Reaching into its archives, Cornell University is dusting off the original printing plate of the 1933 bachelor of landscape architecture degree to issue one more diploma. It is for Ruth Shellhorn, 96, whose storied career as a landscape architect encompassed bringing to life Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom. A noted landscape architect, Shellhorn, who attended Cornell in the early 1930s, wasn't available to attend the festivities of this year's Commencement Weekend ceremonies, May 28-29, in Ithaca. Instead, she will receive her diploma on June 4 at a special dinner in the Los Angeles area.
After the widespread flooding in various areas of New York state in April, mold is growing in many homes and could be prompting allergies and asthma-type symptoms and other health problems in otherwise healthy people, say Cornell University housing experts.
A public auction will be held Sunday, June 5, at noon to sell the reference library of the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) for Plant Research. Scholars and other interested parties can obtain an exhaustive collection of approximately 2,000 books printed between the 1800s and the late 1900s. Many of the titles are rare and deal with very specific plant research topics.
With the newest Star Wars movie installment, 'Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,' breaking records at the box office, President Jeffrey S. Lehman turned to the 'dark side' on May 29.
Perfect weather -- temperatures in the 60s, the lightest of breezes and blue skies with postcard-perfect clouds -- graced Cornell University's 137th Commencement May 29, as about 5,600 graduates assembled on the Arts Quad for the academic procession to Schoellkopf Stadium.
Drawing from her life's journey and from ancient Indian scriptures, Uma Saini offered five simple lessons, from developing a positive attitude to living in unity, to the 2005 graduating class in her baccalaureate address before Commencement ceremonies on Sunday morning, May 29.
Mixing traditional graduation sentiments with a smattering of politics, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Wesley Clark got Cornell's Commencement Weekend off to a rousing start with a Senior Convocation address in which he invited the graduates to assume leadership roles in the "community of American citizens" and, incidentally, to lead the country in a different direction than the one it's now pursuing.
Gen. Wesley Clark, a 2004 Democratic Party presidential primary candidate, doesn't rule out a continued political future for himself, reiterating his anthem of being "a strong supporter of a two-party system." The four-star general was speaking at a press conference at Cornell University's three-star Statler Hotel, prior to his May 28 Senior Convocation address.
When the black cloth came down and the dinner crowd at Duffield Hall got its first look at Hunter Rawlings' official presidential portrait, Cornell's 10th president, who stepped down in 2003, was pleased and gracious. But surprised?
The Cornell community continues to be a welcoming place for women and minorities, Robert Harris, vice provost for diversity and faculty development, told the Cornell Board of Trustees on May 27. Other universities may be getting more press for increasing attention on diversity, Harris said, but Cornell's hiring and enrollment statistics show a consistent, positive trend toward attracting and retaining a diverse workforce and student body.
Following the recent deadly outbreak of equine herpes virus at Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, a Cornell University virologist says his preliminary research indicates that vaccines containing weakened live viruses, called modified live vaccines (MLV), appear to be more effective in preventing horse herpes than other more widely used vaccines.
One of the dreams of both science fiction writers and practical robot builders has been realized, at least on a simple level: Cornell University researchers have created a machine that can build copies of itself.
