Students in the News

Students in the News

By Bill Steele
Reprinted from Cornell Chronicle, May 1, 2014

To find food and evade predators you have to evolve. Learning how to do that is the key to the computer game "Cellvival," set in a world of single-celled organisms.

To find food and evade predators you have to evolve. Learning how to do that is the key to the computer game "Cellvival," set in a world of single-celled organisms.

As in many computer games, the goal of “Cellvival” is to survive in a hostile environment. Unlike most others, though, this game teaches some basic science. And unlike a lot of educational games, it’s fun to play.

You play as Tetrahymena thermophila, a single-celled organism that lives in fresh water, trying to catch food and avoid being eaten, and ultimately to reproduce and survive as a species. When you get enough food, you can reproduce, and when you reproduce you can adapt. The trick is to choose traits that will make you better equipped to survive. There are trade-offs: Speed makes your organism less maneuverable, and vice versa. Instead of levels, the game puts you in different environments, and the traits that make you best fitted to survive will be different in each one.

Ithaca-area high school students have been playing – and enjoying – the game, and whether they realize it or not, learning how evolution works, how the characteristics an organism inherits interact with its environment. “In order to play a game, you have to learn how to play the game, so kids are used to getting information from games,” explained Andrew Jefferson, a graduate student in the field of human development, who spearheaded development of the game. “One reason we went with evolution is that it involves abstract things that are hard to visualize. In a game you can take something abstract and make it concrete and play with it and experiment. Even if they die [lose the game], that’s still teaching them something about how it works.”

The project grew out of Jefferson’s conversations with Walker White, director of the Game Design Initiative at Cornell (GDIAC). Coincidentally, White had just been approached by members of the College of Veterinary Medicine’s ASSET (Advancing Secondary Science Education with Tetrahymena) program, who were interested in creating educational games to go with laboratory modules they provide to biology teachers. Jefferson works with Steven Ceci, the Helen L. Carr Professor of Human Development, and human development professor Wendy Williams, and has recruited a team of computer science students as programmers. He will describe the project at the Games, Learning and Society conference in Madison, Wisconsin, June 11-14. You can try out the game yourself at the GDIAC showcase, May 16 in Carpenter Hall.

After some polishing, the game will be distributed free to teachers through the ASSET program, along with lab modules that let students work in the classroom with the real Tetrahymena organism. Several teachers around New York state have already expressed interest, Jefferson said. The game is available in PC and Mac versions, with an accompanying lesson plan to guide classroom discussion.

The challenge, Jefferson said, is to satisfy both kids and teachers. “Educational games get a bad rap,” he noted. “Kids compare it with the games they paid for. Often in educational games you’re just answering quiz questions. … But if you don’t have those questions, teachers ask if kids are learning the game but not learning the content. It’s a balancing act.” But so far, he said, reception has been favorable. When he demos the game to adults the response is often, “That looks a lot better than I was expecting from an educational game.”

Testing will soon move to Ithaca middle schools, and Jefferson plans to create more games, in particular one that teaches critical thinking skills. The work so far has been funded by the National Institutes of Health.

 

By Blaine Freedlander
Reprinted from Cornell Chronicle, April 24, 2014

Beyond the buds and the daffodils, another spring rite emerges: undergraduate research presentations.About 140 students presenting 115 individual pieces of research gathered for the 29th annual Cornell Undergraduate Research Forum April 16 at Duffield Hall, while 45 seniors convened for the Hunter R. Rawlings III Cornell Presidential Research Scholars Senior Expo 2014, April 17 at the Biotechnology Building.

Ranging from cancer research and possible pharmaceuticals for diabetics to cooking a better steak, almost 200 undergraduates conveyed their academic prowess.

Hunter R. Rawlings III Cornell Presidential Research Scholars presentations in the Biotech Building April 17. Photo by Lindsay France/University Photography

Hunter R. Rawlings III Cornell Presidential Research Scholars presentations in the Biotech Building April 17. Photo by Lindsay France/University Photography

Cornell Undergraduate Research Board

Michelle Duong ’14 showed that an environment influences food intake. In two focus groups – each before a bowl of chocolates – the people who discussed gym memberships ate fewer sweets than those who discussed a nonhealth topic.In her research, Shanique Alabi ’14 learned that Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), which she found at the Cornell Plantations, may offer promise as a carbohydrate digestion blocker for diabetics.

Jessica Lebovits ’14, Nolan Reese ’15, Janet Kim ’15 and Olivia Roche ’15 studied the culinary learning process of off-campus college students to ascertain nutrition among young adults. Louis Levine ’16, Rachel DeMel ’14, Camille Kapaun ’14 and Paige Mintz ’15 learned how off-campus students manage their time in preparing meals with the aim of improving their meal choices.

