Give My Regards To…
These Cornellians in the News
William Lynn III, JD '80, nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate as deputy defense secretary, the number two position at the Pentagon.
The Law School's Class of '08, which had a 99 percent first-try pass rate for the New York Bar exam, an all-time record for Cornell and the best of the state's fifteen law schools.
Cornell University, named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, With Distinction, by the Corporation for National and Community Service for its efforts to aid disadvantaged youth. It's the highest federal honor a school can achieve for such service.
Shannon Minter, JD '93, named one of six Lawyers of the Year by Lawyers USA magazine for winning the California Supreme Court case that briefly legalized same-sex marriage in the state.
Computer science major Tal Rusak '09, winner of the Computing Research Association's Outstanding Undergraduate Award, given each year to one male and one female student nationwide.
Jay Walker '77, named Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year for founding successful startup companies such as Walker Digital, Synapse, and Priceline.com.
Professors Bruce Ganem, PhD '86, (chemistry), Ronald Harris-Warrick (neurobiology and behavior), Mary Beth Norton (American history), and Richard Rand (mechanical and aerospace engineering), named Weiss Presidential Fellows for their outstanding teaching skills. Each will receive $25,000 over five years.
R&D
More information on campus research is available at www.news.cornell.edu
Chemistry professor Peng Chen has developed a microscopic method precise enough to measure the resolution of single catalytic events. For the first time, he reported in Nature Materials, researchers are able to observe the action of nanoparticles within a hundredth of a second.
Biogas could become a more viable alternative fuel source, particularly for smaller farms, thanks to a new a system designed by plant biologist Gary Harman and chemist Terry Spittler. It uses manure and other farm byproducts to remove toxic hydrogen sulfide from biogas, a renewable energy source derived from animal waste.
A "lint brush" that removes cancer cells from the bloodstream before they spread to the rest of the body could lead to new treatments. Biomedical engineer Michael King designed the process, which kills as much as 30 percent of malignant cells.
Male and female mosquitoes flap their wings to create a harmonic duet prior to mating, says a study in Science by entomologists Ron Hoy and Laura Harrington. The discovery could lead to better ways to control large mosquito populations.
A vaccine developed at the Vet college prevents Johne's disease—a contagious, chronic, usually fatal bacterial infection that affects farm animals. In a paper in the journal Vaccine, lead author Yung-Fu Chang says the research may help prevent Crohn's disease in humans.
A team of Cornell engineers has created an ultrafast optical oscilloscope that can measure and map out very small waveforms to a precise resolution. The new device, described in Nature in November, can be used to capture fast-moving events such as chemical reactions or laser fusion.
In an effort to move objects at the nanoscale, aerospace engineer David Erickson is using optofluidics, in which the pressure of light manipulates biological molecules. The research may lead to more rapid tests for detecting pathogens or sequencing DNA.
Working under engineering professor Hod Lipson, students have created a prototype ornithopter, a machine that hovers using small flapping wings. The device is impossible to tip; if scaled down small enough, it could be used for surveillance, artificial pollination, and even toys.
Butterflies' hind wings allow them to make tight turns and evade predators, says chemical ecologist Tom Eisner. It was previously thought that their bright colors were their main defense mechanism.
In a joint project with DuPont, Cornell materials scientists have developed a method of converting metallic nanotubes into semiconductors. As reported in Science, the tubes are suspended in semiconducting "ink" to make them into thin, flexible electronics.