Cornell was a dominant presence at the National Textile Center's 14th Annual Forum in Hilton Head, S.C., Feb. 19-21. Lisa Staiano-Coico, the Rebecca Q. and James C. Morgan Dean of the College of Human Ecology, was the featured after-dinner speaker Feb. 20. The National Textile Center (NTC) Research Consortium, a collaboration of eight universities, including Cornell, conducts federally funded research in support of the U.S. fiber, textile, fiber products and fiber retail sector.

In her talk, Staiano-Coico introduced Cornell's Department of Textiles and Apparel (TXA) in the College of Human Ecology and its research efforts to conference participants, including faculty and graduate students from the eight partner universities and members of industry interested in the cutting-edge research the universities are conducting pertaining to fibers and textiles.

Cornell also reaped various awards, including Best Poster Award for TXA Professors Susan Ashdown and Suzanne Loker's project, "Improved Apparel Sizing: Fit and Anthropometric 3D Scan Data." TXA Professor C.C. Chu won second prize for the materials competency for his poster on his research, "Biologically Active Biodegradable Fibers for Biomedical Applications," and TXA Professor Anil Netravali's project, "Fibrous Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems," won the Director's Award for Excellence in achieving the project objectives in the second year.

On Feb. 8, the NTC presented an award to upstate New York Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-26th Dist.) in Washington, D.C., "in appreciation for his outstanding leadership in support of the NTC." Due in part to his efforts, NTC received $13 million for fiscal year 2006, a $3 million increase from the previous year. For Cornell, this funding results in a more than $300,000 increase in research funding to the Department of Textiles and Apparel.