Science

Cornell Professor Examines the Effect of Stress Hormone on Sensory System

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It’s a Sunday morning and you’re hiking by Taughannock when suddenly you’re confronted by an eight foot grizzly bear. Before you can form a coherent thought, you find yourself fleeing back towards campus. This instinctual response, aptly named the fight-or-flight response, is triggered by a hormone released in situations of stress or danger: norepinephrine. A lesser known function of norepinephrine is currently being explored by Prof. Christiane Linster, neurobiology and behavior. Linster used behavior, electrophysiology, and computational modeling to research how modulation of norepinephrine affects the olfactory system, the sensory system used for smelling.

Columns

TRUSTEE VIEWPOINT | I’m Tired

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I woke up this morning in cold sweat from a dream that I slept through a prelim. Before I had a chance to reassure myself that it was a Monday and it was too early in the day to be sweating, I glanced at the 12 messages that needed responses on my phone, thought of the reading that I had to complete for my 10:10 class, and then felt the pile of laundry that has been sitting at the foot of my bed for the past week. I glanced at the date, only to realize that I had to begin racking my brain for an idea to write about for this column, and then noted the time only to realize that I had a meeting on campus in 15 minutes. As I rushed to try to pop a pimple under my nose and brush my teeth before I headed out the door, it dawned on me: Do I even have time to think? It was a question I asked myself several times last week each time I received a message from the University.

Columns

PARK | On Happiness and Success

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As intelligent, young Ivy League students, we seem to know it all. We know how to tackle complicated economic models, apply thermodynamic analysis and develop successful medical practices. And where our classes lack, our countless pre-professional organizations fill in the gaps to teach us how to capitalize on our assets, develop our career goals, and move up in this world. But when it comes to filling our lives with meaning, finding fulfillment and happiness in the real world, we don’t have a clue. We view happiness as a byproduct of success, rather than the means through which we get there.

Columns

GUEST ROOM | Cornell Culture in the Crosshairs

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I know this probably won’t come as a surprise to anyone who is reading this, but Cornell can be an incredibly stressful place. Before coming to Cornell, I had heard, like most of you, how intense Cornell could be, but I had never taken the time to really imagine what such an environment might look like. Since getting to Cornell I’ve watched myself and many of my friends become far more stressed than ever before. I’ve heard several people point out that in reality Cornell probably isn’t any more difficult than most other top universities, and much to the chagrin of some of you reading this, I’d have to agree. Yes, Cornell is difficult — we can all agree on that — but the fact of the matter is that a large part of the stress that Cornellians put up with is a result of the culture that we as students have created for ourselves.

stress eating

Stress, Eating and Stress-Eating

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Cortisol causes metabolic dysfunction by inhibiting glucose uptake so that it the glucose can be readily used by the body. This causes cells to feel starved, triggering hunger signals to the brain.

career

Cornell Students Critique Culture of Careerism

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Economic pressure has also changed the way students view the very concept of a major. Instead of being simply “your major subject of study,” as Prof. Michael Fontaine, classics, defines the focus, a major has become a means to employment, an expression of a student’s ultimate career ambition.

Columns

WEISSMANN | How Not to Write an Essay

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First, notice that you classmates are asking the professor a lot of questions about the big paper that was due in the middle of the semester. They must be getting a crazy head start, the sycophants. Check Blackboard (it’s probably not due) and realize that the big paper is due in two days. Feel your heart momentarily stop. When exactly did it become October?

Columns

WANG | A Moment of Silence

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There comes a time when you’re forced to keep your cool, and try not to lose it. It’s called a breaking point; my pastor preaches it as a ‘defining moment.’ In that instance, people find out who you really are. For college students, this moment seems to come every other day. There are assignments to be done, prelims to cram for, labs to attend and interviews to be bombed — all stacked on each other like an ambitious game of Jenga. It’s stressful, I tell you.

Uncategorized

The Super Powers of Green Tea

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1:30 PM, 4:30 PM, 6:30 PM, 9:30 PM. I dig through my bottomless pit of a snack drawer and yank out a small bag filled with super powers. I pull out a mug with a picture of my puppy plastered on its side and fill it to the brim with steaming hot water. When I drop the little bag into the mug, a burst of bright green diffuses throughout. A small drizzle of honey and I’m good to go.