Cornell University | College of Arts & Sciences

'PhDivas' discourse across disciplines and differences

As friends and scholars, doctoral students Elizabeth (Liz) Wayne and Christine (Xine) Yao found common ground amid their academic and cultural differences through a mutual fascination with myriad topics, from pop culture to how to survive in academia. And now, they discuss them for a worldwide audience every week.

The African-American cancer scientist from Mississippi and the Chinese-Canadian literary critic/English scholar from Toronto first met when they were graduate resident fellows together at Hans Bethe House. Talking and laughing together during house dinners, they were soon joined by a gaggle of interested undergraduates.

Last spring, they were inspired to make the discourse public and launched a podcast that has found listeners in six countries.

Cornell Splash! holds day of learning for local youth

More than 180 middle school and high school students gathered at Cornell on Saturday, October 24 to attend classes taught by the university’s undergraduate and graduate students for Splash! at Cornell.

Will Gluck, Director of Easy A and Annie, shares career advice

Will Gluck ’93, writer and director of the reimagined “Annie” movie, as well as “Easy A” and “Fired Up,” visited campus Oct. 16 to share career advice with students as this year’s Munschauer Career Series Speaker for the College of Arts and Sciences Career Development Center.

Gluck, who is based in Los Angeles, spoke to students about the challenges and rewards of working in the entertainment industry.

He encouraged students to run as fast as they can toward their career goals during and after college. He gave an example of two jobs: one a dream job that pays less and the other a job that pays twice as much, but does not have all the interesting aspects that the dream job holds. Many would go for the job that pays more and try for the dream job at another time, but 10 years later, Gluck said, they find themselves stuck in the same boring position.

Arts & Sciences Education Innovation Director announced

The College of Arts & Sciences has announced a new senior-level position to enhance and support its long-standing commitment to education innovation. Peter Lepage, professor of physics and former dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, will serve as the College’s first Director of Education Innovation.

“Peter is a real leader in educational excellence both within the college and nationally. He helped to initiate the Active Learning Initiative (ALI), and we are fortunate that he will be at the helm of the college’s ongoing efforts to expand our engaged learning strategies,” said Gretchen Ritter, the Harold Tanner Dean of Arts & Sciences. “We have fabulous faculty in the college and we look forward to finding new ways to enhance their success as educators both inside and outside the classroom.”

Will Gluck, Director of Easy A and Annie, to speak at Cornell

Will Gluck '93 is a filmmaker with a uniquely authentic voice and an aim to create projects that reflect popular culture and captivate audiences.  Gluck has made a name for himself as a great comedic filmmaker who brings heart and a down-to-earth quality to all of his endeavors. Gluck most recently released the modern-day reimagining of "Annie," which he directed and co-wrote for Columbia Pictures. His company, Olive Bridge Entertainment, is currently preparing for the premiere of "Moonbeam City" for Comedy Central this September. Gluck made his feature directorial debut with 2009’s darkly funny"Fired Up." His second feature, "Easy A," released in September 2010 was a massive critical and financial success winning “Best Comedy Movie” at the Critics Choice Awards. Gluck is currently developing the drama "How to Disappear Completely" for Columbia and Escape Artists, which tells the story of a piano prodigy who attempts to escape the scrutiny of his overprotective parents, a move that allows him to amass a fortune in the stock market and change the lives of those around him. Gluck lives in Los Angeles with his family.

Alum manages marketing campaigns at MTV

In the last few years, Jaz Nsubuga ’11 has become an expert on the following:

Men’s shaving habits,

Digital and social marketing campaign strategies,

Women’s facial cleaning products,

Credit card habits of wealthy people, and

Coca Cola, among other things.

As manager of integrated marketing at MTV, Nsubuga knows that the best way to market a company or product is to understand it inside-out. And, as a history and Africana Studies major, that’s the part of her job she loves the most – the research.

Nsubuga was on campus in mid-September for a Career Conversations event with the College of Arts & Sciences Career Development Center, sharing her strategies for networking and career success with students.

Nsubuga is still riding the waves from her latest success, a Coca-Cola campaign she created for MTV’s Fandom Awards and Fest in July that generated buzz with a Tumblr social media effort that brought in 28 million votes. She also designed campaigns for Apple and American Legacy that aired during MTV’s Video Music Awards in August.

She joined MTV in January of this year, after starting out in account management at Grey Advertising and at Digitas and then working with the men’s grooming division of Birchbox.

Research fund lets undergraduates gain ecological field experience.

Grad student Rachel Abbott and undergrads Andy Wong ‘17 and Diamond Oden ‘17 have become experts in identifying various creatures of the Adirondacks – the calanoid copepods that they’re studying, as well as myriad others that were biting them as they spent hours taking water samples in canoes.

“It’s very easy to get grumpy up there,” said Abbott, a doctoral student in the field of ecology and evolutionary biology (EEB). “It’s buggy, hot and often raining and sometimes we were in the car a long time, taking trips 20 miles down a dirt road. But they didn’t complain a bit.”

Well, not a whole lot anyway. (Wong did say the days were long, the insects “vicious” and the weather “often uncooperative.”)

The three were in the Adirondacks for two weeks this summer studying a common and a rare zooplankton species to determine what characteristics of a lake are important in supporting both species and if common species are restricted to certain types of lakes or if they are habitat generalists that can live in many different environments.

Wong’s field experience was supported by the Elizabeth (“Betty”) Miller Francis ’47 fund in EEB, which pays for graduate fellowships and supports undergraduate fieldwork. Francis had strong interests in education, ecology and the environment, as well as a broad worldview attained through a lifetime of travel.

Adire cloth produced in southwestern Nigeria from the 1950s.

Hidden Cornell treasures to be digitized

Some hidden Cornell treasures soon will be available to scholars around the world, thanks to the Cornell University Library and the College of Arts and Sciences’ Grants Program for Digital Collections, which this year awarded four grants.

Fontaine plays Sherlock Holmes with book on rare play

Like many good mysteries, it began with innocent curiosity. Michael Fontaine was on paternity leave and, wanting “a small project” to occupy him between baby duties, thought he’d write about “Mater-Virgo,” a 17th-century play by Lutheran pastor Joannes Burmeister, based on a work by the Roman playwright Plautus.

But the last known copy of the play was looted from the Berlin Library during World War II. While searching for the play, Fontaine stumbled upon a mention of another, unknown Burmeister play, “Aulularia” (“The Pot of Gold”).

Sturt Manning, professor of Classics, writes in this piece for CNN about efforts to erase the rich history of Palmyra.

Yiddish Theater Festival offers humor, pathos, meaning

Students stage dance, drama and comedy at the Schwartz Center

Following last year’s successful 150 Events series, the Department of Performing and Media Arts (PMA) will continue its new tradition of student-led theater, film and dance performances in its 2015-16 season.

The season begins with the traditional Festival24, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. in the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts' Flexible Theatre. Students will spend 24 hours (starting Aug. 28) writing and rehearsing a film, a dance and three plays, presenting them all the next night.