Conor Gruber ’15 studied the early detection of circulating tumor cells in pancreatic cancer, working toward an assay that ascertains cellular nuances; and Karen Martin ’15 examined the process of RAC1 proteins as it relates to metastatic cancer.

While Marissa Tranquilli ’15, Simeon Markind ’14, Katherine Bruce ’14 and Benjamin Catanese ’14 characterized the carbohydrate content of the Ithaca Beer Company’s Apricot Wheat and Green Trail beers with high performance liquid chromatography-refractive index detection, other student chemists Janette Guijosa ’14, Sarah Goodnow ’14, Daniel C. Lee ’14, Harrison Specht ’14 and Ashley-Lauren Mighty ’14 provided an aroma profile of Ithaca Beer’s Flower Power IPA in various stages of production.

Rawlings Cornell Presidential Research Scholars

Rachel Lumish ’14 correlated pica behavior (consuming non-food items like chalk, ice, powder, soap and dirt) and its relationship with iron deficiency among pregnant teens. And Quinn Kelly ’14 analyzed bicycling policies in major American cities, with an eye toward improving sustainable transportation. He found that cities with the strongest bicycling organizations had the strongest cycling infrastructure and policies, and the largest amount of cyclists.

James Zen Yui ’14 showed how to save energy and grill a better steak by pre-cooking the meat in a vacuum-sealed plastic and storing it in water, which keeps the meat tender. When ordered in a restaurant, the juicy so-called sous vide steak is grilled for a few minutes.

To create equity in discrimination lawsuits (based on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964), Hannah Clark ’14 assembled a database of factors that correlate with larger settlements and relief clauses in settlement documents.

Spenser Reed  ’14 evaluated chicken as a potential model for an inexpensive and sensitive zinc biomarker to quickly assess human nutritional needs, while Joseph Edwards ’14 explained how he used electrospinning and electrospraying to create membranes that use biochar to trap volatile organic compounds, for possible use as a smokestack filter.

****

Department of Human Development well-represented!

Of the students involved in the presentations, 21 were Human Development majors or worked with a professor from the department: Victoria Atzl ’14, Martina Azar ’14, Olivia Butkowski ’16, Morgan Drucker ’14, Lara Gentilini ’14, Jeanie Gribben ’15, Amauri Gomez ’14, Azraa Janmohamed ’16, Corey Keane ’15, Kyle Kurkela ’14, Wei-Feng Lee ’16, Samantha Marfurt ’14, Meghan McDarby ’14, Nicole Meyers ’14, Hye Eon Park ’15, Carly Schuller ’16,  Leah Shabo ’16, Victoria Silverman ’15, Colleen Sullivan ’16, Masrai Williams ’15, Lilly Zhang ’14.

Related Links:
Hunter R. Rawlings III Cornell Presidential Research Scholars
Cornell University Research Board

By Ted Boscia
Reprinted from Cornell Chronicle, February 11, 2014

Vrangalova

Vrangalova

When college students have casual sex – “hooking up” – how it influences their mental and physical health depends in part on their intentions for doing it, finds a Cornell study.

Hooking up for the “wrong reasons” – peer pressure, to boost one’s self-esteem, hoping it will lead to a long-term relationship or coercion by intoxication or other means, according to examples given in the study – decreased students’ well-being compared to peers who refrained from casual sex. On the other hand, casual sex motivated by the “right reasons” – such as a self-directed desire for pleasure, intimacy or excitement – did not heighten these negative health effects.

“Why you engage in casual sex is more consequential for your physical and mental health than whether you do it,” said author Zhana Vrangalova, Ph.D. ’13 in the field of human development. Her paper, “Does Casual Sex Harm College Students’ Wellbeing? A Longitudinal Investigation of the Role of Motivation,” was published online Feb. 5 in the Archives of Sexual Behavior.

“There are a number of situational, personal, interpersonal and social factors that determine whether one’s casual sex experiences are good or bad for them,” Vrangalova said. “This study is one of the first to examine, and find evidence of, one such factor: motivation.”

At the start and end of an academic year, Vrangalova surveyed 528 Cornell undergraduates, recording their mental and physical well-being, number of casual sex partners, their motivations for hooking up and various demographic factors. Applying self-determination theory, a psychological measure of people’s intentions, she determined whether students hooked up for autonomous reasons – those that are self-directed and reflect one’s values – or non-autonomous factors, outside influences such as coercion or social pressure.

After controlling for demographics, personality traits, prior casual and romantic sex, and initial levels of well-being, hookups motivated by external forces were linked to lower self-esteem, higher depression and anxiety, and poorer physical health. Autonomous hookups were not linked to negative outcomes. (The study defined hookups as any form of genital contact between partners who were not in a long-term romantic relationship.)

