From industry leaders and pioneering scientists to entertainers, artists, community service volunteers and students, Cornellians abound in New York City. For them, the city is a vital piece of their Cornell experience. But with all the noise of the surroundings, you might not realize how integral Cornell's presence is to the life of the city -- or how integral the city is in enhancing Cornell's educational and cultural resources.

Starting today (May 24), Paint the Town Red, a new audio slideshow on Cornell's New York City Web page focuses the spotlight on a few of the Cornellians who are learning, working and making a difference in the city.

The site will feature five episodes a year, each telling the story of a Cornellian whose experiences were enriched by time in the Big Apple. The series will start with a focus on students, with stories of faculty, staff and alumni to come in later episodes.

"There have always been students doing interesting things in New York," said Brenda Tobias '97, director of New York City communications. Many are linked to prominent programs -- Cornell ILR in New York City, for example, or Architecture, Art and Planning-NYC -- but others are there with smaller groups or following individual paths.

"Internships, co-ops, spring break projects, jobs, performances, volunteer work ... there's no shortage of diversity in placements and talents," Tobias said. And between Cornell's affiliations and networks and the city's wealth of experiences, she said, students get the best of two worlds.

The first episode features Sam Keller '10, a chemistry major and dance minor in the College of Arts and Sciences who performed a modern dance titled "The Allure of Refinement: Music and Dance of Indonesia" at Lincoln Center. Episode two will be posted near the beginning of the fall semester.

"Students go to Cornell because of their own voracious appetite and curiosity, and so New York City is a natural place for them," Tobias said. "You can see they're just taking this huge bite of life."

And once there, they become part of a strong Cornell network. "They're not anonymous -- they have all the familiarity and camaraderie that comes from a shared Cornell experience," she said.

"There are so many of these stories, and we hope that through the Paint the Town Red series we will be able to tell them."

The series is produced by the Office of Publications and Marketing.