Cornell

Cornell

CHRONICLE

A weekly digest of news from CHRONICLE ONLINE: www.news.cornell.edu OCTOBER 28, 2011





‘Cornell Now’ New humanities building to be gateway to Arts Quad

expands fundraising for“Athe humanities” will soon

magnificent new building



goal to $4.75 billion provideandgateway to the Arts

Quad

a

will recognize the

President David Skorton vitality and importance of the

announced Oct. 21 an expan- humanities at Cornell, President

sion of the fundraising cam- David Skorton announced Oct.

paign launched in 2006, citing 21. It will help promote student

Cornell’s capacity to develop connections with the liberal arts

solutions to the world’s most and the humanities in particu-

pressing challenges as well as a lar and help the College of Arts

redoubled commitment among and Sciences meet the growing

Cornellians to the university’s need for more faculty office and

founding principles in advance classroom space.

of the 2015 sesquicentennial. Groundbreaking is targeted

“To realize our aspirations,” for summer 2013 with a pro-

Skorton said to hundreds of jected opening in 2015.

trustees, University Council Located between Goldwin KOETTER, KIM AND ASSOCIATES/PROVIDED

members, faculty and friends Smith Hall and East Avenue, The humanities building, located on East Avenue behind Goldwin Smith

in Statler Auditorium, “we need the new building will provide Hall, will feature an atrium with a glass roof.

the engagement, guidance, help 33,250 square feet of new space,

and support of every person in including a 330-350 seat audi- Skorton said. Fundraising for the ing will not be visible from the

this room and tens of thousands torium, the largest on the Arts project, he said, is “75 percent of Arts Quad. An external prom-

of loyal Cornellians around the Quad, and many new offices the way there” and “we’re going enade will run its entire length

country and the world.” and programmable areas. A to get all the way there by Jan. 1.” along East Avenue, providing

The campaign, called “Cornell 7,700-square-foot, expansive The project’s lead gift of $25 extensive tree-lined walking

Now,” seeks to raise a total of day-lit atrium will offer an million is from an anonymous and gathering spaces.

$4.75 billion in private support of iconic indoor space for faculty donor; among the project’s other The building is planned to

the Ithaca campus and the medi- and students to gather. Its inno- lead donors are Tom Groos ’78 be LEED Platinum certified.

cal college – $1.4 billion in addi- vative and sustainable design and his family. The architectural design firm is

tional gifts by December 2015. will be a major architectural The primary entrance of the Boston-based Koetter, Kim and

Endorsed by the board of trust- addition to the campus. new building will face East Ave- Associates, whose founders are

ees, the campaign goals align The building is expected to nue and will be composed of a both Cornell alumni.

with the university’s strategic cost $61 million, and “we’re doing transparent linear glass wall. — Linda B. Glaser,

plan, which was developed by it completely by philanthropy,” The roofline of the new build- College of Arts and Sciences

Provost Kent Fuchs and deans



CU to submit NYC Tech Campus proposal

across the university. Cornell

will seek the resources needed to

implement key priorities, includ-

ing hiring new faculty, increasing On Oct. 28, Cornell will officially submit its strongly supported our proposal,” said President

faculty diversity and nurturing proposal to build a world-class technology cam- David Skorton. “I am also grateful to our faculty,

current professors; creating grad- pus in New York City. In partnership with The staff and students, who have been equally sup-

uate fellowships and scholarships Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, the portive. This is just one more reason why Cornell

for professional school students; campus promises to spur economic development, is the logical choice for this honor. Educational

and increasing funds available job creation and high-tech entrepreneurship in leadership and outreach in support of the people

for undergraduate scholarships. the heart of the city. of New York are essential to Cornell.”

All of Cornell’s colleges, In the months since Cornell’s bid for the cam- Late last year Mayor Michael Bloomberg

schools and units have set tar- pus went public, the plan has seen a groundswell invited institutions around the world to apply for

get goals in this second phase of support from alumni and countless others in the right to build the campus, in exchange for a

of the campaign. In addition, the form of websites, blogs and online petitions. land grant and about $100 million in infrastruc-

funds raised will be used to bol- “I am enormously grateful to our board of trust- ture improvements. He is expected to announce a

ster public engagement. ees and to the thousands of alumni and friends, winner by the end of 2011.

— Diane Lebo Wallace both in New York and elsewhere, who have so — Anne Ju

2 October 28, 2011 Cornell Chronicle CHRONICLE ONLINE: www.news.cornell.edu





Cornellians Skorton: ‘Cornell is poised Big Red

in the news to flourish and lead’ Athletics

Four years before its sesqui- new professors during the year

Staying power centennial, “high on a hill with through its faculty renewal

Field Hockey

“If the pumpkin was healthy our feet on the ground,” Cornell initiative, 18 of them in the Senior goalie Alex Botte made

when picked and diseases University is poised to expand humanities. six saves to tie the school record

were controlled in the field, its reach, enhance its academic The university remains com- for career wins (19), as the Big

the pumpkin can last 8 to 12 prowess and extend its leader- mitted to providing access to Red field hockey team took down

weeks.” Stephen Reiners, ship, President David Skorton a Cornell education for all stu- Brown, 4-2, Oct. 22 on Marsha

associate professor of hor- said in his State of the Univer- dents regardless of financial Dodson Field. Botte will have two

ticultural sciences, on how

sity Address Oct. 21. need, he said. “Cornell is the more tries in her career to pick

long a pumpkin lasts. He adds

“My message to you today original ‘opportunity univer- up a victory and own the record

that a carved jack-o-lantern outright. She currently shares

lasts five to 10 days and the is one of continuity of tradi- sity,’ and we still carry forward

tion and yet of new ideas and our founder’s vision of inclu- the mark with Yanaka Bernal ’91

best storage temperature for and Kaitlin Tierney ’04.

pumpkins ranges between exciting opportunities. Cornell sion,” he said.

