Modern theory of music perception posited by 1700s potter
A new book by Carmel Raz focuses on the work of John Holden, an 18th-century potter who also wrote an influential treatise on musical theory.
‘Significant cultural loss’: Cornell TV expert on Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s death
Professor Samantha Sheppard: “Warner’s legacy is both rooted in his foundational and very funny role within a groundbreaking moment in television history and his commitment to moving beyond the character and show that turned him into a beloved household name."
Festival celebrates pianos in history, history in pianos
Musicians, scholars and instrument makers will gather at Cornell Aug. 5-10 for Forte | Piano 2025: Crafting Soundscapes, a conference and festival exploring dimensions of historical keyboard practice from performance and scholarship to instrument making and listening.
Cornell scholars address global democratic erosion in book
Democracy is in retreat across much of the world, and for years Cornell government scholars have been tracking its erosion in various regions – including the United States. Now they’ve brought these global perspectives on democratic backsliding together in one volume.
Politics and punchlines: Cornell humor expert on ‘Colbert’ cancellation
Political satire—long a staple of late-night TV—plays a critical role in democracy, cutting through partisanship and exposing hypocrisies that traditional news often can’t, says philosophy professor David Shoemaker.
Your July 2025 reads
This month’s featured titles include a look at the world’s first advice column, self-help for parents, and a scholarly book on Venezuela.
‘Breakthrough Science’ grant supports disease-targeting lipid research
A grant from the Ono Pharma Breakthrough Science Initiative, which supports bold new ideas in science, will help Cornell researchers study how chemical modifications to proteins play a powerful role in cell survival.
Optimism about AI lowest in US, says A&S dean
Peter John Loewen, the Harold Tanner Dean of Arts and Sciences, shared takeaways from his decade-long AI research during a lecture kicking off the Cornell University School of Continuing Education’s Summer Events Series.
Student table tennis champ heads to World University Games
Statistics and economics major Gina Fu ’28 will represent Team Canada in international table tennis competition.
How practicing yoga has helped me regain my flow
A&S government alum Kevin Gibson '10 writes in a Chime In column that he was burned out from a career in law when trips to India and Sweden put him on the path to healing.
Philosophy Ph.D. candidate wins Newcombe Fellowship
Migdalia Arcila-Valenzuela is one of 20 recipients of Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships for 2025-26, selected from nearly 600 applicants.
Partnership helps Cornell student team build a winning bridge
Cornell’s Student Machine Shop at the Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics (LASSP), students have access to industry-standard equipment and expert guidance: “We have users from physics, chemistry, architecture, engineering, physical education — you name it.”
Cornell–IBM collaboration advances quantum computing
The researchers achieved two major breakthroughs, taking a step towards universal topological quantum computing (fault tolerant computing).
For microbes in harsh environments, it’s survival of the meekest
Cornell researchers have found that peaceful microbes are more likely to thrive, and their more aggressive peers perish, if their environment is harsh or experiences violent disruptions.
Physicists take step toward a holy grail for electron spins
Their breakthroughs came in part by interweaving two fields: 2D materials and spintronics, also known as spin electronics.
Pulpit politics? Cornell expert questions IRS filing
Prof. Landon Schnabel comments on the new IRS filing regarding political endorsements by religious institutions.
Udderly Delightful: Meet the Alum Behind ‘CowParade’
Jerry Elbaum ’61, JD ’64, founded the organization that mounts bovine-themed public art shows in cities around the globe
‘Summit’ on LLMs rallies leading AI experts
Linguist Marten van Schijndel co-led a session on “Responsible LLMs & Issues” at the summit.
Ticket stubs & COVID tests: 2020s Big Red life, in scrapbooks
As a final project, a popular course on Cornell history lets students create miniature time capsules for future generations.
From halting cancer to protecting soldiers, Big Red research is at risk
A look at some projects imperiled by federal funding cuts — and how you can support your alma mater through "Cornell Matters."
Natural sensors help in mapping out cells’ own biology
Cornell chemistry and chemical biology researchers have found a new and potentially more accurate way to see what proteins are doing inside living cells — using the cells’ own components as built-in sensors.
Alumna’s namesake observatory takes a deep dive into the cosmos
The facility, which honors astronomer Vera Cooper Rubin, MS ’51, has released its first images—and they’re mind-blowing
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A&S honors 13 faculty with endowed professorships
The professorships are made possible because of gifts from alumni, parents and friends.
Global perspectives reframe timeline and scope of WWII
This summer marks the 80th anniversary of the “official” end of World War II, but a new book co-edited by Ruth Lawlor, assistant professor of history, extends the war’s timeline back to 1931 and into the mid-1950s.
