Your October 2025 reads
This month’s featured titles include short stories, a fantasy book for tweens, and a scholarly look at Carmen adaptations – all by Arts & Sciences alumni and faculty.
Election of Japan’s first female PM isn’t a win for women, says Cornell historian
Sanae Takaichi’s election may seem surprising in a country that ranked lowest among OECD nations in women’s political representation as recently as 2023, but it is not a victory for gender equality, says professor Kristin Roebuck.
New Cornell startup targets faster, cheaper greener testing
Newly admitted into the Praxis Center business incubator, Quantera aims to improve scientific sample collection.
Objects from famous shipwreck tell deeper stories
La Pérouse’s expedition, wrecked in 1788, was intended to rival those of British explorer Captain James Cook and to bring the French renown in scientific knowledge. Through the visual materials related to the voyage and its wreck, Kelly Presutti tells a larger story about the enterprise of empire.
Cornell team finds new way to cut cancer’s lipid lifeline
Researchers have uncovered molecules that can preserve crucial cellular processes while blocking malignant proteins, indicating a new approach to fighting cancer.
Event considers political lessons learned from Covid
A Nov. 13 event sponsored by the College of Arts & Sciences will feature reflections on the political and social context and consequences of the Covid epidemic.
U.S. returning to ‘familiar pattern’ of interventionism in Latin America
Trump's move to cut aid to Columbia and enact tariffs is the latest in a string of escalating tensions between the U.S. and countries in Latin America, says Cornell government professor Ken Roberts.
Alum and former Law School dean named president of Georgetown
An A&S College Scholar who clerked for the U.S. Supreme Court, Eduardo Peñalver ’94 currently leads Seattle University.
Student spotlight: Aleesha George
Aleesha George, a doctoral candidate in chemistry and chemical biology, studies the optical and electronic properties of organic and hybrid materials under the guidance of Andrew Musser at Cornell.
Cracking the code of chaos
Using time-delay snapshots, researchers led by mathematician Yunan Yang have introduced a new way to identify the underlying dynamics of unpredictable systems, such as the atmosphere and turbulent fluids.
Bulawayo wins 25th anniversary Best of Caine prize
NoViolet Bulawayo, M.F.A. ’10, assistant professor in A&S, has won the Best of Caine Award as judges have chosen her short story, “Hitting Budapest,” as the best to have won the Caine Prize for African Writing in the award’s 25 years.
Cornell composer’s work featured in upcoming Dallas Morse Coors Concert Series event
A new work by Cornell alum Zachary Wadsworth DMA ’12, will premiere this weekend in three concerts, including one at Cornell’s Bailey Hall.
Nobel laureate shares research exploring the origins of life
Jack Szostak, Ph.D. ’77, shared decades of research into one of biology’s most puzzling mysteries – the origins of life – during the 2025 Ef Racker Lecture.
Zhao wins Simons Foundation Fellows-to-Faculty award
A former Klarman Fellow in neurobiology and behavior in the College of Arts & Sciences (A&S), Zhao is continuing his research into the neural mechanisms of parrot vocalizations in the Goldberg lab with this support.
Register now for Reunion 2023
The College of Arts & Sciences will welcome alumni to campus June 8-11 with a host of events for Cornell Reunion 2023, celebrating the classes of 3s and 8s.
Giving Day brings Cornellians together, shatters records
In 24 hours, donors raised a record-breaking $10,040,921 to support Cornell students, programs and research on the university’s seventh Giving Day, March 11. Gifts from 14,411 donors poured in steadily throughout the day, with support from all 50 U.S. states, plus Puerto Rico and Washington D.C., as well as nearly 80 countries.
Using AI to learn quantum complexity
Cornell physicists and computer scientists have developed a machine learning architecture inspired by the large language models (LLMs) behind ChatGPT to help them study the vastly complicated interactions that happen when nature's smallest particles interact.
Gaza ceasefire shouldn’t be considered a “peace deal”
Uriel Abulof, a visiting professor in Cornell University’s government department, calls it “a survival pact for leaders who thrive on conflict and enmity."
Neuroscientist Azahara Oliva receives Packard Fellowship
The unrestricted fellowship funds enables Oliva and the 19 other fellows named this year to “test novel ideas and lead research that drives real-world impact,”
Nobelist explores women’s role in the workplace—and lives it
Economist and Harvard professor Claudia Goldin ’67 studied under eminent Big Red faculty members Alfred Kahn and Walter LaFeber
African Union must condemn Madagascar coup, says Cornell expert
Olúfémi Táíwò, professor of Africana studies at Cornell University, said the move is another coup d’etat that Madagascar, and the African continent, does not need.
Hot-mic moment with President window into ‘transactional foreign policy’
Trump has turned U.S. foreign policy into a tool for petty corruption and insider deal-making instead of supporting U.S. national interests, says a Cornell government faculty member.
Prolific children’s author offers some halloween-season chills
The latest book from Heather Alexander ’89 is Haunted USA, which compiles spooky tales from all 50 states.
Fuchs, Hartman elected to American Physical Society
Thomas Hartman, professor in the Department of Physics in the College of Arts and Sciences, is one of two Cornell faculty members elected this year as fellows of the American Physical Society (APS).
Master storyteller shares secrets
During a week on campus, author and editor Sam Tanenhaus, told stories every step of the way and reminded his listeners that politically complex and even morally ambiguous material makes for great storytelling.