50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit. has had another extraordinary Cornell is widely respected

NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO, year and is poised to flourish as an international powerhouse Men’s Soccer

OCT. 24 and lead as never before,” Skor- of learning, and now has stu-

For the first time in 10 years,

ton said. dents and scholars from more

Without permission the men’s soccer team found

Members of the Cornell Board than 120 countries. But global itself ranked in the top 25 of the

“The academics will debate of Trustees and Cornell Univer- scholarship and engagement is National Soccer Coaches Asso-

this, but this will just further sity Council filled Alice Statler changing, and Cornell must –

erode the War Powers Act. ciation of America (NSCAA)

Auditorium for the address, the and will – change with it or risk poll, jumping into the rankings

Congress had little leverage on highlight of the 2011 joint meet- being left behind, he said.

what the president did.” Sarah Oct. 18. Cornell, at 8-1-4 on the

ing of the board and council. Public engagement is also year and in first place in the Ivy

Kreps, assistant professor of And to great applause, Skorton key to the character of the uni-

government, on the Obama League with a 3-0 mark, has not

announced a new goal for the versity, Skorton said, observing been in the NSCAA’s poll since

administration’s success inter-

expanded campaign. that Cornell Cooperative Exten- the end of the 2001 season.

vening in Libya. The president

never sought Congressional Cornell is “… taking the time sion is celebrating its 100th

authorization to deploy mili- to think deeply, clearly and cre- anniversary. Noting Cornell’s Men’s Ice Hockey

tary force 60 days after the atively about who we are and mission as the land-grant uni-

deployment, as required by the what we can become,” he said. versity to the world, he said The men’s hockey team has

act. ABC NEWS, OCT. 21 Defining the university as “first that Cornell is about to submit announced that former Union

and foremost a community of a proposal, with The Technion College and professional goalie

Don’t dig in scholars,” he said that Cornell – Israel Institute of Technol- Kris Mayotte has joined the team

“The more mushrooms that is also an institution commit- ogy as a partner, in a competi- as a volunteer assistant coach.

are out there, the more prob- ted to enhancing its racial and tion to build an applied science Mayotte was a full-time goalie

lems we’ll have.” Kathie economic diversity, global reach and technology campus in New coach last season in Maryland,

Hodge, associate professor and public engagement. York City. having spent the previous seven

of plant pathology and plant- years of his playing career as a

The faculty, he noted, earned He went on to announce an

microbe biology, on an upturn part-time instructor. Some of his

more places in distinguished expanded campaign goal of

in poisonings from peo- clients are familiar faces around

national academies and societ- $4.75 billion, up from $4 billion, the NCAA, including current play-

ple eating wild mushrooms,

ies than in any other year since to be raised by 2015. To enthusi- ers Michael Clemente (Brown)

which are flourishing from

his arrival at Cornell in 2006. astic applause, he said, “I want and Dan Sullivan (Maine), and

heavy rains. There were 63

reported mushroom poison- To replenish this community to be the first to tell you, we’re commits Jay Williams (Miami,

ings in September in Maine, of scholars as faculty members going to blow past that goal.” Ohio) and Nick Ellis (Providence).

Vermont and New Hampshire retire, the university hired 63 — Susan Kelley

this year. REUTERS, OCT. 21 Rowing

Crazy talk

“Previous work has looked Cornell Vol. 43 No. 11 The Big Red rowing programs

traveled to Boston Oct. 23 to

at how psychopaths use lan-

guage. Our paper is the first

CHRONICLE participate in the 47th Head

of the Charles and came away

to show that you can use auto- Thomas W. Bruce, Vice President, University Communications with two top-10 finishes. In the

mated tools to detect the Karen Walters, Director, Cornell Chronicle Women’s Championship Eight

distinct speech patterns of Susan S. Lang ’72, Managing Editor race, the Big Red placed sev-

psychopaths.” Jeff Hancock, Bonnie Sellers, Chronicle Online Editor Click on stories to read enth with a time of 16:39.80,

associate professor of com- Robin Zifchock, Graphic Designer while Cornell took eighth in

Agnes K. Binger, Circulation Manager

the full versions online.

munication, on his study of the Men’s Championship Eight,

the way psychopaths who Writers: Daniel Aloi, Nancy Doolittle, Anne Ju ’01, crossing the line in 14:41.05.

have committed murder talk Susan Kelley, Susan S. Lang ’72, George Lowery,

Krishna Ramanujan, Bill Steele ’54 and Joe Wilensky

about their crimes. Their Schedule

Address: 312 College Ave., Ithaca, NY 14850

words “reflect selfishness,

Tel: 607-255-4206 Fax: 607-255-5373

detachment from their crimes Email: cunews@cornell.edu Copies available from Check scores and learn more

and emotional flatness.” THE Cornell Digital Print Services: www.cbsds.cornell.edu about upcoming sports events

TORONTO SUN, OCT. 15 at www.cornellbigred.com.