“Most studies on the link between casual sex and health have only looked at the simple comparison between those who have hooked up as a single group and those who haven’t, and findings have often been inconsistent across different studies,” said Vrangalova, who did the work as part of her doctoral dissertation. “This study shows the importance of internal processes, such as motivation, as moderators for health outcomes.”

The results could help guide teachers, counselors and doctors advising young adults about sex by “shifting education, policy and clinical work away from uniform, one-size-fits-all strategies and messages regarding casual sex and its health consequences, and toward more individually tailored, and, thus, more useful, approaches,” the paper reports.

The study was funded by student grants from the Foundation for Scientific Study of Sexuality, the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, and Cornell’s Human Ecology Alumni Association.

Ted Boscia is director of communications and media for the College of Human Ecology.

Related Information

By Karene Booker

Deana Blansky leading a session for young adolescents on health and fitness - Mark Vorreuter

Deana Blansky leading a session for young adolescents on health and fitness - Mark Vorreuter

Last year Deanna Blansky ’16 jumped into a new initiative to translate faculty research into hands-on activities for teaching middle-school youth about the brain, health, and science. The initiative aims to develop a six-hour 4-H STEM curriculum on health and the brain and is led by Valerie Reyna, professor and director of the Human Neuroscience Institute in the Department of Human Development, and co-director of the Cornell MRI Facility.

To start, Blansky, a Human Biology, Health, and Society major, developed two modules, one on nutrition and fitness and another on breast cancer genetics, based on Reyna’s ongoing research.  She piloted these modules with middle school campers at Bristol Hills 4-H Camp in Canandaigua, New York as part of her summer Cornell Cooperative Extension internship. Both modules combined aspects of health and neuroscience, while providing an interactive learning experience for the campers.

The campers particularly liked the hands-on lessons, such as competing in the nutritional breakfast cook-off and creating model brains they could keep, Blansky said. They had fun comparing breakfast ideas and seemed surprised by how easy it was to create their own healthy meals. They were eager to take their ideas back home, she said.

The combination of outreach through teaching at summer camp and empirical neuroscience research was really rewarding, Blansky concluded. What she learned about the research process, curriculum development and lesson planning for different age groups will come in handy - she is planning on entering the field of medicine and public health, and hopes to incorporate community health into her future career.

This year, Noah Rubin ’16 will be refining the two modules and developing new segments. Rubin is majoring in Policy Analysis and Management and minoring in Computer Science and Math. He joined Reyna’s Laboratory of Rational Decision Making propelled by an interest in human behavior and the neuroscience behind it. An interest, he says, that was sparked in high school after reading a story about a man who had developed software that predicted investing behavior based on reactions to current events.

The new and revised modules will be piloted with youth this summer, with the plan of eventually making them more broadly available.

By Ted Boscia
Reprinted from Cornell Chronicle, August 28, 2013

Wendy Wei leads a child through spatial cognition tests - Mark Vorreuter

Human development major Wendy Wei ’15 spent most of her summer at Ithaca-area day care centers leading 4- and 5-year-olds through brain teasers and puzzles or building towers with blocks and Legos. Far from child’s play, her work sought to understand how preschoolers develop spatial cognition and whether those abilities could be nurtured through interactive play.

Wei is one of 15 undergraduates who received $4,000 stipends from the College of Human Ecology to work in faculty labs full time this summer as part of the college’s long-running research immersion program. Made possible by a mix of alumni endowments and college and federal funds, it allows students to conduct research uninterrupted by classes, exams, jobs or extracurricular activities.

“We want students to deeply engage in research, not just doing a few hours as an assistant in the lab but helping the team to define the research question, methods and data collection and interpretation,” said Carole Bisogni ’70, M.S. ’72, Ph.D. ’76, associate dean for academic affairs. “For some students, it changes their entire outlook.”

Wei entered Cornell on a path to become a physician. But, partly due to her research in associate professor Marianella Casasola’s Cornell Infant Studies Laboratory, she’s now focused on a career in research and education.

This summer, Wei led an experiment to test how children’s knowledge of spatial language (terms like “up,” “down,” “in” and “on”) influences their spatial cognition (how well they recognize two-dimensional shapes and patterns, and mentally map their physical surroundings).

“Prior work has shown a link between spatial cognition and future performance in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields,” Wei said. “Hopefully the study will help in coming up with better methods for teaching kids spatial concepts.”

While Wei focused on cognitive growth, Judith Mildner ’14, human development, was examining declines in brain function. Mildner helped conduct a study in the Cornell MRI Facility searching for biomarkers in the brain that might predict the onset of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases years ahead of what is now possible.

Mildner said she enjoyed working on a team of research assistants and the close interaction with faculty that’s rarely possible during the busy academic year.

