Recent Contributions from Wendy Wang

Skorton Considers Legacy

Wendy Wang — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Last night, President Skorton gave his hypothetical last lecture in the Last Lecture series organized by the Cornell Mortar Board Honor Society. His speech followed a long line of professors asked to give a lecture as if it were their last.

Skorton chose to impart some “last-minute” wisdom in the form of three main messages: the importance of humanity and humanitarianism, the tiny differences that separate the powerful from the powerless and the nonlinear, unpredictabile nature of life. He used his life experiences, from his time as an undergraduate to his career as a cardiologist to his current administrative post, in order to demonstrate the three lessons.

CALS Discusses Disclosure of Course Evaluations

Wendy Wang — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Following up on last February’s vote to release course evaluations to students, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences faculty senate convened again to discuss a proposal draft meant to address the policy change.

One key point in the draft said that faculty members would have to authorize the release of their own evaluations before the start of each semester. Additionally, students’ comments would not be included based on advice from the Cornell Legal Office, that warned of subsequent exposure to libel claims.

Nanoday Brings Big and Small Out to Play With Nanotechnology

Wendy Wang — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Yesterday, hundreds of kids — some just knee-high and others soon to be college applicants — ran up and down Duffield Atrium with all sorts of goody bags in tow.

But their goody bags were not filled with party favors; instead they were labeled with scientific facts and filled with things like multicolored filter paper and edible but unfamiliar small red blobs.

Examining the looks on their faces, one might think they kids were attending a party, but in fact it was the first Nanoday at Cornell, where families came to learn about nanotechnology.

Cornell to Launch New Biofuels Lab

Wendy Wang — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

As corn becomes an increasingly popular ethanol source, the spotlight falls on the biofuels field as its researchers study how to convert crops like switchgrass and woody plants into energy. This is evident at Riley-Robb Hall, where the east wing is being converted into a new biofuels research laboratory. Prof. Larry Walker, biological and environmental engineering, is spearheading the large-scale project, slated for completion next January.

Researchers Study Receptors' Role in Estrogen Production

Wendy Wang — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

With about 1 million new cases of breast cancer diagnosed each year, the disease poses a formidable challenge to researchers. But scientists are nevertheless making considerable headway. In a recent study, doctors Andrew Dannenberg and Kotha Subbaramaiah of Weill Cornell Medical College identified the mechanisms by which two receptor proteins, EP2 and EP4, are involved in estrogen production. Estrogen has long been known to play a role in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, which makes up 75 percent of breast cancer cases.

Dannenberg and Subbaramaiah specifically looked at estrogen production regulated by aromatase, a protein whose activity increases in ER-positive breast cancer cells.

Local Architects Give Green Building Tips

Wendy Wang — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

McMansions may be eye-pleasing at first glance, but to an architect they can become design and sustainability eyesores. In an effort to steer green-conscious Ithaca citizens away from such quick-fix housing solutions for building comfortable homes, local architects Ernie Bayles and Megan Nedzinski gave a talk last night at the First Unitarian Church on architectural design with a focus on sustainability to an audience of about 30. This seminar was the fourth in the Green Building Seminar Series created by the Ithaca Green Building Alliance.

Cornell Plagued by 11 Layoffs

Wendy Wang — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Even as the federal deficit grows, with President George W. Bush’s fiscal year 2009 budget proposal calling for an almost $250 billion increase in the deficit, cuts in basic research have begun to deplete many research institutions of resources. Last month, 11 of about 110 employees at Cornell’s Laboratory for Elementary-Particle Physics were laid off as a result of National Science Foundation funding cuts, outlined in Congress’s December omnibus appropriations bill.

Skorton Signs Petitition to Debate on Science in America

Wendy Wang — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

In 2000, when former U.S. Vice President Al Gore was running for our nation’s highest office, his position on global warming would not have garnered him a Nobel Peace Prize — he was virtually silent on the issue. In 2008, this trend continues, as current presidential candidates rarely bring up science and technology policy problems. This lack of action prompted the beginning of ScienceDebate2008, a movement to invite the presidential candidates to debate on science and technology-related issues.

To correct the problem, President David Skorton, along with other university presidents, science organizations, members of Congress, technology companies like Intel and 17,000 individual supporters, signed a petition to show support for the debate.

Building Noise, Pollution Wakes Students on West

Wendy Wang — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Even with the completion of the two remaining houses on West Campus in sight, students have to face ongoing construction for the rest of the school year. Some students have complained about the noise that begins early in the morning, although others living in different areas feel minimal effects of construction, if any.

According to Lauren Nelson ’06, residence hall director of the Gothics, the construction workers abide by a specific work schedule designed to accommodate students. Down and dirty: Mud from the construction on West Campus can make walking unpleasant or even hazardous.

CALS Faculty Senate Votes To Release Course Evals

Wendy Wang — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Rather than just having to rely on RateMyProfessors.com, students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will soon have a better way of getting the lowdown on professors and courses. Yesterday, the CALS Faculty Senate voted to make course evaluations open to the Cornell community — including its students — by a vote of 17-2.

The evaluations will consist of students’ numerical ratings and written comments.

Prof. Peter Davies, plant biology, explained the importance of giving students access to comments as well as numbers.

Cornell Caps Loans for Those in Need

Wendy Wang — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

It may be hard to enjoy the college experience knowing that tuition alone requires $34,600 a year, but the outlook for debt-ridden students may improve today with Cornell’s announcement of its new financial aid initiative. By the 2009-2010 academic year, students whose families make less than $75,000 a year will receive grants in place of the traditional need-based loans, while those from families with incomes between $75,000 and $120,000 will see their loans capped at $3,000 a year.