CHRONICLE ONLINE: www.news.cornell.edu October 28, 2011 Cornell Chronicle 3





Former provost: Humanities have unique role for the future

Cornell’s unique combination President David Skorton’s State at Cornell, at other universities as part of the gross domestic

of strengths in the humanities of the University Address and and in “the life of the nation.” product.

alongside its strengths in the sci- just before Skorton announced “Both love and the humani- “Study of poetry is, in fact,

ences gives it unique challenges, that a new humanities building ties are their own reward,” cheaper than study of molecu-

said former Cornell Provost Don will be built on East Avenue, Randel said. “And they have lar biology,” he said. “But the

Randel Oct. 21 in Statler Audito- with groundbreaking targeted been central to what makes university must make clear in

rium during the Trustee Council for 2013. life worth living for as long its physical environment as

Annual Meeting. Randel served 32 years on as human beings have left well as in its intellectual claims

Randel, also a former dean Cornell’s faculty, and as pro- any record of what they care that certain things matter with

of the College of Arts and vost from 1995 to 2000. He about.” The study of the arts respect to its values, whether or

Sciences, is president of the set the stage for the building and humanities doesn’t often not those values appear to be

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. announcement by stressing the bring in big grants, he said, shared by the marketplace.”

He spoke immediately after value of the arts and humanities and cannot easily be quantified — Joe Wilensky







NYC Tech Campus drives for a ‘net-zero energy’ sustainable core

Oriented toward the arc of the sun, Cor- buildings and reduced energy use – it’s a Beyond the LEED Platinum core aca-

nell’s proposed New York City Tech Cam- living laboratory that brilliantly anticipates demic building, the remainder of the

pus on Roosevelt Island will capture a large, and integrates forward-thinking design and 10-acre campus – which is being planned

daily dose of solar power and will use the building technologies,” says Kent Klein- to include residences for faculty, staff and

Earth’s generous internal, thermal power as man, the Gale and Ira Drukier Dean of the graduate students, public atria and corpo-

an additional energy source. The main edu- College of Architecture, Art and Planning. rate space – is designed to achieve LEED

cation building, a home for the Cornell and The campus’s planned solar array will Silver or higher certification. It will exceed

Technion - Israel Institute of Technology generate 1.8 megawatts at daily peak – the energy performance of similar baseline

partnership, is being planned to harvest as the largest such array in New York City. buildings by at least 30 percent – a goal rou-

much energy from the campus site as it con- A four-acre geothermal well field – com- tinely exceeded on the Ithaca campus. In

sumes: In the parlance of energy experts, it posed of deep-earth wells – exceeds any addition, the Roosevelt Island campus plan

will be “net-zero energy.” current geothermal heating system in New includes elements to treat storm water and

If built today, the campus’s proposed York City. to create community gardens.

150,000-square-foot core academic building Physically speaking, the main academic To help build a comprehensive energy

would be the largest net-zero energy build- building will have a high-performance solution, Cornell partnered with Distrib-

ing in the eastern United States and among envelope; will harvest daylight to minimize uted Sun of Washington, D.C. Jeff Weiss,

the top four largest such buildings in the the use of artificial light; and will employ managing director of Distributed Sun and

nation. demand-controlled ventilation. And it will a Cornell alumnus, is one of the founders

“This proposed campus goes beyond be built with the use of recycled material. of the solar energy development company.







Auctions, other events raise Student team perfects ‘cell-free’

$13,000 to help staff in need way to produce biomolecules

The Emergency Cornellians the fund, totaling about $6,000, Creating a molecular chip known as “biobricks,” the Cor-

Aiding and Responding to continue to come in online and capable of synthesizing bio- nell “biofactory” successfully

Employees (CARE) Fund sur- through payroll deduction. pharmaceutical drugs and even created wafer-sized microflu-

passed its $10,000 goal from So far, 47 employees who suf- jet fuels at markedly lower cost, idic devices that use enzymes

recent fundraising events. The fered losses as a result of the Cornell’s International Geneti- rather than cells to synthesize

money will help replenish the floods caused by Hurricane cally Engineered Machines chemicals that are in demand

fund and assist faculty and Irene and Tropical Storm Lee (iGEM) team won a gold medal by industry.

staff members with emergency- have been helped by the fund. at a recent competition. Splitting E. coli bacteria by a

related or sudden financial Buckets and cleaning supplies At the iGEM Americas com- light-induced lysis process to

hardships. are also being collected in cam- petition in Indianapolis Oct. extract these enzymes, the team

Two auctions – one online pus buildings to aid flood vic- 8-10, the Cornell iGEM team, attached them to a biofluidic

and one live – raised more than tims; the CARE Fund website, composed of undergraduates, pathway through which inactive

$5,000 each. A 50/50 ticket sale at www.hr.cornell.edu/life/sup was one of 20 to win the top compounds flow to be converted

and pizza lunch brought in port/care_fund.html, lists items prize. They will now advance into substances of use to industry.

another $260, while the Oct. needed. to the iGEM synthetic biology The 13-member team has stu-

15 men’s and women’s hockey According to Beth McKinney, world competition at the Mas- dents with majors ranging from

games raised $1,846. Emergency CARE Fund commit- sachusetts Institute of Technol- biological engineering to materi-

The live auction was attended tee member and director of the ogy in early November. als science. They are now working

by more than 125 members of Cornell Wellness Program, many Pushing the boundaries of to reduce the cost of manufactur-

the Cornell community, with employees who experienced synthetic biology, the engineer- ing the device in preparation for

nearly 80 bidders. Winning bids other emergencies this past year ing process of creating complex the world competition.

ranged from $8 to $500. also received fund support. biomechanical systems from — Shashwat Samudra ’14,

Other direct donations to — Nancy Doolittle a composite of genetic parts writer-intern

4 October 28, 2011 Cornell Chronicle CHRONICLE ONLINE: www.news.cornell.edu





Library digitization projects span millennia; This Week

in Cornell

art, literature, audio treasures to be preserved History

Cornell University Library and the College • Karen Pinkus, professor of Italian and Week of Oct. 28-Nov. 4

of Arts and Sciences have awarded six new comparative literature: to create the Divine

Oct. 31, 1900 Cornell hires one of the best

grants to create new digital content of endur- Comedy Image Archive of the chief epic

boat builders in the country to outfit the

ing value. Treasures ranging from Bronx-born poem in Italian literature.