“I want to work in neuropsychology research, probably on aging and dementia, and I have learned a lot about what it takes to run an functional MRI study [a type of imaging that allows neuroscientists to see different forms of brain activity],” she said. “I want a job doing research, and this summer I’ve been able to do it all day, every day.”

Ariana Levitt working on fiber electrospinning in the lab of Margaret Frey, associate professor of fiber science and apparel design, in the Human Ecology Building - Jason Koski, University Photography

Students from each of Human Ecology’s five academic departments – Design and Environmental Analysis, Fiber Science & Apparel Design, Human Development, Policy Analysis and Management, and Nutritional Sciences – received summer stipends.

Some, like Nivetha Subramanian ’15 and Ariana Levitt ’15, donned white coats at lab benches: Subramanian compared genetic properties of breast milk from mothers of full-term and premature infants, and Levitt looked for the right mix of polymers needed to spin nanofibers with high conductivity and low water solubility. Others contributed to social science projects: Williams “Carlos” Higgins ’14 surveyed occupants of Caldwell Hall to gather data for a project to identify structures best suited for energy-saving retrofits, and Max Kellogg ’15 built a statistical model to track how TV ads influence people’s daily consumption of sweetened and unsweetened drinks.

Higgins said the summer program builds on classes by allowing him to “dive in much deeper.”

“It’s exciting when I find something I don’t expect to,” he said. “Usually in class everything is laid out in the syllabus, and you know what’s coming. With research, I’ve thought about the problem for hundreds of hours and still get results totally different from what I expected.”

Ted Boscia is assistant director of communications for the College of Human Ecology.

Footnote

Overall, six Human Development majors were among the 15 undergraduates who received research stipends from the College of Human Ecology this summer:

  • Rebecca Derven ’15 worked with Valerie Reyna, professor of human development, on "Interventions for Risk Reduction in Obesity Prevention;"
  • Judith Mildner ’14, mentioned above, worked with Nathan Spreng, assistant professor of human development, on "Age-related changes in enhancement and modulation of the default network;"
  • Emily Bastarach ’14 worked with Anthony Ong, associate professor of human development, on "Resilience to parental loss: A prospective study of early parental support and positive emotions;"
  • Wendy Wei, ’15 worked with Marianella Casasola, associate professor of human development, on the project mentioned above called "Putting the pieces together;"
  • Jasmin Perez ’14 worked with Gary Evans, professor of human development, on "The effect of socioeconomc status on infant Distractibility;" and
  • Jenna Behrendt ’14 worked with Barbara Lust, professor of human development, on "Characterizing language deficits in mildly cognitive impaired elderly compared to a healthy aging and a young population."

By Olivia M. Hall
Reprinted from Cornell Chronicle, September 17, 2013

From left, research assistants Meredith Moser '15, Natasha Herrick '15 and Leticia Vasquez '15 at Camp Bristol Hills, where they studied teen transitions this past summer - Mark Vorreuter

Summer camp is often about archery, swimming and singing around the fire. But this past summer, Natasha Herrick ’15, Leticia Vasquez ’15 and Meredith Moser ’15 were in for a different kind of camp adventure – their first academic research study.

Working with Jane Mendle, assistant professor of human development in the College of Human Ecology, the three served as research assistants for a pilot study to test expressive writing interventions with adolescent girls at 4-H Camp Bristol Hills in Canandaigua, N.Y.

The project, funded partly by Cornell’s Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research, formed when Tim Davis, 4-H youth development program leader with Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Ontario County, discussed possible collaborations at the residential summer camp with Mendle.

“Everybody knows that puberty is rough on kids, as relationships with parents and peers are changing,” Mendle said. “Our lab, like a lot of others interested in puberty, tends to focus on the consequences of puberty – which can include depression, anxiety, externalizing or ‘acting out’ behaviors, poor self-esteem and body dissatisfaction. In this project we wanted to explore what happens if we intervene before teens get to that point.”

Mendle’s research assistants lived at Bristol Hills and used free slushies to recruit 45 girls, ages 11 to 13. (Boys will be included in a future study.) During six, weeklong camp sessions, the RAs gathered the girls after lunch on four days for an exercise in expressive writing, which Mendle describes as “a brief, focused intervention, in which people write about times of change in their lives.”

After filling out a standard psychological questionnaire on the first day, the girls spent 20 minutes daily writing about their relationships with their families, friends and the changes taking place in their own bodies

Though the data have yet to be fully analyzed – Mendle is planning to send out a follow-up questionnaire in a few months – the research partners are pleased with the outcomes to date of this first-time collaboration.

“4-H camps put a real emphasis on how the camp experience will develop the whole child,” said Davis. “This year we were really able to pilot how we can work with faculty to do research at the camp while greatly benefiting our campers.”

