What is a new student at Cornell to do with a little downtime in the evenings? Increasingly the answer is, indulge her intellectual curiosity.

That could mean spending time in her residence hall common room talking with master musicians about various styles of Afro-Cuban jazz. Or gathering with friends and faculty to explore the historical, political and social roots of Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Or exploring innovative research in different disciplines.

These are a sampling of ideas from two new faculty-in-residence who will be enhancing North Campus' intellectual environment in the next academic year. Filling the two positions will be Chris Hernandez, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, who will live with his family in the Townhouse Community, and Paul Merrill, the Gussman Director of Jazz Ensembles, who will move with his family into Clara Dickson Hall. Beginning in August, Hernandez and Merrill will spend three years as faculty-in-residence, with the option to continue for a further three years. They will join the six faculty-in-residence currently living in other North Campus residence halls.

Students' first year is pivotal to their overall academic satisfaction and success in college, and faculty-in-residence reinforce the centrality of intellectual life at Cornell, said Carol Grumbach, associate dean for new student programs and director of the Carol Tatkon Center, who will oversee the North Campus faculty programs starting this July.

"Faculty-in-residence give students the opportunity for creative intellectual and cultural interactions with faculty and peers in environments beyond the classroom that promote intellectual exchange, curiosity and exploration as core values of a Cornell education. Chris and Paul have the experience and commitment to do just that," she said.

Hernandez plans programming centered on three themes: cultural events from around the world; pre-professional sessions such as talks on essential skills for students interested in, say, medicine or law; and academic awareness, with faculty members talking about cutting-edge research and how it might change the way students live in the next decade.

Nonetheless, Hernandez, a former residential adviser while an undergrad at Harvard and as a graduate student at Stanford, expects the students will learn as much from each other as they will from formal programs. "I want the students to interact with each other and be able to learn from each other at an academic level while they're in their residence," said Hernandez. "There's a huge advantage to living on campus, being in this mix of people who have come from all over, each to do something different, both career-wise and personally. That's one of the reasons why we come to Cornell rather than just learn online. It's not just for the facts you learn in the classroom."

Merrill sees his role as an extension of his work as director of the annual Cornell Jazz Festival and an adviser to two student clubs: CU Jazz and Jazz Voices, which comprise 250 Cornell students and community members. One of his goals as a faculty-in-residence is to connect students to the vast resources available to them at Cornell, he said. "My role is to put on events that model how one can build bridges in an academic institution like Cornell. I would like to challenge our first-year students to probe past their comfort zone, and truly explore all the ways in which their interests intersect."

Starting in July, the faculty-in-residence program will be more directly connected with the provost's office and academic initiatives -- with more resources and support as well as guidance from the vice provost for undergraduate education -- to help North Campus faculty encourage students' intellectual curiosity and engagement. The goal of this effort is to enhance academic and intellectual life on North Campus, develop closer ties to the undergraduate colleges and schools, and foster collaborations between North and West campuses, said Laura Brown, vice provost for undergraduate education.

"We are eager to welcome Chris and Paul to the community of faculty colleagues who contribute so much to our students' education. And we are especially excited about the opportunities to enhance student-faculty connections through our living/learning programs," she said.