“Cornell Navy” (rowing team). John Hoyle

hip-hop posters to ancient Greek and Roman • Steve Pond, associate professor of music:

was poised to contribute to “a consider-

coins will hit the Web in the near future as part to digitize flyers and preserve original

able and encouraging advance along all the

of the Grants Program for Digital Collections. recordings from Cornell’s hip-hop collection.

lines connected with the sport of rowing,”

The 2011 projects and faculty leads include: The program was developed by the Arts

the Cornell Alumni News reported. Hoyle

• Annetta Alexandridis, assistant profes- and Sciences Visual Resources Advisory

made rowing shells, with advice from coach

sor of art history: to make 1,500 images of Group, co-chaired by Sturt Manning, pro-

Charles Courtney, in a small shop at the

Greek and Roman coins available online, fessor of classics, and Oya Rieger, associate

Cayuga Inlet boathouse. Hoyle later took on

along with detailed descriptions that will university librarian for digital scholarship

the coaching duties when Courtney fell ill.

enable the integration of these coins in services. The group oversees the grants

teaching and learning. program and determines arts and sciences Oct. 30, 1964 Cornellians vote for the “Ugli-

• David Bathrick, the Jacob Gould Schur- faculty needs for a usable and sustainable est Man” in the freshman class as part of a

man Professor of Theater, Film and Dance visual resources digitization service. fundraiser for Campus Chest, a United Way

and professor emeritus of German studies: to This is the second round of annual grants; predecessor. Each dorm’s residents selected

expand the existing Müller-Kluge online col- 2010 awards included digitization of Nepali a representative to compete. Votes were cast

lection. The website will feature interviews texts and Cornell’s extensive plaster cast by dropping pennies into jars with photos

between German filmmaker and author collection, among other projects. of the candidates. The winner presided

Alexander Kluge and other notable German “These grants are a way of unlocking our over a Willard Straight Ugly Man Dance

authors, philosophers and playwrights. resources – some of which are so valuable and, according to The Cornell Daily Sun,

• Katsuya Hirano, assistant professor of and fragile that they can’t even be handled “pumpkin in hand, he will solemnly reign

history: to digitize 17th-century Japanese physically,” Rieger said. “Because they’re over Halloween weekend.”

woodblock printed books. The books repre- online, these materials can now be used Nov. 1, 1989 Remote access to library catalogs

sent Japan’s initial attempts to understand not only within the Cornell community, but becomes available online for the first time.

the West and modernize itself. by scholars all over the world in support of Faculty, students and staff with home or office

• Tim Murray, director of the Society for teaching and research.” computers had access to half of Cornell’s total

the Humanities and professor of compara- For information on the 2012 grants pro- holdings acquired since 1973 – 1.7 million

tive literature and English: to digitize and gram, contact dcaps@cornell.edu. Propos- titles. Four libraries (Mann, ILR, Hotel School

preserve the Experimental Television Cen- als are due in March 2012; awards will be and Mathematics) even provided information

ter video collection. announced in May. as to whether a book could be found on the

shelf or if it was out on loan.





Professor Robert Hockett’s economic CU in the City

reform proposal ‘touches a nerve’ Thom Mayne lecture

In the week following the release of “The For the authors, the solution is clear: Los Angeles-based architect Thom Mayne

Way Forward,” a sweeping reassessment of Instead of arguing over the best way to will speak Nov. 2, 6:30-8 p.m. at AAP NYC

the global economic crisis commissioned by reduce the deficit, the United States must Center, 50 W. 17th St.

the New America Foundation and released over the next several years massively Mayne’s firm, Morphosis, maintains an

Oct. 10, Robert C. Hockett, co-author of the increase government spending on infra- office in New York City and site offices in

report and a Cornell professor of law, has structure, restructure mortgage debt and Paris and Shanghai. In 2010 the firm was

witnessed an outpouring of media responses. rebalance relationships between debtor and selected to design Cornell’s Gates Hall.

Recent award-winning projects include

Reuters praised the paper as “bold and ambi- creditor nations before the nation sinks into

the San Francisco Federal Building; the

tious” and The New York Times called its a double-dip recession that lasts for decades.

Wayne L. Morse United States Courthouse

recommendations “far more ambitious than “The reaction has been exceedingly

in Eugene, Ore.; and the University of Cin-

anything being talked about in Washington.” encouraging, even astonishing,” said

cinnati Student Recreation Center.

