

“It was the only place that gave me a job,” Hoffmann joked.

Miracle Fruit Sensation Is a Trip for Taste Buds, Not Brain, Scientists Say

Jade Tabony  —  Apr 1, 2009

A tradition that began with the natives of West Africa to sweeten their traditionally bland or bitter meals, “flavor tripping” has recently become a new trend that is gaining popularity in social scenes. On Mar. 28, intrigued students flooded Risley Hall to experience a night of sensory overload at Cornell Underground’s Flavor Tripping event.

Upon entering, each student was given the miracle berry, Synsepalum dulcificum, and proceeded through a series of lavishly decorated rooms reminiscent of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. In each room, “trippers” were presented with a variety of food ranging from citrus-sour to vinegar-bar-bitter, but instead the food tasted sugary sweet.

Nordlander Lecturer Diagnoses U.S. Healthcare Problems

Erin Szulman  —  Apr 1, 2009

For a country whose president is proposing universal healthcare, visiting lecturer David Healy — a professor of psychological medicine at Cardiff University, North Wales — said it is essential to foster an understanding of what good healthcare really is. Healy was the featured professor at this year’s Nordlander Lecture in Science and Public Policy on Wednesday, Mar. 25, established by the science and technology studies department in memory of J. Eric Nordlander, a prominent educator and scientist. Professor Bruce Lewenstein, science and technology studies, introduced David Healy as well as the Nordlander family who was in attendance.

Hello