Mendle hopes to use the pilot data to write a grant proposal that will expand the study to include a control group and show more clearly how the writing intervention provides positive benefits to adolescents.

The undergraduate assistants, for their part, found their interest in working with adolescents confirmed. “This research helped to further convince me that kids in this age range and young adults are the focus I’d like to pursue later in life if I ever get my own private practice as a therapist,” said Vasquez.

Herrick, Moser and Vasquez assisted with the study as part of the CCE Summer Internship Program, which provides opportunities for Human Ecology and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences students to support research and outreach projects in communities around the state. The RAs also assisted in a separate study on social exclusion among adolescents, led by Vivian Zayas, Cornell associate professor of psychology.

On Tuesday, Sept. 24, they and other CCE summer interns will present posters about their work at a reception, 5-6:30 p.m., in the Statler Ballroom.

Olivia M. Hall is a freelance writer.

By Scott Goldberg
Reprinted from the Cornell Chronicle, September 26, 2013

Rachel Blomberg '14 presents her summer research on leveraging the locavore movement at a Cornell Cooperative Extension Summer Internship Program poster session Sept. 24 in Statler Hall - Robert Barker, University Photography

This past summer, 26 students from the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and of Human Ecology conducted an array of research and outreach throughout New York state. Their topics ranged from climate change communication and use of social media and technology to field crops nutrient management.

In a presentation of their results at a Cornell Cooperative Extension Summer Internship Program poster session Sept. 24 in Statler Hall, Pawan Angara ’16, for example, who teamed with David Wolfe, professor of horticulture, said he focused on communicating the effects of climate change to New York youth and adults. He drafted responses to frequently asked questions for the New York Cornell Climate Change website as well as climate change 4-H activities for youth to introduce the issues of global

Helene Dillard, director of Cornell Cooperative Extension speaks during the poster session reception - Robert Barker, University Photography

warming at a young age. “I gained skills in professionalism, communication and teamwork,” Angara said.

Jamie Blum '16 worked on the PROSPER (Promoting School-Community-University Partnerships to Enhance Resilience) Partnership Model, which specializes in evidence-based programs that reduce risky youth behaviors, enhance positive youth development and strengthen families. Working in the Livingston County Cooperative Extension Office, Blum focused on community outreach and recruitment.

In a project geared toward teaching healthy eating habits to 8- to 12-year-olds, Hannah Swartz ’13 worked on nutritional science research associate Wendy Wolfe’s “Choose Health: Food, Fun and Fitness” (CHFFF) program. Swartz completed an evaluation of the program, traveling the state with postdoctoral associate Laura Thomas and organizing 12 focus groups in five counties with youth who had just participated in a CHFFF lesson.

Swartz, along with a number of fellow interns, plans to continue her internship this semester: “This fall, I’m working on revising the curriculum and writing a report for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. … There are certain things that could be more age appropriate and engaging.”

Many students remarked that the most satisfying aspect of their summer internships was the outreach interactions, particularly with youth. Eric Beaudette ’16 worked with Huiju Park, assistant professor of fiber science and apparel design, in arranging Park’s research on active wear (sports and fitness clothing) into educational resources for youth. Beaudette expressed his excitement about paving the way for younger students. “We really wanted to show kids that there were career opportunities in a realm that maybe kids haven’t thought of before,” he said.

Since 2007, the Cornell Cooperative Extension Summer Internship Program has engaged students in research and outreach. Faculty and staff from CALS and Human Ecology team with educators from Cornell Cooperative Extension offices to apply Cornell’s resources to state and national needs.

Scott Goldberg ’16 is a writer intern for the Cornell Chronicle.

Footnote

Six interns under the direction of faculty in the Department of Human Development participated in the CCE Summer Internship this year. Natasha Herrick ’15, Leticia Vasquez ’15 and Meredith Moser ’15 worked with Jane Mendle to pilot a study testing expressive writing interventions with adolescent girls at 4-H Camp Bristol Hills. Deanna Blansky ’16 worked with Valerie Reyna on a health and the brain neuroscience outreach project which was piloted at 4-H Camp Bristol Hills. The two educational modules developed so far involve nutrition and fitness and genetics - both incorporate neuroscience content and engaging hands-on activities. Won Joon Lee ’15 worked with Marianella Casasola  on a project examining the cognitive and socio-emotional development of infants one and two years-old, comparing infants from middle versus low-income families.

Reprinted from Cornell Chronicle, May 14, 2013

Cornell students have received a record 28 Fulbright U.S. Student awards to conduct research or teach abroad in 2013-14, according to the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, which administers the program at Cornell. Five students declined the awards. Winners will teach English and research such topics as land use in Zambia and mate choice in Sweden.