The central premise of the paper, which is Hockett, who co-authored the article with

available free online, is that the root causes of Daniel Alpert, managing partner of West- Bob Frank on economy

the current slump, the deepest since the Great wood Capital, and Nuriel Roubini, profes- Cornell Wall Street presents Cornell

Depression, go far beyond the bursting of the sor of economics at New York University. economist Robert H. Frank on “The Dar-

debt bubble in 2008, which is as much symp- “Already, there are plans afoot for us to dine win Economy: Liberty, Competition and

tom as cause. This is more than just an ordi- with members of Congress, and meetings the Common Good,” Nov. 2, 6-9 p.m., at the

nary cyclical downturn, and even more than are being organized with policy analysts, Cornell Club, 6 E. 44th St.

an ordinary debt deflation – it’s the result of policymakers and investment bankers. Among Frank’s discussion topics: Who

fundamental changes in the global economy, It’s touched a nerve, and I suspect that’s was the greater economist – Adam Smith or

including the growth of massive private-sec- because we’re not the only ones who have Charles Darwin? How can we help get the

tor debt in the developed world, itself stem- experienced frustration at the seeming economy back on its feet?

ming from the addition of more than 2 billion irrelevance, the uselessness, of all the mea- Cost: $50 includes signed copy of Frank’s

workers to the global labor force without com- sures attempted thus far.” book, reception, full bar, networking and

pensating increases in demand. — Kenneth Berkowitz, freelance writer presentation. $35 without the book.

CHRONICLE ONLINE: www.news.cornell.edu October 28, 2011 Cornell Chronicle 5







FOCUS ON connections

The Net is as scary as Halloween;

spotlight: EVENTS CALENDAR CIT security eBook helps you cope

T

The law of unintended consequences always applies. But

so does “Ask and it shall be given.” ime to think about vam- visit that website that promised

Last fall the university adopted a new online events cal- pires and zombies. No, those famous pictures of Scarlett

endar system with many improvements: Images to go with not the short ones going Johansson?

events, a geolocation system to display maps of event loca- door to door. The ones in your Crooks can steal your NetID

tions, RSS feeds and integration with Facebook, iCal, Out- computer: The vampires that will and password and use them to

look and Google Calendar. suck out your passwords and send spam from Cornell servers.

But the calendar “helpfully” arranged a day’s events in credit card numbers; the virus That has happened a lot lately; it

order of supposed importance, based on public interest. that will turn your computer costs the university big bucks for

Not the kind of help all users wanted, and they said so. So into a zombie, roaming the Net to bandwidth, wastes the time of CIT

University Communications, which manages the calendar, infect others. Maybe that’s why workers and causes Cornell email

worked with the vendor, Localist, on changes to the soft- October is National Cybersecu- to be rejected by other mail sys-

ware. The front page of the calendar still displays what it rity Awareness Month. tems. Do you use the same pass-

calls “Trending Events,” but the listings for any single day It is not hard to avoid these word for everything? They only

are in the order they happen, as nature intended. To get problems, but it helps to know have to steal it once. If all that isn’t

there quickly, click on “All Events” or just go to www.cor- the tricks – the digital equiva- enough to convince you, the book

nell.edu/events/today.cfm. lents of crosses, stakes and gar- includes several pages of news

lic. All that and more can be stories – including some from the

found in the eBook “Computer Cornell Chronicle – about recent

Security at Cornell” from Cor- security breaches and the troubles

Computer donations boost tech nell Information Technologies

(CIT). The revised edition out

they have caused.

Randy Newman was right:



education in Tioga County schools this month describes the new-

est hazards and has expanded

It’s a jungle out there.

The eBook offers simple pre-

Technology education at the Cornell Library and CIT information on protecting cautions that don’t require tech-

Tioga Central High School will computer labs. Typically, he mobile devices. CIT has sent a nical expertise, like unchecking

get a boost from a donation of said, labs are updated with mass email announcement to Safari’s “Open safe files after

40 computers from Cornell. the newest models about the Cornell community urging downloading” preference. And

The donation, managed by every three years, and the old everyone to download and read did you know the color of your

the Cornell Computer Reuse computers are recycled. Hei- the book at www.cit.cornell.edu/ address bar can show how safe a

Association (CCRA), also man launched CCRA when security. Departments can order website is? Reading the book will

included three laser printers. he realized that what Cornell printed copies for their staff; make you a bit more of a technical

“In these difficult times, we considers obsolete might be of email digital@cornell.edu. expert, with definitions of com-

continue to look for opportuni- tremendous value elsewhere. Why should you worry about mon security terms, a primer on

ties to improve our educational “These are three or four computer security? You’ve how Web addresses work and

program while being mind- years old, but they are as new installed Cornell’s free antivi- descriptions of the latest methods

ful of the available resources,” as my newest machines,” said rus software. You don’t have scammers are using. There is a

said Scot Taylor, Tioga Central Bill Canner, Tioga’s network proprietary university data on very useful section on how to cre-

School District superintendent, specialist. “I can make them your computer, like employee ate a strong password, and why

in a letter of thanks to Cor- last another six or seven years, social security numbers or stu- you should. Most of this applies

nell President David Skorton. and they replace some we dent health care records, and to computer use at work and at

“CCRA has provided us with have that are really ancient.” you’re smart enough not to keep home, but there’s a special section

that opportunity.” He estimated the value of your own credit card numbers on security at home, with instruc-

CCRA is a student organi- Cornell’s donation at about there. Security isn’t that simple tions on securing your home wire-

zation that distributes used $20,000. Most of the donated any more. It’s not just university less network and encrypting your

computers to schools and non- computers will be used in a data you have to protect. Your exchanges with Cornell services.

profits. Since it was launched technology lab at the high own identity is at stake. There are also tips on how to

in 2005, it has sent about school to teach computer- Did you log in to Amazon know when your information has

1,300 computers to Zambia, aided design. Having the new to buy something while con- been stolen. And if you do happen

Jamaica, Nicaragua, South lab will free up existing labs nected to the WiFi at Colleg- to be a person who deals with sen-

Africa, Mali, Togo, Kenya, for other student users, Can- etown Bagels? That guy at the sitive data, there’s a review of your

