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Fiber Society to probe advanced materials at Cornell event Oct. 11-13 featuring talks by two Nobel laureates

The Fiber Society will hold its annual meeting and technical conference, with a symposium on advanced materials and processes for fibers and fibrous structures at Cornell University, Oct. 11-13. This international gathering of professionals dedicated to research in science, technology and engineering of fibers will be hosted by the Department of Textiles and Apparel in Cornell's College of Human Ecology. The Fiber Society is a nonprofit professional and scientific association focused on advancing scientific knowledge pertaining to fibers, fiber-based products and fibrous materials. Keynote speakers at this year's conference will include: Professor Howard Greisler of Loyola University, a leading researcher in the vascular application of fibrous materials; Nobel Laureate Robert C. Richardson, Cornell vice provost of research and the F.R. Newman Professor of Physics; and Nobel Laureate and chemist Roald Hoffmann, the Frank H.T. Rhodes Professor in Humane Letters at Cornell. (June 21, 2004)

Changes at the ILR School's Employment and Disability Institute raise its profile on campus, and worldwide

The Cornell University group that advocates for people with disabilities in the workplace has more staff, renovated headquarters and a new name -- the Employment and Disability Institute (EDI). The institute's mission remains the same, however: to provide research, training materials, programs and technical assistance that make it easier for people with disabilities to be integrated in the workplace, schools and communities. (June 22, 2004)

Regular use of asthma drugs poses respiratory, cardiac dangers, Cornell, Stanford researchers find in study critical of drug industry

Physicians who prescribe the regular use of beta-agonist drugs for asthma could be endangering their patients, two new studies by researchers at Cornell and Stanford universities find. One study compiles previously published clinical trials to conclude that patients could both develop a tolerance for beta-agonists and be at increased risk for asthma attacks, compared with those who do not use the drug at all. The second study shows that beta-agonist use increases cardiac risks, such as heart attacks, by more than two-fold, compared with the use of a placebo. Furthermore, the researchers say that their analyses lead them to suspect a conflict of interest among scientists who are supported by pharmaceutical companies that make beta-agonists, among the world's most widely used drugs. This conflict, they say, could be putting 16 million U.S. asthma sufferers in harm's way. Their statement comes as the American Medical Association is voicing its concerns that drug industry sponsorship of clinical tests is affecting the quality of research. (June 17, 2004)

Mann Library gets federal grant to preserve historical agricultural literature on microfilm and the World Wide Web

The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded $618,857 to the Albert R. Mann Library at Cornell to preserve local and state agricultural literature on microfilm.

Fathers and mothers, the most enduring ties in our lives: New book probes ambivalent relations between parents and adult children

Despite Father's Day and Mother's Day, which give children an opportunity to pay tribute to their parents, it's important to acknowledge that parenting is rarely an entirely positive or negative experience, says a new book co-edited by a Cornell University gerontologist. The book makes its point by examining the ambivalence of parent-child relations in later life. "Parenting is fraught with mixed emotions, thoughts and attitudes. Such ambivalence is apparently universal and a fundamental characteristic of relationships between parents and adult children," says Karl Pillemer, professor of human development at Cornell and co-editor of Intergenerational Ambivalences: New Perspectives on Parent-Child Relations in Later Life (Elsevier Publishers, 2004). (June 16, 2004)

Days of thunder and record rainfall make for memorable May

The month of May was rocked by days of thunder, driving rains and above-average temperatures throughout the central New York region and beyond. Syracuse was saturated with a record-breaking 7.86 inches of rain and the Ithaca area was swamped with its eighth wettest May since 1879, according to Keith Eggleston, senior climatologist with Cornell University's Northeast Regional Climate Center. It was the fifth warmest May in Ithaca since 1872, with temperatures at 5.4 degrees above normal. Temperatures were 2.8 degrees above normal across New York, making it the 13th warmest May in the Empire State since 1894, Eggleston said. (June 11, 2004)

Cornell becomes new steward of historic Native American collection of Bronx Huntington Free Library, June 15

A New York state appeals court ruling this January paved the way for the Huntington Free Library to find a new steward for its Native American collection, one of the largest in the world.

Cornell welcomes court's West Campus parking lot decision

The New York State Supreme Court has ruled that the Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission (ILPC) must issue a "Certificate of Appropriateness" for Cornell University's proposed West Campus parking lot within 30 days. In response to the ruling, Cornell President Jeffrey S. Lehman said, "We are, of course, gratified by the court's determination that the final design, which emerged through a process of communitywide conversation, is appropriate to its context. I am hopeful that the court's decision will serve as a guidepost to help the city and the university work out future differences in a spirit of cooperation and without the need for judicial intervention." (June 10, 2004)

Cornell to dedicate world-class facility for research, education, training of next generation of X-ray beam scientists and builders June 15

A remarkable facility producing some of the world's most intense X-ray beams for research, education and training will be dedicated at Cornell Univeristy Tuesday, June 15. Known as G-line, it is the world's only such center on the central campus of a major research university. Built by Cornell and housing equipment purchased through National Science Foundation (NSF) grants, G-Line is dedicated to Cornell research and education in technology, biology and materials science. Annual operating costs will be paid by 10 of the university's research groups. (June 10, 2004)

Celebrated architect Peter Eisenman to 'star' at Cornell reunion, in video, gallery and in person

Internationally renowned architect Peter Eisenman will be on campus to celebrate his 50th reunion at Cornell University this weekend. The winner of numerous architectural awards, Eisenman '54 earned his B.Arch. degree at Cornell's College of Architecture, Art and Planning. (June 10, 2004)

Antioxidant enzyme containing selenium, a major dietary supplement, could promote type 2 diabetes, Cornell study in mice suggests

A study by researchers at Cornell University suggests that higher-than-normal amounts of a selenium-containing enzyme could promote type 2 diabetes. The researchers found that mice with elevated levels of the antioxidant enzyme develop the precursors of diabetes at much higher rates than did control mice. Selenium, a common dietary supplement, is an antioxidant, materials that help mop up harmful free radicals, molecules that can damage cell membranes and genetic material and contribute to the development of cancer and heart disease. Many of the benefits of selenium are related to its role in the production of glutathione peroxidase (GP), an antioxidant enzyme that helps detoxify the body. (June 09, 2004)

Not lost in translation: NIH picks Cornell 'fly ear' study as prime example of translational research in report to HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson

Studies by Cornell's Ron Hoy have been cited by the National Institutes of Health as the best 2004 example of "translational research" in a special report to Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson. (June 9, 2004)