THE ESSENTIALS
FIELD TRIP
Coast to coast for a cause
Just three days after her graduation from the College of Human Ecology, Julieclaire "JC" Sheppard '10 began pedaling across America to raise awareness and money to support osteoporosis research.
Sheppard, her mother and a friend embarked on the 3,000-mile journey June 3 in San Francisco. On Aug. 4, they arrived in New York City, following stops at five national parks, seven cities and countless small towns. They made grueling climbs through the Sierra Nevada Mountains, encountered wheat threshers and hay trucks on tiny two-lane roads in the Midwest, and faced steamy weather and teeming insects.
The team blogged about their trek at Bond Girls Bike America, bondgirlsbikeamerica.com/blog. They planned to raise $1 or more for each mile logged to benefit the National Osteoporosis Foundation.
Sheppard, a policy analysis and management major at Cornell, is attending the University of San Diego Law School.
SEEN & HEARD
Obama takes note
In a speech Aug. 9 at the University of Texas-Austin, President Barack Obama discussed higher education and the economy. He mentioned Cornell among institutions taking a proactive approach to containing costs:
"… Part of the responsibility for controlling these costs falls on our colleges and universities. Some of them are stepping up. Public institutions like the University of Maryland, University of North Carolina, some private institutions like Cornell, they're all finding ways to combat rising tuition without compromising on quality ... I want to challenge every university and college president to get a handle on spiraling costs."
President David Skorton mentioned Obama's call-out in his welcome back e-mail message Aug. 25:
"… President Obama singled out Cornell for taking decisive action to contain costs – and keep the university affordable for students from all backgrounds. Despite our financial challenges, we have reaffirmed our commitment to need-blind admissions and need-based financial aid. [The Class of 2014] and our new transfer, graduate and professional students continue to reflect the diversity that is so essential to the character of our university."
SNAPSHOT
Cornell family tree: Extended clan has 56 Cornellians
Among the alumni attending Reunion 2010 in June were a subset of an extended family that boasts 56 Cornellians. Twelve of them are pictured at right in Barton Hall.
"All of this started with Byron B. Robb, Class of 1911 (of Riley-Robb Hall) and Wilburn H. Potter, D.V.M. '18 (my grandfather)," Robert Potter '69 said. "They then each sent children to Cornell who often married Cornellians, and now both families include a fourth generation of Cornellians."
Carleton Potter, D.V.M. '40, was on hand for his 70th reunion.
"Dad remembers seeing members of Cornell's first graduating class while he was in the Vet School. If my math is correct, they could have been back for their 70th reunion as well," Robert Potter said.
Byron Robb's grandson, Larry Newman '65, married Susan Potter '66, Robert's sister; their three children all attended Cornell, as fourth-generation Cornellians through both parents.
The latest Potter descendants at Cornell are Adrianne Masler '10, Erica Masler '13 and Parry Cadwallader '13. A Potter family picnic held July 4 in Homer included 30 Cornellians.
CORNELL PEOPLE
Pick up the pieces
When artist Andrea Strongwater '70 decided to transform her original painting of Cornell into a jigsaw puzzle for a Reunion 2010 gift, she turned to Adam Silver '02 and Sarah Dickinson '02, co-founders of the New York Puzzle Co.
Silver has been obsessed with puzzles since childhood. He found a kindred spirit in fellow history alum Dickinson when they reconnected a few years after graduation. Their company specializes in custom puzzles and licensed images, such as the New York City subway (their first product) and New Yorker magazine covers.
Silver and Dickinson turned Strongwater's painting of Cornell into a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle. For more information, visit www.astrongwater.com.
CREATED@CORNELL
Robot Ranger sets walking record
A Cornell robot named Ranger traveled 14.3 miles in about 11 hours in July, setting an unofficial world record at Cornell's Barton Hall. A human – using a standard toy remote control – steered the untethered robot (at left, graduate student Pranav Bhounsule).
Ranger navigated 108.5 times around the Barton Hall indoor track – about 212 meters per lap – and made about 70,000 steps before it had to stop and recharge. The 14.3-mile record beats the former world record set by Boston Dynamics' BigDog, which had claimed the record at 12.8 miles.
A group of engineering students led by Andy Ruina, Cornell professor of theoretical and applied mechanics, announced the record a few days later at the Dynamic Walking 2010 meeting in Cambridge, Mass. Ruina leads the Biorobotics and Locomotion Laboratory at Cornell. The research is funded by the National Science Foundation.
One goal for robotic research is to show off the machine's energy efficiency. Unlike other walking robots that use motors to control every movement, the Ranger appears more relaxed and emulates human walking, using gravity and momentum to help swing its legs forward. Ruina says that this record not only advances robotics, but also helps undergraduates learn about the mechanics of walking. The information could be applied to rehabilitation, prosthetics for humans and improving athletic performance.
AROUND CAMPUS
Dairy Bar scoop
Fear not, ice cream fans! Even though the Cornell Dairy Bar closed for renovations at Stocking Hall June 18, Cornell Dairy's premium ice cream was still served as a summertime treat and will remain available throughout the year at Trillium Express in Kennedy Hall.
In 2013, the new glass-fronted Dairy Bar will invite the public to learn about food and dairy processing. From a balcony above the Dairy Plant, visitors will be able to see Cornell ice cream, milk, pudding and yogurt move through production – from processing to pasteurization and packaging.