Cornell University President Jeffrey S. Lehman announced today (Aug. 29) that he has appointed Barbara L. Krause to the position of senior advisor to the president, effective Sept. 1. In that position she will advise the president on a wide variety of issues related to the university and will accept special assignments from the president as needed. (August 29, 2003)
"Seeds: Super Storehouse to Sensational Sprout" is the theme for the 2003 Judy's Day festival Sunday, Sept. 21, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Cornell Plantations' F.R. Newman Arboretum on the Cornell University campus. Billed as a day for kids of all ages, the annual hands-on educational event is free and will be held, rain or shine, under tents at the arboretum. Newman Arboretum is located between Cornell's central campus and state Route 366, with the vehicle entrance and parking off of Forest Home Drive. (August 28, 2003)
A recent survey of New York state residents on the use of biotechnology in food and agriculture finds the public almost evenly split between those who oppose its use, those who favor it and those who are undecided. The findings were among the results of a special-topics survey on biotechnology as part of the 2003 Empire State Poll, an ongoing poll of New Yorkers' views conducted by the Survey Research Institute at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations. (August 28, 2003)
Polley Ann McClure, Cornell vice president for information technologies, has been named this year's recipient of the EDUCAUSE Award for Excellence in Leadership.
To raise awareness about social justice and peace movements and to reflect on the work of peace activist Father Daniel Berrigan and the late Rev. Jack Lewis, who led Cornell United Religious Work (CURW) during the tumultuous anti-Vietnam War era, a weekend of festivities titled "Celebrating Peace Activism: America Is Still Hard to Find" and a visit from Berrigan are slated for Sept. 19-21 at Cornell University. Coordinated by the Center for Religion, Ethics and Social Policy (CRESP) at Cornell, the weekend includes a festival of music that includes Michelle Shocked, Stephan Smith, and Bread and Puppet Theater on the Arts Quad, a debate on the role of direct action and voting in political discourse, and remarks and a sermon by Berrigan. (August 26, 2003)
Cornell University Police is participating in National Stop on Red Week 2003, Aug. 30-Sept. 5 -- a national law-enforcement program dedicated to educating American motorists about the dangers of running red lights.
The process by which a cell reads the genetic code in its DNA in order to manufacture a protein is complex, involving dozens of enzymes and other biological molecules working together.
A flea lands on a man's arm and bites it. He scratches. The scratching aids the passage of the bacteria carried by the flea into the man's bloodstream. His temperature soars, his lymph glands swell and quickly his heart, liver and spleen are destroyed. He goes into septic shock, then into coma and finally dies. And that was just the bubonic plague. (August 21, 2003)
New York, NY (August 20, 2003) -- Surgeons at New York Weill Cornell medical center performed the world's first gene therapy for Parkinson's disease on a 55-year-old New York man on Monday, August 18. The historic surgery, which also marked the first-ever in vivo gene therapy in the brain for an adult neurological disease, was part of a phase I clinical trial approved by the Food and Drug Administration in October 2002. The five-hour procedure was performed by Dr. Michael G. Kaplitt, Director of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College. The patient is recovering normally and is expected to return home today, just two days after the surgery was performed."Monday's surgery represents the realization of nearly 15 years of research in this area," said Dr. Kaplitt. "The goal of our gene therapy approach is to 're-set' a specific group of cells that have become overactive in an affected part of the brain, causing the impaired movements associated with Parkinson's disease. We hope that this trial, which is the first of its kind, will prove to be a safe treatment to allow gene therapy to move forward for Parkinson's disease and other brain disorders."
To involve the Cornell University and Ithaca communities in an upcoming celebration of peace activism that includes a visit by the Rev. Daniel Berrigan, the Center for Religion, Ethics and Social Policy (CRESP) at Cornell is calling for submissions of art, personal essays and photographs. The works will be displayed on campus Sept. 19-21, and some will be selected for publication. The Celebrating Peace Activism weekend will reflect on the work of noted activist Berrigan and the late Rev. Jack Lewis, who led Cornell United Religious Work during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The weekend's events, in addition to the exhibition, will include a sermon and a presentation on campus by Berrigan, a music festival with local and nationally known musicians and a round-table debate on the roles of direct action and voting in political discourse. (August 21, 2003)
It's become an annual Orientation week rite of passage at Cornell - the New Student Reading Project, which involves programs surrounding the reading of a text in common by all first-year students.
A diversity-education initiative for new students at Cornell University, called "One Vision, Many Voices," will begin its sophomore year on campus during Orientation 2003. Its goal is to facilitate discussion among students about issues of diversity and inclusiveness. "We had a great response from students last year and are looking to surpass attendance numbers this year," said Ednita Wright, assistant dean of students for diversity education and outreach at Cornell. (August 19, 2003)
