Drew Margolin and Samuel Nelson offer analysis of the first Democratic primary debate June 26 and 27.

Law and Policy

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This week the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a proposed revision which could drastically change regulations for genetically-modified crops. Matthew R. Willmann is the director of the Plant Transformation Facility at Cornell University and has 25 years of plant science research experience, having studied plant transformation and genome editing to improve crop plants. He says the revision will lower costs, lead to a broader range of genetically-engineered plants, and reduce time for improved plants to reach growers which will allow agriculture to be more reactive in response to climate change and plant diseases.

Agriculture and Life Sciences

Food & Agriculture

Law, Government & Public Policy

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Mabel Berezin, professor of sociology, and Mona Krewel, assistant professor of government, say that this European election is different than those in the past due to the prominence of eurosceptic parties across the continent.

International

Law and Policy

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Andrea Simitch, chair of the architecture department at Cornell and expert in architectural design, architectural representation and furniture design, says Pei played a critical role in teaching architecture students how to see and draw architectural space.

Architecture, Art and Planning

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Gene Carroll, co-director of the NYS American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, and Cornell Union Leadership Institute, says striking workers would likely call attention to the high cost of health care.

New York City

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently announced his support for The Medical Aid in Dying Act, which would allow terminally ill adults in New York to request and obtain prescriptions for life-ending medication from their doctors. Clinical ethicist Dr. Kim Overby says given the complexity of aid in dying, it’s critical that the consequences of new legislation be evaluated. Professor of wildlife health and health policy, Steven Osofsky, shares a personal experience related to aid in dying.

New York State

Health, Nutrition & Medicine

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Mason Peck, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, Elizabeth Bilson, former administrative director of space sciences, Peter Thomas, a visiting scientist at the Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, and Philip Nicholson, professor of astronomy and deputy director of the Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, comment on the upcoming 50th anniversary of the first moon landing.

Physical Sciences & Engineering

Arts and Sciences

Engineering

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Jane Juffer, English professor and director of undergraduate studies in the Program of Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies, says the episode suggests that identity might not matter as much to children as having a safe space to express themselves.

Arts & Humanities

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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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This week marks the start of honey bee swarm season in New York. As the spring weather gets warmer and flowers begin to bloom, bees and other pollinators are starting to emerge. Emma Mullen, Cornell University’s Senior Honey Bee Extension Associate, encourages people to be on the lookout for honey bee swarms and to report them, so beekeepers can give them the best chance for survival.  

Agriculture and Life Sciences

Energy, Environment & Sustainability

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