“This year the number of Fulbright U.S. Student Fellowships offered to Cornell students has shattered all our previous records. The 28 fellowships offered are more than twice our usual number,” said Gilbert Levine, Fulbright advisor and professor emeritus of biological and environmental engineering. “It is with great pride that we congratulate them on their achievements and wish them a great experience.”

The recipients include 12 graduate students, one medical student and 10 undergraduate students. The 2013-14 recipients, their destinations and project titles are:

  • Jennifer Alvarado-Ross ’13 (Jordan), English Teaching Assistantship.
  • Andrew Amstutz, a graduate student in the field of South Asian history, (India), “Vernacular Histories and Science in 20th-Century India: The Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu.”
  • Kevin Bassney ’12 (Serbia), "Coalition Building in Serbia."
  • Aimee Douglas, graduate student in the field of anthropology, (Sri Lanka), “Artisanal Nation: Heritage Production and the ‘Crafting’ of Identification in Sri Lanka.”
  • Ryan Edwards, graduate student in the field of history and Latin American studies, (Argentina), “An Ecology of Exile: The Ushuaia Penal Colony and the Nature of ‘The End of the World.’”
  • Erin Hern, graduate student in the field of comparative politics and gender and development, (Zambia), “The Political Effects of Non-States Service Provision.”
  • Lauren Honig, graduate student in the field of comparative politics and international relations, (Zambia), “The Interaction of Customary and State Land Institutions in Zambia.”
  • Sujin Lee ’13 (Mexico), “Amaranth: Cultural Education on Nutritious Grain Promotes Dietary Changes in Oaxaca, Mexico.”
  • Mallory Matsumoto ‘12 (Germany), “Cultural and Linguistic Diversity among the Ancient Maya.”
  • Kelton Minor, graduate student in the field of human factors and ergonomics, (Denmark), “Danish Co-Design for Inclusion: Methods for Designing with Persons with Disabilities.”
  • Zachary Montague ’13 (China), “The Right Price: Land Markets in Northwestern Urban Peripheries.”
  • Pavitra Muralidhar ’13 (Sweden), “Mate Choice and Inbreeding Avoidance in the Threatened Natterjack Toad in Sweden.”
  • Tzvetelina Nikolova ’11 (Bulgaria), English Teaching Assistantship.
  • Kasia Paprocki, graduate student in the field of global south development, (Bangladesh), “Politics of the Landless: Development and Resistance in Rural Bangladesh.”
  • Laura Pompano, graduate student in the field of nutritional science physiology, program evaluation, (China), “Integrating Eastern and Western Medicine to Address China’s Nutritional Deficiencies.”
  • Jacqueline Reynoso, graduate student in the field of history, (Canada), “(Dis)Placing the American Revolution: The British Province of Québec in the Greater Colonial Struggle.”
  • Sheveena Rowe ’13 (Maylasia), English teaching assistantship.
  • Michelle Spektor ’12 (Israel), “Security, Science and the State: Israel’s Biometric Database.”
  • Jessica Tingle ’12 (Morocco), “The Interplay of Culture and Reptiles in Morocco.”
  • Rebecca Townsend, graduate student in the field of history, (Thailand), “Floating in Stagnant Water: Thai Film and National Development, 1950s to 1970s.”
  • Jeffrey Valla, graduate student in the field of social psychology/cognitive development, (India), “Hindustani Music as Non-Invasive Perceptual Therapy for Children with Autism in Delhi.”
  • Daniel Ward ’13 (Japan), “Quality of Life in Elder Care Homes in Japan and Developing an Optimal Care Environment.”
  • Kristopher Schwebel, a Weill Cornell medical school student, received the Fulbright-Fogarty Fellowship in Public Health.

By Susan S. Lang
Reprinted from the Cornell Chronicle, May 23, 2013

On May 22, the Cornell Merrill Presidential Scholars Program honored 32 outstanding graduating seniors and the high school teachers and university faculty members who made important contributions to the students' lives.

Each spring semester since 1988, approximately 1 percent of the graduating class is named to receive the honor by the deans of each of Cornell's seven undergraduate colleges. The scholars, in turn, recognize a high school teacher who most inspired their scholastic development and a Cornell faculty member who most significantly contributed to their college experience. The high school teachers are invited to campus as guests of the university to participate in two days of events.

Merrill scholars are chosen not only for their outstanding scholastic accomplishments, but also because they have demonstrated remarkable intellectual drive, energetic leadership abilities and a propensity to contribute to the betterment of society.

This year, high school teacher Jacqueline Tano-Phua is traveling to Cornell from as far as as Singapore. The students honored include a Goldwater scholar (Julian Homburger); a three-season athlete throughout his time at Cornell (Adam Trofa, who has been running for the cross-country and track and field teams) and a student-elected trustee Alex Bores). Also of note: Derek Zerkowski, a 1999 high school graduate, attended Cornell with the support of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, a veteran’s education program; this is a first for the Merrill program. In addition, Professor Charles Williamson was cited for the 14th time, and Professor Rosemary Avery received her 11th Merrill invitation.

