Aaron Rice, a research associate with the Bioacoustics Research Program at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, comments on a decision by the Trump administration to allow five companies to conduct seismic tests that could harm thousands of whales and other marine life.

Energy, Environment & Sustainability

Lab of Ornithology

---

Noliwe Rooks, professor of American studies at Cornell University and author of the book “Cutting School: Privatization, Segregation, and The End of Public Education,” says that segregation persists in American schools in large part due to white parents’ unwillingness to send their children to schools where they would have Black classmates.

Social & Behavioral Sciences

Law and Policy

---

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets confirmed that the spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect originating in East Asia, has been found New York state. Two Cornell University experts describe this invasive pest and its potential impact on New York agriculture.

New York State

Agriculture and Life Sciences

Food & Agriculture

---

Two Cornell University experts – Nina Bassuk and Harold van Es – explain that the potential sea water damage depends on soil composition, rainfall and other factors. Both experts are available for comment.

Agriculture and Life Sciences

---

European Union leaders are meeting on Thursday to discuss how to power the bloc’s economic recovery and help its hardest-hit members weather the current crisis. Christopher Way, associate professor of government and an expert in European politics and political economy, says that the task at hand for European leaders is not easy. 

International

Arts and Sciences

---

President Trump is expected to announce that the U.S. is withdrawing from the Paris climate accords, a global pact designed to fight climate change. Two experts at the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future at Cornell University say that withdrawing from the accords would be a major mistake, both environmentally and economically. 

Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future

Engineering

---

North Korea dominated the foreign policy section of Trump’s address to the nation, on Tuesday, with the announcement of a new summit with Kim Jong Un in Vietnam at the end of the month. Sarah Kreps, professor of government at Cornell University, is an expert on international conflict. Her recent research focuses on how matters of foreign policy affect Trump’s approval rating. She says that compared to a Democrat, Trump faces less political risk as he negotiates with North Korea.

Law, Government & Public Policy

International

Arts and Sciences

---

Thomas O’Rourke, professor of engineering at Cornell University, comments on how utility companies and governments should handle power damage and outages after hurricanes.

Physical Sciences & Engineering

Energy, Environment & Sustainability

Engineering

---

A series of storms sweeping across the U.S. this week has brought heavy snow and ice, flooding rain and strong winds, putting states across the U.S. under storm alerts. Jessica Spaccio, a climatologist with the Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University, says that while the storm system is impacting western and central U.S., the Northeast can expect mild weather, warmer temperatures and rain.

Agriculture and Life Sciences

Energy, Environment & Sustainability

---

Charles Greene, professor of oceanography at Cornell University, comments on Japan's plans to return to commercial whaling after three decades.

---