Natalie Bazarova, director of the Cornell Social Media Lab who examines social-psychological and communication processes in social media and mobile interaction, says social media may be a blessing in this time of isolation. 

Social & Behavioral Sciences

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In Walmart’s first social responsibility report, released this week, the company outlined its commitment to sustainable growth and reported a few key figures, including employee compensations. Wages for Walmart’s average employee are growing, according to the report. The retail giant is also investing in training and education programs. Hyunseob Kim studies corporate finance and labor economics at Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management, where he focuses on the effects of corporate governance and investment on wages and productivity. Kim says that Walmart is responding to an increasingly tight labor market.

Economics and Business

Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

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Starting March 1, 2020, New York’s ban on single-use plastic bags will take effect. Just this week, the state Department of Environmental Conservation released its final regulations to govern the ban. Mildred Warner is a professor of city and regional planning and an expert on how to promote environmental sustainability at the local level says while New York’s hybrid model for banning plastic bags with a fee on alternatives is key, if there are loopholes – such as thickness requirements – the plastic bag manufacturers and retailers will take advantage. 

New York State

Law and Policy

Energy, Environment & Sustainability

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President Trump suggested states should seriously consider reopening their public schools before the end of the academic year, even though many have already said it would be unsafe for students to return to school before next fall. Lee Adler, an expert on education and academic union issues says until widespread testing is available across the country it’s not safe for schools to reopen.

Industrial and Labor Relations

New York State

New York City

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Cornell University experts are available to weigh in on political and industry developments that signal a shift to a clean energy economy.

Energy, Environment & Sustainability

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As Congress nears a deadline next week to approve a new budget or budget extension, the fate of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program hangs in the balance. Shannon Gleeson, a Cornell University professor of labor relations and an expert on immigrant labor, has been working on a three-year long collaborative project to study how the DACA policy is implemented at the local level in Houston, New York City, San Francisco and San Jose.

Industrial and Labor Relations

Economics and Business

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Sarah Kreps, surveillance systems and cybersecurity expert, comments on the newly released Apple operating system that supports digital contact tracing.

Arts and Sciences

Cornell Tech

Computing & Information Sciences

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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

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With the Omicron wave, how will employers adapt and what’s to come for the future of work? The American workplace is restless, how long will we continue to see strikes and labor protest activity continue? Labor shortages are ongoing, will we see the Great Resignation keep up? These labor experts are available to weigh in on these questions and more as we start 2022.

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Bart Selman, professor of computer science at Cornell University and director of the Intelligent Information Systems Institute comments on a White House summit dedicated to the future of artificial intelligence.

Computing & Information Sciences

Physical Sciences & Engineering

Computing & Information Sciences

Engineering

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