Stephen J. "Doc" Roberts, who as an undergraduate, led Cornell University's polo team to its first national championship and then, as a veterinarian, coached the university's polo team to eight national championships, died in Bath, N.Y., Jan. 21, 2005, of heart failure. He was 89. Roberts coached the Cornell polo team between 1947 and 1972, and his teams participated in 14 national championships, winning eight in 25 years. (The winning years: 1955, '56, '59, '61, '62, '63 and '66.) He was the captain of the team when he was an undergraduate. (January 27, 2005)
As part of its American debut tour, the Peking University Performing Arts Troupe will present a free performance at Cornell University, Wednesday, Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts' Kiplinger Theatre. General admission will be on a first-come, first-served basis. The troupe, led by Xu Zhihong, president of Peking University, is in the midst of an 11-day tour, with stops at five universities, including Cornell, Columbia and Yale. (January 27, 2005)
Two Cornell University researchers have found a pathway that is critical for the flu virus to enter and infect a cell. The discovery could lead to the development of antiviral medications and vaccines that would target all influenza viruses. The newly discovered pathway occurs after the virus attaches to a cell. The next stage of infection, the Cornell researchers say, involves an unknown co-receptor that allows the virus to infect the cell. (January 26, 2005)
Cornell Hillel's Board of Trustees has announced the creation of the Tanner Prize to be awarded annually to a person, couple or family who has made significant contributions to both Jewish life anywhere in the world and to Cornell, including, but not necessarily limited to, service to Cornell Hillel.
Cornell University's Institute of Food Science will host a symposium, "Functional Foods, Bioactive Compounds and Human Health," May 22 to 24, on the Ithaca campus. The meeting will review the latest scientific information on how certain foods appear to have health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Intended for scientists, nutritionists, health practitioners and members of the media who cover health and nutrition, the conference will focus: the implications of dietary patterns and bioactive compounds, such as natural antioxidants, on chronic disease; whole-grain foods and body weight; the beneficial effects of berries on brain aging; vegetables and prostate cancer risk; the beneficial heart effects of grapes; the health benefits of various kinds of fatty acids; the biofortification of foods; and the evolution of dietary guidelines. (January 25, 2005)
Two Cornell University Web-based, distance-education courses in horticulture -- on organic gardening and on grafting -- will be offered in coming months. The registration deadline is tomorrow, Jan. 25, for the eight-week organic gardening course, which runs from Feb. 1 to March 31 and costs $200. The course is for gardeners who have at least some gardening experience. It will cover fertility, pest control, cultural methods, tools, and include a variety of suggested hands-on activities. The course uses organic-gardening principles to explore vegetables, flowers, lawn care and perennial plants. (January 24, 2005)
Kinniya Hospital on the east coast of Sri Lanka was destroyed by the Dec. 26 tsunami, and its 40 patients and hospital staff are missing. It was just one of many buildings poorly prepared for actual disaster. In the weeks and months ahead, scientists and engineers will be studying damage sites all over the island to evaluate the power of the tidal wave and recommend new construction standards to help such buildings withstand the expected stresses. A new Web site at Cornell University is giving researchers the information they need as well as helping relief workers do their jobs on the devastated island. The creator of the site hopes it will serve as a model for the distribution of information in future disasters. (January 24, 2005)
Steven D. Tanksley, the Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics, is the winner of the prestigious 2005 Kumho Science International Award in Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. The $30,000 prize is the world's largest in the field of plant molecular biology. The prize, awarded by the International Society for Plant Molecular Biology (ISPMB), is for Tanksley's pioneering work in genome mapping, comparative genomics and marker-assisted breeding of crop plants. (January 24, 2005)
At its meetings in New York City Friday, Jan. 21, and Saturday, Jan. 22, the Cornell University Board of Trustees approved a set of planning parameters for the 2005-06 budget that calls for a 4.3 percent tuition increase for most students in the endowed colleges. (January 24, 2005)
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University has opened a search for a new director of the Cornell Migrant Program and is welcoming e-mailed nominations or inquiries at . (January 21, 2005)
A melody of staccato piano notes sings out from the speakers of Victor K. Wong's desktop computer. But it is not a melody made by Bach, or Liberace, or even Alicia Keys. It is the melody of color. Wong, a Cornell University graduate student from Hong Kong who lost his sight in a road accident at age seven, is helping to develop innovative software that translates color into sound. (January 21, 2005)
Cornell University Vice President Tommy Bruce has issued the following statement on the proposal by Northwest Airlines to bring new air service to Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport.