Conspiracy theorists unaware their beliefs are on the fringe
Overconfidence is a hallmark trait of people who believe in conspiracies, Cornell psychology researchers have found.
Iranian nuclear project may be more dangerous now than ever
Professor of government Uriel Abulof: “In the aftermath of recent regional escalations, there’s a growing risk of repeating a familiar—and dangerous—pattern: ceasefire, self-congratulation, and strategic blindness
Colanzi wins Zinklar Award for short fiction
Liliana Colanzi’s award is the first Zinklar Prize to honor Spanish language fiction.
Your June 2025 reads
This month’s featured titles include the latest from A&S faculty Ishion Hutchinson and Charlie Green, plus A&A alumni Chris Pavone '89 and Sarah Spain '02.
Emotion – not just action – helps brain define, divide events
Study participants who watched scenes from popular movies showed emotion plays a larger role than previously understood in establishing event boundaries that help structure attention and memory.
Why experimental art is more important than ever
When we focus on making our work marketable, it’s no longer the creative endeavor that our society so desperately needs, alumna Jesi Bender-Buell '07 writes in a Chime In column.
SPROUT Awards cultivate early-stage engineering research
From designing a reversible male contraceptive to detecting life on distant ocean worlds, the latest Cornell Engineering SPROUT Awards are cultivating breakthroughs across medicine, space exploration, robotics and environmental sensing.
Research at risk: Records of enslaved people seeking freedom
A research project collecting records of freedom-seeking enslaved people in the pre-Civil War U.S. came to a halt in early May.
Cornell astronomers win time on James Webb Space Telescope
“It’s the cutting edge of what we can achieve, with better precisions and resolutions than other instruments.”
Reunion 2025: The view from five years out
Members of the Class of 2020 remember their journeys at Cornell.
Better basketball through theoretical physics?
Cornell researchers are applying a theory about the movement of electrons to a much taller, human system – the National Basketball Association.
Why our attempts to avoid emotional discomfort often backfire
"As a clinical psychologist, I’ve learned that moments of anxiety can be golden opportunities to learn to tolerate distress," A&S psychology major Alissa Worly Jerud ’08 writes.
New $1.5M graduate research fellowship honors former director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
A new $1.5 million gift from philanthropist K. Lisa Yang ’74 has established the Charles Walcott Graduate Research Fellowship in Conservation Bioacoustics to fund graduate research at the Lab of Ornithology.
Dallas Morse Coors Concert Series announces 2025-26 Season
The season will include explorations of timeless classics, as well as concerts highlighting new frontiers in music.
Staff graduates recognized for academic achievements
More than two dozen staff members who earned degrees at Cornell or other institutions this year while also working at the university were celebrated in a ceremony June 10.
‘End of a hopeful era’: Cornell expert reflects on Wilson and Stone legacies
The deaths of Brian Wilson, co-founder of The Beach Boys, and funk and soul pioneer Sly Stone, of Sly and the Family Stone, mark the end of a pivotal era in music, says professor Judith Peraino.
Professors address climate change from multiple disciplines
The panel, during Reunion 2025, was called "Beyond the Apocalypse: New Narratives and Innovations for Climate Action."
History Center exhibit chronicles excavation at Ithaca’s ‘Freedom Church’
The exhibit on Ithaca’s St. James A.M.E. Zion Church will open on Juneteenth with a community event scheduled for 4 p.m.
Lewenstein wins science communication prize
The inaugural Award for the Advancement of Science Communication as a Professional Field from the International Network on Public Communication of Science & Technology recognizes outstanding contributions to the development of science communication as a field.
Military use in Los Angeles coming right up to Insurrection Act
History professor David Silbey points out restrictions on and risks of using active-duty military to respond to protests.
Study shows how city life shapes music choices
Living in a metropolis broadens our musical horizons, and makes our playlists less alike.
New York Times series features math by Prof Steven Strogatz
Strogatz has been busy with outreach activities as the inaugural Susan and Barton Winokur Distinguished Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and Mathematics.
Cornell Atkinson awards catalyze solutions in food, climate, clean energy
Atkinson Venture Fund awards have distributed $21.7 million to 223 projects spanning every college on Cornell’s campus over 15 years.
'Wine is not fungible': How an alum's firm made global headlines
The small, family company founded by Victor Schwartz ’80, an A&S econ graduate, became the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against import tariffs—and won.
Thomas A. Lewis named Graduate School dean, vice provost
A professor of religious studies at Brown, Lewis will also hold a faculty appointment as a professor of religious studies and German studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Savely Senderovich, scholar of Russian literature, dies at 89
A mainstay of the Department of Russian Literature from 1977 until his retirement after the department closed in 2010, Senderovich oversaw the establishment of a comprehensive graduate program in Russian literature, expanding Cornell’s graduate offerings in the field.