Meanwhile, for the 2008-2009 transition period, the University will replace loans for students with family incomes under $60,000 and cap loans at $3,000 for those with household incomes between $60,000 and $120,000.

Wounded Giant Sallie Mae Slashes Student Loans

Wendy Wang — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Troubled student loan giant Sallie Mae struggled to weather a perfect storm in 2007, brought on by the credit meltdown, a failed $25 billion takeover deal, and legislation that cut funding for government-backed loans issued by private organizations. Sallie Mae, a public-private partnership, is the nation’s largest student loan company. Starting in 2008, the company will begin cutting back the amount of student loans it issues, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing earlier this year. Despite this announcement, financial aid at Cornell will remain largely unaffected.

Dump & Run Raises $30K

Wendy Wang — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Once again proving that one student’s trash is another one’s treasure, Cornell’s Dump & Run sale in August raised more than $30,000 from about 7,500 shoppers, $27,000 of which was donated to four local non-profit organizations: Cops, Kids, and Toys; Better Housing for Tompkins County, Inc., the Dream Factory and the Drop-In Children’s Center. The amount allocated to each organization varied with the number of volunteer hours it contributed to the sale.

The Dump and Run program recycles unwanted things left behind by students in May by selling them to students arriving in August. Volunteers from the non-profit organizations and student volunteers work to collect everything, but that’s only the beginning of a long process.

Cornell, Ithaca Studies Alternative Transportation

Wendy Wang — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

As the Cornell community expands, transportation problems pose an inevitable challenge. It was this challenge that prompted Cornell Transportation Services and the Town of Ithaca to initiate a transportation-focused Generic Environmental Impact Statement three years ago. In December, the t-GEIS team will submit the statement to Ithaca for an adequacy review and eventually for public comment.

According to the t-GEIS website, the statement was meant to “to identify, examine and evaluate the transportation-related impacts on the surrounding community of hypothetical population growth at Cornell University over the next ten years.

The website also stated that the statement will explore possible mitigations to these impacts.

Prof Presents Disability Report in Washington

Wendy Wang — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Despite accounting for many ethnic, age, and gender groups, the U.S. Census Bureau’s data on the current population fails to include statistics regarding the disabled population. Prof. Andrew Houtenville and fellow researchers at Cornell are seeking to alleviate this absence with the second annual Disability Status Report for 2006, presented last Wednesday in Washington D.C. to a diverse audience of about 50 Capitol Hill staffers, disability-related agencies, the media and advocacy groups. Houtenville is the director of Cornell’s Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability

Is C-Town Missing A Student Center?

Wendy Wang — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Heads up on the latest resident that may be moving into Collegetown: a new community center. Daniel Budish ’09 and Jeannine Altavilla ’09 are working to complete this large-scale project, and its planning process is currently in the initial stages. After coming up with the idea last fall, Budish and Altavilla are hoping that this center will be the means to an interconnected neighborhood that would engage all residents of Ithaca.

C.U. Gives Grants to Local K-12 Teachers

Wendy Wang — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Some more Europe in our own upstate backyard. That’s what the Cornell Institute for European Studies hopes to see with its K-12 Educator Grant awards, which it presented last month, for the fourth year in a row, to five local K-12 teachers who developed curriculum units of European concentrations.

This year’s winners were: Lynn Brosch from the R. J. McNulty Academy in Montgomery County, Susan Child-Dauphin from G. Ray Bodley High School in Onondaga County, Dorothy Fulk from Candor High School in Tioga County, Kelly Horrocks from DeWitt Middle School in Tompkins County and Robin Trapani from Frewsburg Central Schools in Chautauqua County. The IES will later post their curriculum units on its website to help other teachers bulk up their Europe-related curricula.

Ithaca Breast Cancer Alliance Hosts Great Ithaca Walk, 5K Run

Wendy Wang — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

A bugle call rang throughout the F.R. Newman Arboretum at the Cornell Plantations early Saturday morning, kicking off the Ithaca Breast Cancer Alliance’s 14th annual Great Ithaca Walk and first annual Strength in Numbers 5K run. Hundreds of runners and walkers decked out in pink and red ranged from families to college students to out-of-town visitors, but all shared a tangible enthusiasm for the cause.

“It’s a good opportunity to exercise and do some charity at the same time,” said Stephen Santangelo ’10.

Many participants had relatives or friends who had breast cancer or had survived it, making the event all the more personal.

Office Hours Get New Online Look

Wendy Wang — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Office hours may be next in line to get a virtual makeover as students in certain classes can interact with professors and T.A.s over the Internet. This additional medium for office hours has become increasingly popular among Cornell faculty members and their teaching staffs. For example, the 12 undergraduate T.A.s for INFO 130: Introduction to Web Design and Programming are available for online office hours through AOL Instant Messenger.

“It’s convenient for the T.A.s, but more importantly, it helps the students learn, since it’s easier for a kid to type in a question online than to walk all the way to the engineering quad to get it answered,” said Phil Adams ’09, a T.A. for INFO 130.

C.U. Offers First Degree in Africa

Wendy Wang — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Ethiopian students now have the opportunity to earn a Masters of Professional Studies in watershed management from Cornell at the University’s first ever degree program in Africa. All coursework and field research for the program will occur off-campus at the Bahir Dar University in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia — another first for Cornell.

Beginning in November, Cornell faculty will travel to Bahir Dar to teach three-week long modular courses to 20 Ethiopian students who were selected by a written application and entrance exam.