Liberia, Brooklyn, N.Y., and ner added. other side of the room might now responsibilities and best practices.

the Greater Ithaca Activities “I was very grateful to Al. have your Amazon credentials. If all else fails (because you

Center. He had just the right glove to Did you reply to that message were too busy to read the book?),

According to Alan Hei- fit my hand,” Canner said. from your bank about problems there are step-by-step instruc-

man, Cornell Information CCRA is happy to accept with your account – the one that tions on how to fix problems and

Technologies (CIT) student donated computers as well as asked you to type in your account where to go for help.

employment supervisor and financial support for refur- number and password? Did you — Bill Steele

adviser to CCRA, most of bishing and shipping costs. Go

the computers come from to rso.cornell.edu/ccra. Edited by Bill Steele WS21@cornell.edu

6 October 28, 2011 Cornell Chronicle CHRONICLE ONLINE: www.news.cornell.edu





Energy Recovery Linac researchers Notables

report two scientific breakthroughs Berggren wins national award

Cornell scientists have surpassed two are tightly packed and traveling at nearly the Senior lecturer Kathy Berggren has won

major scientific milestones toward proving speed of light. Emittance is a measure of how a national award in curriculum design for

the technology of a novel, exceedingly pow- tightly packed the electron beams are. her class Oral Communication. The Clar-

erful X-ray source. This small emittance, say the scientists, ion Award, given by the Association for

For more than a decade, Cornell scientists proves that the ERL could produce X-ray Women in Communications, honors excel-

have been conducting research and devel- beams focused down to exceedingly small lence in more than 100 categories across all

opment for an Energy Recovery Linac (ERL) volumes, allowing investigation of materials communications disciplines.

electron accelerator that would produce with unprecedented precision and speed. The course is organized in three modules:

X-ray beams 1,000 times brighter than any In another breakthrough for the ERL proj- information competency, audience and per-

in existence. ect, the scientists have built and tested a suasion. Students develop self-confidence

The university ultimately hopes to use prototype seven-cell superconducting radio and competence in researching, organizing

ERL technology to upgrade the Cornell frequency (SRF) cavity. SRF cavities are and presenting material to audiences, as well

High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS), needed to accelerate the electrons from the as offering constructive feedback to other stu-

one of five U.S. national facilities for X-ray injector to very high energies to produce the dents. The class members also collaborate on

synchrotron radiation research. X-rays. The SRF cavities are operated at -456 group projects. The audience-analysis portion

The National Science Foundation provided F (-271 C), just 2 degrees above absolute zero. of the course includes exercises that challenge

$50 million for 2006-14 to build instrumenta- The Cornell researchers’ SRF cavity has the assumptions of the students, enabling

tion for prototyping and testing ERL concepts met the first performance specifications them to effectively analyze and craft presen-

proposed by the Cornell team of faculty, stu- necessary to continuously power a high tations to various audiences. The course is

dents and collaborators. Specifically, the pro- intensity ERL. It has been tested in a ver- important as it allows students to organize

gram goals are to prove that electron beams tical cryostat at the required temperature thinking, streamline communication struc-

of unmatched quality could be created and and electric field gradients – a significant ture, and think, write and speak more criti-

accelerated to continuously produce X-ray milestone because it proves the cavities can cally and thoughtfully, Berggren notes.

beams with the laserlike property of coher- perform at high power while within the sci-

Tarrow receives Mellon fellowship

ence. No such X-ray source presently exists. entific and cost parameters of the project.

Sidney Tarrow, the Maxwell M. Upson

Cornell’s ERL team is now reporting that The team must now demonstrate the effi-

Professor Emeritus of Government, has

its prototype electron injector is produc- cacy of the cavities in horizontal tests. received a Mellon Emeritus Fellowship in

ing beams with a so-called emittance of 0.8 “These developments go a long way the Humanities and Humanistic Social Sci-

micrometers – the smallest ever recorded toward proving that an ERL X-ray source ences of $32,400 from the Andrew W. Mel-

from an electron source of this type. The will work as predicted by simulations and lon Foundation to explore when and how

injector is the key component needed to make theory,” said Sol Gruner, director of CHESS. rights are protected or abused under condi-

an ERL work by creating electron beams that — Anne Ju tions of modern warfare.

According to Tarrow, controversy exists

over whether the building of modern states,

Study: Almost all vertebrates descended nourished by war, helped to produce mod-

ern rights or whether modern warfare pro-

from common ancestor with ‘sixth sense’ duces conditions that militate against civil

rights and civil liberties.

Although humans experience the world Some land vertebrates, including such “I will make the argument that only when

through five senses, sharks, paddlefishes and salamanders as the Mexican axolotl, have ‘contentious political actors’ are prepared to

certain other aquatic vertebrates have another electroreception and offered a well-studied defend or advance rights in an atmosphere

sense: They can detect weak electrical fields in model for early development of this sensory of uncertainty and securitization are rights

the water and use this information to detect system. Some ray-finned fishes – including protected,” Tarrow said.

prey, communicate and orient themselves. paddlefishes and sturgeons – have also Tarrow will concentrate his study on the

A study in the Oct. 11 issue of Nature retained electroreceptors in the skin of the French Revolution, the American Civil War

Communications finds that the vast major- head. With up to 70,000 electroreceptors in and Reconstruction, the Kemalist Republic

ity of vertebrates – some 30,000 species of its paddle-shaped snout, the North Ameri- and the establishment of the State of Israel.

land animals (including humans) and a can paddlefish has the most extensive

roughly equal number of ray-finned fishes – electrosensory array of any living animal,

descended from a common ancestor that had Bemis said.