The university also honors the high school teachers with Special Teachers Are Recognized (STAR) scholarships, a one-time, $4,000 scholarship in each teacher's name for a financially needy Cornell student from the teacher's high school or geographical area. STAR scholarships were established in 1989 by the late Donald Berens and his wife, Margaret Berens, both Class of 1947. The late Philip Merrill '55 created the Merrill Presidential Scholars Program, funded by annual support from the Merrill Family Foundation.

The 2013 Merrill Scholars are listed below by college and hometown, followed by the names of the secondary school teachers and the Cornell faculty members the students selected for recognition:

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

  • Kristen Haynes, Clinton, N.Y.; Debby Hepburn, Clinton Senior High School; Barbara Bedford, natural resources.
  • Julian Homburger, Alamo, Calif.; Viki Acquistapace, De La Salle High School; Nathan Sutter, biometry and statistics and biological sciences.
  • Linda Liu, Manlius, N.Y.; Jamie Cucinotta, Fayetteville-Manlius High School; Edward McLaughlin, applied economics and management.
  • Jennifer Sun, Irvine, Calif.; Cathleen Zeleski, Northwood High School; Clifford Kraft, science of natural and environmental systems.
  • Yuchao (“Olly”) Wang, Zhongshan District, Dalien, China; Li Shao, The School Attached to Dalian University; Rui Hai Liu, professor, food science.
  • Kristy Yang, Chesterfield, Mo.; Kenneth Greathouse, Parkway Central High School; Vicki Bogan, applied economics and management.
  • Derek Zerkowski; Joseph Farrand, Ten Broeck Academy and Franklinville Central School; Antonio DiTommaso, agricultural sciences.
  • Dennis Zhou; Theresa Groman, Jamesville-DeWitt High School; Roger Spanswick, biological engineering.

College of Architecture, Art and Planning

  • Mikhail Grinwald, Pewaukee, Wisc.; Louise Doornek, Pewaukee High School; Andrea Simitch, architecture.

College of Arts and Sciences

  • Andrew Baim, Pine Brook, N.J.; Kim Deamer, Montville Township High School; Slava Paperno, Russian.
  • Kristen Fletcher, Farmingdale, N.Y.; Thomas Page, Half Hollow Hills High School East; Sofia Villenas, anthropology.
  • Sally Hayes, Winnetka, Ill.; Elizabeth Plank New Trier Township High School, Holly Case, history.
  • Jing Jin, Houston, Texas; Anna Loonam, Bellaire High school; Aaron Sachs, history.
  • Adam Kroloff, Bridgewater, N.J.; Nicolas Ripatrazone, Bridgewater-Raritan High School; Michael Goldstein, psychology.
  • Suzana Markolovic, Tappan, N.Y.; Nancy Brizzolara, Academy of the Holy Angels; David Collum, chemistry and chemical biology.
  • Patricio Martinez-Llompart, Valles del Lago Urb. Caguas, Puerto Rico; Diana Escobar, Academia del Perpetuo Socorro; Raymond Craib, history.
  • Andrew Santana, Burlingame, Calif.; Kevin Nelson, Burlingame High School; Richard Polenberg, government.
  • Sara Trongone, Montclair, N.J.; Daniel Gill, Montclair High School; Lori Khatchadourian, Near Eastern studies.
  • Jason Wang, Dublin, Ohio; Bob Durrett, Dublin Jerome High School; Terry Herter, physics.

College of Engineering

  • Guo Chin, Singapore; Jacqueline Tano-Phua, Hwa Chong Institution; David Delchamps, electrical and computer engineering.
  • Emma Lejune, Brookline, Mass.; Stacy Kissel, Brookline High School; Kenneth Hover, civil and environmental engineering.
  • Kimberly Lin, Woodbridge, N.J.; James McCormick, Middlesex County Academy of Science, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies; Ashim Datta, biological and environmental engineering.
  • Zachary Sherman, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Eric Goldstone, Pinnacle High School; Abraham Stroock, chemical and biomolecular engineering.
  • Adam Trofa, Woodbridge, Conn.; Thomas Jacobs, Amity Regional High School; Charles Williamson, mechanical and aerospace engineering.
  • Whitney Wenger, Charlottesville, Va.; Lani Hoza, Western Albemarle High School; Tobias Hanrath, chemical and biomolecular engineering.

