The average high temperature for the Fourth of July in Ithaca is a comfortable 79 degrees Fahrenheit, although it did hit 102 degrees once that day in 1911. Snow bunnies, skiers, sledders and skaters will love to hear that Ithaca's average high temperature for January is 31.2 degrees. Fun facts like these are available in the 2004 Ithaca Weather Calendar, prepared by Cornell University's Northeast Regional Climate Center and Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. In the calendar, the climatologists provide Ithaca weather data for every day of 2004, a leap year. (November 24, 2003)
While Thanksgiving falls late this year, the best chances for snow on Turkey Day occur in upstate New York and portions of New England, according to Keith Eggleston, a senior climatologist.
'Garden of Lights,' a design by Cornell undergraduate Sean Corriel and two others, was chosen as one of eight finalists in a competition for a memorial at the site of the former World Trade Center.
The highly endangered North Atlantic right whale population is facing a difficult journey to recovery. That recovery may become even more precarious if North Atlantic climate takes a turn for the worse, according to Cornell University ecologists.
Cornell University has created its first permanent, temporary-use office space that will accommodate various campus offices as needed. The housing is at Surge 1, at the entrance of the Cornell Plantations off Forest Home Drive. The first tenants are two centers displaced when the north wing of Martha Van Rensselaer Hall, the home of the College of Human Ecology (CHE), closed in July 2001 due to structural problems. The two centers, the Family Life Development Center and the Bronfenbrenner Life Course Center, were then temporarily housed in the original Mann Library building. (November 19, 2003)
Writer, teacher and public speaker Allan Johnson will give a presentation, "Unraveling the Gender Knot," Friday, Nov. 21, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the auditorium of Martha Van Rensselaer Hall on the Cornell University campus. The presentation is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served at 9:15 a.m. (November 19, 2003)
A train has derailed at the edge of a city, spreading toxic chemicals and fumes over a wide area. Before rescue and decontamination workers can enter the danger zone, they need more information: How widespread is the contamination?
Karen Katen, president of Pfizer Global Pharmaceuticals, a division of the multinational health-care firm Pfizer Inc., will deliver the 2003 Lewis H. Durland Memorial Lecture on Nov. 20.
There is a new reason to enjoy hot cocoa on a cold winter's night in front of a cozy fire. Consider it a health drink. Beyond the froth, cocoa teems with antioxidants that prevent cancer, Cornell University food scientists say. Comparing the chemical anti-cancer activity in beverages known to contain antioxidants, they have found that cocoa has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine and up to three times those found in green tea. (November 17, 2003)
Six years ago Cornell University researchers built the world's smallest guitar -- about the size of a red blood cell -- to demonstrate the possibility of manufacturing tiny mechanical devices using techniques originally designed for building microelectronic circuits. Now, by "playing" a new, streamlined nanoguitar, Cornell physicists are demonstrating how such devices could substitute for electronic circuit components to make circuits smaller, cheaper and more energy-efficient. (November 17, 2003)
To help Cornell University celebrate Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day 2003, John Cloud, a geographer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Washington, D.C., will speak on "Layered Truths: Uncovering the Complex Histories of Geographic Information Systems," Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 2 p.m. on the second floor of the university's Albert R. Mann Library on campus. It is free and open to the public. Cloud will explain how GIS emerged and discuss the cartography it displaced. Also, he will examine how the history of GIS will contribute to the use of the system in future applications. (November 14, 2003)