Obituary

a well-developed electroreceptive system. Until now, it was unclear whether these

This ancestor was probably a predatory organs in different groups were evolution- Biomedical engineering graduate stu-

marine fish with good eyesight, jaws and arily and developmentally the same. dent Robert Ifeanyi Mozia, 24, died Oct.

teeth that lived about 500 million years ago. Using the Mexican axolotl as a model to 22 in Ithaca of natural causes. The funeral

Hundreds of millions of years ago, there represent the evolutionary lineage leading for Mozia will be Saturday, Oct. 29, in New

was a major split in the evolutionary tree to land animals, and paddlefish as a model Milford, N.J. A viewing will be held from

of vertebrates. One lineage led to the ray- for the branch leading to ray-finned fishes, 9:30 to 11:45 a.m., and Mass is set for noon at

finned fishes, or actinopterygians, and the the researchers found that electrosensors Ascension Parish, 256 Azalea Dr., New Mil-

other to lobe-finned fishes, or sarcopteryg- develop in precisely the same pattern from ford, NJ 07692. Following Mass, there will

ians; the latter gave rise to land vertebrates, the same embryonic tissue in the develop- be a drive in caravan to Maple Grove Ceme-

explained Willy Bemis, Cornell professor ing skin, confirming that this is an ancient tery, 535 Hudson St., South Hackensack, NJ

of ecology and evolutionary biology and a sensory system. 07692, for burial, and a reception will follow

senior author of the paper. — Krishna Ramanujan at Ascension Parish.

CHRONICLE ONLINE: www.news.cornell.edu October 28, 2011 Cornell Chronicle 7









>>The essen

Astronomer Steve Squyres

becomes NASA aquanaut



tials>people Squyres, the lead scientist for The 400-square-foot lab, about

NASA’s Rover missions to Mars, the size of a school bus, sits on the

>>details>>data has taken the plunge as a NASA ocean floor at a depth of about 62

>>happenings aquanaut. feet. The crew included Squyres,

Squyres is one of six aquanauts four members of NASA and two

who splashed down Oct. 20 for a staff members of the National



>Essentially NYC 13-day undersea training mission

off Key Largo as part of the 15th

Undersea Research Center.

They had planned to live in the

mission of the NASA Extreme Aquarius Undersea Laboratory

When seniors suffer Environment Mission Opera- Base to test techniques, opera-

Two years ago, Cornell helped establish an evidence-based center in New tions program. Their plans were tional methods, tools and com-

York City called the Translational Research Institute for Pain in Later Life to perform “spacewalks” and munications protocols recently

(TRIPLL) to help older adults prevent and manage their pain. The center other exercises to simulate an developed for human explora-

has launched a blog to share research-based information to help those asteroid mission. However, the tion of near-Earth asteroids.

dealing with chronic pain that covers the latest pain research and shares mission terminated early Oct. 25 — Susan Lang

stories of people living and coping with chronic pain (trippl.org).

“Poorly treated pain has profound consequences for older adults,” said

Weill Cornell Medical Center geriatrician and TRIPLL Director Dr. M. Cary A.D. White Professors-at-Large

Reid. He estimates that as many as 40 percent of seniors living indepen-

dently in the U.S. suffer from chronic pain. nominations are due Nov. 15

“Unfortunately, older adults and their doctors often dismiss chronic pain Faculty members, academic cations and achievements,

as part of aging, causing it to be neglected,” he said. “We want to raise departments and groups of along with a copy of the

this overlooked issue and improve how we treat pain in older adults.” departments are invited to nominee’s curriculum vitae,

submit nominations for the should be emailed to adwhite

>Shelf Life Andrew D. White Professors-at-

Large program through Nov. 15.

pal@cornell.edu or delivered to

the program office at 114B Day

A.D. White Professors-at-Large Hall. The letter should indicate

Play ball are outstanding individuals the faculty, departments or pro-

A piece of Cornell’s baseball history recently returned home, thanks to of international distinction, grams that agree to support the

the daughter of a first baseman who captained the varsity team nearly a appointed to six-year terms as nomination. A faculty commit-

century ago. nonresident visiting professors tee will invite successful spon-

The uniform that once belonged to Leslie Clute, Class of 1913, now at Cornell. sors to submit a full proposal.

resides in the library’s Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections. A pre-proposal letter not- For more information, visit

ing the nominee’s qualifi- adwhiteprofessors.cornell.edu.

The donation included a complete outfit: scratchy wool shirt and pants,

cleats, mitt, belt and cap.

Clute captained the varsity team during his junior and senior years.

News from the Assemblies

>Course Work Update for the week of Oct. 24

The law online The following are brief with President David Skorton.

reports from the Student • SA: Oct. 27. Ongoing byline

Cornell Law School’s Journal of Law and Public Policy has launched the Assembly (SA), Graduate and funding discussions.

school’s first student-run blog on cutting-edge topics in law and public Professional Student Assembly

policy. Recent posts tackled Troy Davis, the Tea Party and the limits of (GPSA), Employee Assembly Upcoming meetings:

conscientious objection. Feedback is welcome. (EA) and University Assembly • GPSA: Oct. 31, 5:30 p.m.,

(UA). Bache Auditorium, Malott Hall.