School of Hotel Administration

  • Lana Miller, Huntington Station, N.Y.; Philomena Clement, Saint Anthony’s High School; Daphne Jameson, management communication.
  • Matthew Rubin, Chappaqua, N.Y.; Steven McKenney, Horace Greeley High School; Robert Kwortnik, hotel administration.

College of Human Ecology

  • Jonathan Bar, Fair Lawn, N.J.; Robert Pergolizzi, Bergen County Academies; John Belina, nutritional sciences.
  • John Boyle, New Hartford, N.Y.; Jeff Walters, New Hartford High School; Rosemary Avery, policy analysis and management.
  • Anne Laurita, Mendham, N.J.; Michael Scoblete, West Morris Mendham High School; Cindy Hazan, human development.

ILR School

  • Alexander Bores, New York, N.Y.; Irving Kagan, Hunter College High School; Kate Bronfenbrenner, industrial and labor relations.
  • Lucas Kowalczyk, Lee, Mass.; Alicja Szostek, The Eighth High School of Zabrze; Veronica Martinez-Matsuda, industrial and labor relations.

By Blaine Friedlander
Reprinted from Cornell Chronicle, April 18, 2013

Left, Gloria Appiah-Kubi ’13 talks with Katherine Callaghan ’14, center, and Hyun Jung Chung ’13 at the Cornell Undergraduate Research Forum April 17. Appiah-Kubi and Callaghan explained their study about children who recognize emotion words. Chung discussed problematic vaccination policies. Photo by Blaine Friedlander/Cornell Chronicle

From atmospheric pressures to zoological inquiries, about 140 undergraduates put posters of their projects on display at the 28th Annual Spring Research Forum at Duffield Hall.

Showing their scientific savvy, the students engaged in full-scale research projects, under the guidance of faculty members. At the forum, the students shared their work and engaged with several faculty and their own peers. Here are some scientific samples:

•Meet Katherine Callaghan ’14, Gloria Appiah-Kubi ’13 and Madhuri Martin ’13, who studied young children to discern when they comprehended emotion words. They found that by 21 months, toddlers could understand the term “happy,” and by 28 months these little humans seem to understand “scared.”
•Does parenting matter? It does to Marie Camerota ’13, who researched young children to explore the link among poverty, mental state language and executive function in infancy. She found that when mothers used descriptive words about a mental state such as “think,” “remember,” “want,” and “hope” with babies and toddlers, the child’s executive function – mental tasks like organizing, planning and paying attention – became very good.

From left, Henry Ekwaro-Osire ’14, Nikhil Lal ’14, Peter Ingato ’14 and Oliver Kliewe ’14 hold up the wing portion of their wingmill harvester – an oscillating system that captures energy – at the Cornell Undergraduate Research Forum April 17. Photo by Blaine Friedlander/Cornell Chronicle

•Andrea Fortman ’13 captured a rainfall of raw research when she examined storm water retention basins near parking lots. Fortman found many such basins work poorly, in that they don’t filter water properly.
•Walking along natural gas pipelines in Pennsylvania, Cassandra Garcia ’13 sought to learn the effects of human projects on amphibians. Huge swaths of forest get permanently sawed down to give way to the energy pipelines. In fact, Garcia found that the prevalent redbacked salamander rarely ventures near the pipelines in the hot summer sun, and they scurry to find cover, preferring the cool comfort of forests and wood piles.
•Michael Kaplan ’13, in seeking to build a better democracy, created an electronic, Web-based “argument map” to develop community knowledge formation. It shows articulated, constructive arguments on public issues for which people may or may not agree. Users at Kaplan’s thepublicspheres.com can contribute, organize and vote on arguments.
•Elizabeth McDonald ’13, who works in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, described the differing sounds of sperm whales. Using resonances captured from the Gulf of Mexico, McDonald employed sound software analysis and explained at the forum the calls of the whales.
•Examining the secondary structures of influenza virus RNA, Ray Zhuang ’15 aimed to see how its eight segments interact, with an eye toward helping science knock out the flu.
•Describing the new world of wingmill energy harvesting, Oliver Kliewe ‘14, Nikhil Lal ’14, Peter Ingato ’14, Henry Ekwaro-Osire ’14, Yan Asta Li ’16 and Al Jean-Francois ’13 showed their harvester to demonstrate the feasibility of capturing low velocity, turbulent airflow using an oscillating wing system that could be used on the ground or a rooftop. Looking toward sustainability, they hope they’ve found a next-generation power source.
•Chima Amadi ’15 examined the biological effect of plasma, with an eye toward regenerating tissue and other medical uses.

The forum was organized by the student-run Cornell Undergraduate Research Board and co-sponsored by the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and the Office of Undergraduate Research. ##

Twenty-one of the CURB presentations involved undergraduates or faculty from the Department of Human Development, comprising the majority of the presentations from the College of Human Ecology. Click here for a list of the HD presentations.