Professor-at-Large Toni Morrison, Cornell MFA '55, the 1993 Nobel laureate in literature and the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, 'Beloved,' will present a free and open lecture on literature and public life.
ARECIBO, P.R. -- The smog-shrouded atmosphere of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, has been parted by Earth-based radar to reveal the first evidence of liquid hydrocarbon lakes on its surface. The observations are reported by a Cornell University-led astronomy team working with the world's largest radio/radar telescope at the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Arecibo Observatory. The radar observations, reported in the journal Science on its Science Express Web site (Oct. 2, 2003), detected specular -- or mirrorlike -- glints from Titan with properties that are consistent with liquid hydrocarbon surfaces. Cornell astronomer Donald Campbell, who led the observation team, does not rule out that the reflections could be from very smooth solid surfaces. "The surface of Titan is one of the last unstudied parcels of real estate in the solar system, and we really know very little about it," he says. (October 1, 2003)
With a gift of laboratory equipment from Agway Inc. to Cornell and the transfer of technical personnel, the former Agway Technical Center in Ithaca has become the Nutritional and Environmental Analytical Services unit in the College of Veterinary Medicine's Diagnostic Laboratory.
Steven B. Belkin, a Cornell alumnus, chairman and founder of Trans National Group, a Boston-based privately held corporation, and the principal owner of the professional sports teams the Atlanta Hawks and the Atlanta Thrashers, will be honored on Oct. 14-15, as Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year 2004.
New findings about the life-long consequences of sub-optimal development during and after pregnancy will be reported at an international symposium, "Frontiers in Maternal, Fetal and Neonatal Health: Programming for a Lifetime of Good Health," Aug. 9-12.
Cornell researchers are playing an important role in yet another planetary space mission, this time to Saturn, the second largest planet in the solar system. On June 30 at approximately 10:30 p.m. EDT, the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft will go into orbit around Saturn for an extensive tour.
In the first study to test people who eat foods that have been bred for higher-than-normal concentrations of micronutrients, nutritional sciences professor Jere Haas and colleagues found that the iron status of women who ate iron-rich rice was 20 percent higher than those who ate traditional rice. (November 29, 2005)
Susan H. Murphy, Cornell University vice president for student and academic services and chair of the President's Council on Alcohol and Other Drugs, has appointed a committee to develop recommendations for restructuring Slope Day into a safer, healthier event.
The Cornell Higher Education Research Institute (CHERI), which sheds light on the most pressing problems faced by universities, has been awarded $1.5 million to support its research and outreach activities. CHERI received a $525,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and an additional $1 million from the Atlantic Philanthropies (USA) donor group.
Cornell University is sponsoring a regional conference to foster new farm-to-school links and to strengthen networks among farmers, school dining-service buyers, processors, distributors, educators and policy-makers.