Psychologist William E. Cross Jr. of the City University of New York's Graduate Center, a former associate professor in the Africana Studies and Research Center at Cornell University, will give the Cornell College of Human Ecology's annual Flemmie Kittrell lecture Monday, April 12, at 4 p.m. in G73 Martha Van Rensselaer Hall (MVR) on the Cornell campus. The lecture is free and open to the public. Cross, whose work focuses on the study of African-American identity, will speak on the topic "Theory and Research on Black Identity Before and After the 1954 Brown Decision on School Desegregation." (April 7, 2004)
Disease is increasing among most kinds of marine organisms, according to a long-term study by Jessica Ward of Cornell University and Kevin Lafferty of the U.S. Geological Survey. The study, conducted at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis in Santa Barbara, Calif., found that fish are no exception to the troubling trend, despite fewer reports of fish disease over the years. An analysis by Ward and Lafferty of hundreds of previous studies of marine-ecosystem disease is published this month in the journal Public Library of Science Biology . The report finds the rate of disease increasing in some taxa, such as in turtles, mammals, mollusks and urchins, but declining in fish.
The heart of mankind's best friend, the dog, holds secrets that could improve the health of humans, according to researchers who hope to produce the first computer model of catastrophic rhythm disturbances in the heart, known as ventricular fibrillation. The condition can result in sudden cardiac failure. Cornell University, Gene Network Sciences Inc. (GNS) and the University of California-San Diego (UCSD) have been selected by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to receive a $2 million, four-year bioengineering research grant. The award will be used to develop a 3-D computer model of the canine heart. (April 6, 2004)
A new Cornell University study found that while hotel managers and staff provided extraordinary personal service during the massive blackout of August 2003, many properties experienced significant operating failures after the lights went out -- and are not well- prepared for a future blackout. The study, by Robert Kwortnik, an assistant professor at Cornell's School of Hotel Administration, looked at 93 hotels, from economy to luxury properties, that lost power when the outage struck the northeastern United States and Canada last summer. The affected hotels were without electricity for 16 hours on average and for as long as two days in some instances. One-quarter of the hoteliers surveyed had standby power to operate wide sections of their hotels, but those auxiliary systems failed for some properties. In many hotels, backup power to critical emergency systems failed after several hours. (April 05, 2004)
Cornell University Police is joining the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other traffic safety partners across the country to celebrate the launch of World Health Day 2004, April 7, with a new traffic and pedestrian safety initiative. The CDC's public health theme for this year's World Health Day observance is "Family Road Safety: Protect the Ones You Love." Each year, WHO recognizes a World Health Day to address a critical global public health issue. This year marks the first time that worldwide road safety and accident prevention efforts will be highlighted. In an effort to increase awareness of road safety issues on the Cornell campus and to improve road safety at the university, Cornell Police will institute its new "Courtesy Promotes Traffic Safety" program beginning April 7. "It is our firm belief that courtesy helps create an environment in which motor vehicle crashes are less likely to happen," said Cornell Police Sgt. Chuck Howard. (April 5, 2004)
NEW YORK -- New York City firefighters are able to create self-managing, tightly coordinated teams that enable them to do their jobs more quickly and effectively than other work groups, a new Cornell University study shows. However, the trauma of the Sept. 11, 2001, World Trade Center terrorist attacks continues to take its toll, with more depression, anxiety and stress still experienced by those who were there when the Twin Towers fell. In November 2002, the Smithers Institute at Cornell's School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR) announced that it would undertake an independent study proposed by the UFA Health and Safety office, led by Philip McArdle. To ensure the independence of the study, it was fully funded by the Smithers Institute. The study focused on the working conditions and emotional health of New York City firefighters after Sept. 11. Researchers surveyed more than 2,000 firefighters and fire officers on such workplace issues as supervision, decision making, communications, job hazards, involvement in rescue efforts following the Sept. 11 attacks, post-traumatic stress, drinking, anxiety and depression. (April 2, 2004)
Researchers already have been able to detect the mass of a single cell using submicroscopic devices. Now they're zeroing in on viruses. And the scale of their work is becoming so indescribably small that they have moved beyond the prefixes "nano" "pico" and "femto" to "atto."
Cornell University officials today (April 2) filed a legal challenge to a decision by the Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission (ILPC) last December that denied the university's application for a "Certificate of Appropriateness" for a parking lot designed as part of its West Campus Residential Initiative. The university filed papers with the New York State Supreme Court for Tompkins County, pursuant to Article 78 of the New York Civil Practice Law and Rules. The university's lawsuit states the ILPC's denial of Cornell's application on Dec. 18, 2003, was arbitrary and capricious because it was made without regard to the facts in the record and did not contain a reasoned elaboration for its conclusions as required by New York law. (April 02, 2004)
Lionel Jospin, former prime minister of France (1997--2002), will deliver the keynote address for a three-day conference at Cornell University titled "Critical Anatomy of the New American Empire," co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of Economy and Society (CSES) and the Society for the Humanities at Cornell (SHC). The conference runs Thursday, April 8, through Saturday, April 10. Jospin's talk, titled "The United States: Empire or Super Nation-State?" will be Thursday, April 8, at 4:30 p.m. in 200 Baker Hall. The talk and all conference events are free and open to the public. (April 02, 2004)
The Executive Committee of the Cornell University Board of Trustees will hold a brief open session when it meets in Manhattan Thursday, April 8, at 12:30 p.m. at the Cornell Club of New York, 6 E. 44th St. The public session will include a report from President Jeffrey Lehman and an update on the state budget. (April 02, 2004)
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- New York state Sen. Michael Nozzolio (R-54th Dist.) will be honored by Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations when he is presented with the Jerome Alpern Distinguished Alumni Award Thursday, April 1, at a special ceremony at the Roosevelt Hotel, 45 E. 45th St., New York City. The annual award recognizes extraordinary service and support to the ILR School by alumni whose professions are primarily outside the field of industrial and labor relations. The ceremony, which is part of Celebration ILR 2004, will take place during dinner, which begins at 6:45 p.m., following a 5:45 p.m. reception. (April 1, 2004)
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The discovery of accessible deposits of water on the moon would 'profoundly' affect the economics and viability of a lunar base, Cornell University astronomer Donald Campbell told a House of Representatives subcommittee today, April 1.
