Even though we can't be together in person, we are looking forward to "seeing" you at our virtual Reunion 2020, Friday and Saturday, June 5-6! We hope that you will be able to join us at one or more of these Arts & Sciences events! Register now at the Reunion website.
Some of our highlights include:
- Arts & Sciences Update with Dean Jayawardhana, 3:30-4 p.m., Saturday: Join Ray Jayawardhana, Harold Tanner Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, as he gives an update on the College. The dean will discuss ways that faculty members and students have risen to meet the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic; share news about faculty, staff and student successes this semester; and talk about plans for our future, including how the College is coordinating with the university's plan for re-starting research and instruction.
- The Art of Math: Mathematical Traditions of Symmetry and Harmony, 2-3 p.m., Saturday: What can today’s students learn from ancient Greek geometry, medieval Islamic astronomy, and classical Chinese music theory? Courtney Roby, associate professor in classics and medieval studies, and Andrew Hicks, associate professor in music and medieval studies and Dale R. Corson House Professor and Dean of Hans Bethe House, will introduce you to some of the classical problems they use to teach ancient and medieval concepts of mathematical proportion and harmony, from Greek, Sanskrit and Chinese approaches to the Pythagorean theorem to medieval Latin models of celestial and musical commensurability and incommensurability.
- “Child of the Universe” Read-Along with Ray Jayawardhana, Harold Tanner Dean of Arts & Sciences and professor of astronomy. Jayawardhana's first children's book was published March 17 and was inspired by childhood walks with his father in Sri Lanka, where they would marvel at the glory of the stars twinkling above them. This will be a ten minute pre-recorded reading, so you will be able to share this experience with your family at a time convenient to you during Reunion weekend. Link coming soon!
Other A&S virtual events:
Friday, June 5
- 2 p.m. Chemistry and Chemical Biology Update and Conversation. Chat with Professor Brian Crane, department chair, who will take questions after sharing department news and future plans.
- 3 p.m. Crocheting and Math. Learn what crocheting, math and relativity have in common from Daina Taimina, adjunct associate professor, retired, who uses her creativity in crocheting hyperbolic planes to teach this mathematical concept.
- 4 p.m. Math Happy Hour. Share stories of your time on the hill with other math alumni.
Saturday, June 6
- 3 p.m. Favorite Physics Demonstrations. Watch our scientists perform their amazing physics demonstrations. Explanations are designed for all ages.
- 3 p.m. History of the Math Department. See a presentation of the history of the math department and its many twists and turns by Ravi Ramakrishna ’88, chair of the department and Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow, and Laurent Saloff-Coste, the Abram R. Bullis Professor in Mathematics.
- 3 p.m. Language Resource Center Open House and Tour. Learn more about remote language learning and Cornell's involvement in the Shared Course Initiative with Columbia and Yale Universities. Hear about new initiatives, including the Lingua Mater, an annual competition for alumni and students to translate and sing Cornell's Alma Mater in many languages.
We hope you can join us for any or all of these events!