The Phantom of the Opera: Live score by Invincible Czars
This October, Cornell Cinema will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the silent movie “The Phantom of the Opera,” with live musical accompaniment by The Invincible Czars.
Public speeches challenged assumptions in ancient Greece
In a new paper, Klarman Postdoctoral Fellow Davide Napoli argues that public speeches in ancient Greece aimed not to express personal views, but to undermine entrenched ideas and challenge common-sense conclusions.
Remembering Prof. Debra Castillo, champion of Latinx students, community
Professor Debra Castillo, Stephen H. Weiss presidential fellow and Emerson Hinchliff professor of Hispanic Studies in the College of Arts & Sciences, died Oct. 5 at the age of 72.
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra to perform with violinist James Ehnes Oct. 26
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with violin soloist James Ehnes will perform a program entitled “Postcards from Paris” in the next Dallas Morse Coors Concert Series (DMCCS) production of the 2025-26 season.
Gaza ceasefire is a resounding policy victory for Trump
The president's leadership was a key factor in getting the deal done, says professor emeritus Barry Strauss.
Gold surge does not pose a threat to the US dollar
“It would be virtually impossible for Gold to take on the multifaceted role of the USD in international trade and finance."
Brad Ramshaw named Experimental Physics Investigator
Cornell physicist Brad Ramshaw has been named a 2025 Experimental Physics Investigator – national recognition awarded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to a select group of researchers pushing the boundaries of experimental physics.
Cornell physicists update catalog of binary black holes
These simulations, developed with significant input from Cornell researchers using code written at Cornell, help scientists analyze gravitational waves observed by the LIGO, Virgo and KAGRA detectors located in the U.S., Italy and Japan.
Writers, translators consider ‘Ukraine in Translation’ Oct. 18
The symposium responds to a new urgency to Ukrainian culture of the past, present and future both inside and outside the country.
Héctor Abruña to be honored at Dreyfus Prize ceremony Oct. 23
The president of the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation will present Abruña with the award in a 4 p.m. ceremony in the Meshri Family Auditorium, Baker Laboratory Room 200 and also livestreamed.
Cornell ‘Swifties’ bond over musical superstar
The Cornell Swift Club will ring in a new Taylor Swift era with a late-night album release party for “The Life of a Showgirl.”
Political views, not sex and violence, now drive literary censorship
Liberals and conservatives both oppose censorship of children’s literature – unless the writing offends their own political ideology, showing how a once-bipartisan issue has become polarized.
NIH grant to fund autism research center
AR² is one of 13 projects funded by the $50 million ADSI research effort to assess the roles of genetics, environmental interactions and other factors in autism.
Physicist: After 33 billon years, universe ‘will end in a big crunch’
After expanding to its peak size about 11 billion years from now, the universe will begin to contract – snapping back like a rubber band to a single point at the end, according to a Cornell physicist.
Faculty respond to request to share progressive teaching ideas, study shows
The team found a significant uptick in the number of articles published after 2013 that focused on core concepts and competencies suggested in a seminal report.
Nobel-winning behavioral economist Richard Thaler to speak Oct. 17
Thaler won the Nobel Prize in 2017 for work done in the 1980s at Cornell. He is now the Charles R. Walgreen Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science and Economics at the University of Chicago.
Behavioral economics: Born at Cornell, embraced by policymakers
Economists and psychologists work together to understand how human behavior impacts people's decision-making in the marketplace.
‘Bottling’ human intuition for AI-led materials discovery
A Cornell researcher and collaborators have developed a machine-learning model that encapsulates and quantifies the valuable intuition of human experts in the quest to discover new quantum materials.
Creating customized tools for scientists around the world
Physics Professor Robert Thorne's company just celebrated 20 years in business and its 25th patent.
Journalist offers master class on op-eds, narrative storytelling
Journalist and biographer Sam Tanenhaus will share his writing expertise with the Cornell community in a master class, “Op-Eds and Narrative Storytelling, on Oct. 8 in Lewis Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall.
Wang receives 2025 Stanley Corrsin Award from American Physical Society
Wang was honored for “original and innovative work on insect flight that provided fundamental insights into unsteady aerodynamics, flight efficiency, flight stability, and neural control, and for opening new dimensions of research in biological fluid dynamics.”
Celebrating “What Works” in creating engaging learning experiences
The Center for Teaching Innovation will host “What Works,” on Oct. 1, featuring presentations, the Canvas Course Spotlight awardees, and a poster showcase that will demonstrate engaged learning approaches from Cornell faculty teaching in a diverse range of courses and fields.
Moldovans showed “clarity about what is at stake” in pro-EU party vote
The Moldovan people still have a very clear memory of what life was like as a Soviet republic, says professor Cristina Florea after the pro-EU party decisively won a parliamentary election there.
William F. Buckley’s secrets revealed in Oct. 9 talk
Journalist Sam Tanenhaus will share insights gained from 20 years of investigation in “The Man Who Built a Movement: How William F. Buckley Invented Modern Conservatism,” a conversation with A&S Dean Peter John Loewen, on Oct. 9.
Nobel winner says US women won on rights, but benefits lag
Claudia Goldin '67 used data to paint a picture of the "tremendous" progress of the U.S. women’s movement, as well as the forces that have prevented women from reaping the benefits of their rights.