>Flora & Fauna Recent meetings:

Presentation of the 2012-14 grad-

uate and professional student

• EA: Oct. 19. Discussed activity fee recommendation by

Virtual birds upcoming staff survey, the the Appropriations Committee.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has co-produced My Bird World, a collection upcoming increases of staff • EA: Nov. 2, 12:15 p.m., 316

of four interactive bird games for the Apple iPad that teach children about health care benefit costs, ways Day Hall. Resolution to create

24 species of North American birds. It’s available on iTunes for $4.99. to recognize staff for their new vice chair for communica-

hard work, and administrative tions position.

>Be Essential streamlining with Vice Presi-

dent Mary Opperman. Received

• SA: Nov. 3, 4:45 p.m., Wil-

lard Straight Hall, Memorial

Have a tip to share on something essential, interesting, hidden, strange a presentation regarding means Room. Ongoing byline funding

or otherwise worth knowing about at Cornell? Send it to cunews@cornell. restriction initiative. discussions.

edu and include “Essential” in the subject line. • UA: Oct. 25. Discussed trans- • UA: Nov. 15, 4:30 p.m., 316

parency in shared governance Day Hall.

8

8 October 28, 2011 Cornell Chronicle CHRONICLE ONLINE: www.news.cornell.edu









THINGS

TO DO

Oct. 28-Nov. 4, 2011 Students examine a new exhibit in Mann Library. See No. 3.

PROVIDED









1. 7.

butterflies use to attract mates, the effects of

invasive insects on forests and of a healthy

Healthy food systems Avant-garde icon

native bee population on food crops – all at the

The Department of Food Science and the Cellist Kristen Miller will accompany a pro-

eighth annual Insectapalooza, Oct. 29, 9 a.m. to

Division of Nutritional Sciences will host a gram of work by pioneering avant-garde

3 p.m. at Comstock Hall. Admission is $1.

free symposium, “Harmonizing Food Sys- filmmaker Maya Deren, Nov. 1 at 7:15 p.m.

tems With Human Health Through Indus- Featuring hundreds of live spiders, insects in Willard Straight Theatre.

try-University Partnerships,” Oct. 28 at 2:30 and other arthropods, the family-friendly

event is an interactive, hands-on experience “Maya Deren Live!” features Miller’s original

p.m. in 146 Morrison Hall, with a reception

hosted by Cornell’s Department of Entomol- scores for three of Deren’s short films: “Meshes

to follow at 4:30 p.m.

ogy. This year’s theme is “The Good, The of the Afternoon” (1943-59), “At Land” (1944)

The symposium addresses gaps in knowledge and “Ritual in Transfigured Time” (1945-46).

Bad, and the Bugly.”

that need to be bridged to establish food sys-

Information: www.entomology.cornell.edu/ Miller plays an antique cello that she connects

tems promoting health and well-being. The

cals/entomology/news/insectapalooza.cfm. to a live digital recorder to produce layers of

event features a panel discussion and keynote

lush music in a style that Billboard writer



5.

talks by Harvard University professor Frank

Bobby Borg calls “romantically, hauntingly,

Hu and Dondeena Bradley, PepsiCo vice pres-

Music for the museum charmingly brilliant.” Miller will play pre-

ident of global design and development.

Cornell faculty performers and Sqwonk, a ludes to each film and will answer questions



2. Lost in Space?

Norman R. Augustine, retired chairman and

bass clarinet duo from San Francisco, will

premiere eight works by Cornell compos-

ers, reflecting specific artworks and spaces

from the audience following the program.

Tickets are $9, $7 for students and senior citi-

zens. Advance tickets are available at the box

CEO of Lockheed Martin Corp., will dis- throughout the Herbert F. Johnson Museum office and the Willard Straight ticket desk.

cuss America’s human spaceflight program of Art, at “Look and Listen,” a musical cel- Next week, the Alloy Orchestra returns to

in a public lecture Oct. 28, “Are We Lost in ebration Oct. 30, 3-6 p.m. Free. Cornell Cinema Nov. 4-5, performing origi-

Space?” at 3:30 p.m. in B17 Upson Hall. The program, produced by the Cornell Con- nal scores for three programs of silent films



3.

temporary Chamber Players, includes H.K. including “Man with a Movie Camera.”

Gruber’s “Frankenstein,” performed by the Information: cinema.cornell.edu.

Chronicles of HumEc



8.

Ithaca College New Music Ensemble and

A new exhibition in the Mann Library lobby,

narrator Scott Tucker; and an Ithaca sound-

“The Chronicles of Human Ecology: Tradi- Art and public space

scape project and group improvisation in

tion, Transformation, Innovation,” celebrates Artist Patrick Killoran, who addresses the

a century of research, outreach and engage- the new wing, 5-6 p.m.

effects of consumerism on conceptions of

ment in the College of Human Ecology. A

reception will be held Oct. 28 at 4:30 p.m. in

102 Mann Library, with remarks by exhibit

6. Spooky organ

Students from the Eastman School of Music

public space, will give a lecture, “Art in the

Public Sphere,” Nov. 3 at 5:15 p.m. at the John-

son Museum. Free and open to the public.

curator Gilad Meron ’12, a design and envi- will perform a holiday program of organ

ronmental analysis major. Free. The exhibi- Much of Killoran’s work explores the inevi-

music at “Halloween Spooktacular,” Oct. 30 table contradictions that arise with the

tion is on display through the fall semester. from 7 to 8:15 p.m. in Sage Chapel. Free and terms “public space” and “public art.” His



4. Insectapalooza

Find out how bugs think, the tricks male

open to the public.

Audience members are encouraged to

come in costume.

projects include “Immergence,” an installa-

tion at Las Cienegas Projects in Los Angeles

in 2009 and at Hyde Park Art Center in 2010.