CU in the CITY: by Brenda Tobias

Unveiled last year in India by Tata Motors, India’s largest automobile manufacturer, the Tata Nano is targeted to families who had not previously been able to afford a car. Billed as “the people’s car,” the base model starts at $2,500 in India and can accommodate up to five adults.  Ratan Tata ‘59 is the Chairman of  the Tata group.

A bright, sunshine yellow Nano will be on display in Cooper-Hewitt’s Great Hall, along with diagrams and photos illustrating its concept, development and production.
On view February 18–April 25, 2010

Cooper-Hewitt link

Sidney Horenstein from the American Museum of Natural History points out the unique geology that can be found in the buildings of Central Park.

Urban Environment at Cornell University Cooperative Extension – NYC  is conducting its third year of the Urban Horticulture and Ecology Training Program in collaboration with Central Park Conservancy.

Participants learn about how glaciers have influenced the landscape of Central Park. Here they see evidence of a large rock that a glacier left behind.

Volunteers and staff from Central Park and other New York City parks will spend 16 weeks gaining knowledge and practical experience in subjects related to management and stewardship of an urban landscape.  Topics include botany, geology, soil health, plant identification, pruning, herbaceous plants, plant diseases, turf management, weeds, urban ecosystems and biodiversity, and planting and maintenance.

Participants learn about the prevalence of Manhattan schist in Central Park.

N.Y. Philharmonic and Christopher Rouse DMA ‘77
2.16  7:30 PM
Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony & Sinfonia concertante for Winds at Avery Fisher Hall
Rouse’s Odna Zhizn (A Life) 2008 (New York Philharmonic commission, world premiere) “is a biographical picture of someone very near and dear to me,” says Christopher Rouse, “and because she is of Russian extraction, I gave my piece a Russian name.” Naming the piece wasn’t difficult: he decided on the title before he had written even one note.
Previously, Christopher Rouse’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Trombone Concerto was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic for principal trombonist Joseph Alessi, as was Seeing, featuring Emanuel Ax; and Musical America recently named him 2009 Composer of the Year, saying, “Few composers have written as skillfully for orchestra… His self-described ‘off-the-wall inventiveness’ has thrilled audiences worldwide.”
Location: Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center

Pandemic Influenza Viruses: Past and Present
2.17  12:30 – 1:30 PM
Speaker: Peter Palese, Ph.D., Horace W. Goldsmith Professor and Chair, Department of Microbiology; Professor, Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
A Weill Cornell Medical College, Community and Public Health Research and Clinical Rounds, sponsored by Department of Public Health’s Division of Community and Public Health Programs
Location: 402 E 67th Street
Contact: Maritza Montalvo at 646-962-8005

William Osler Leaves Johns Hopkins for Oxford: A Case Study of Physician Burn-Out a Century Ago
2.18  5:00 – 6:00 PM
Speaker: W. Bruce Fye, MD, MA, Professor of Medicine and Medical History, College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic
Location: Weill Cornell Medical College,Weill Greenberg Center (2nd Floor), 1305 York Ave

NYC Cornellians Young Alumni Happy Hour
2.18  7:00 PM
Join fellow young alumni from the classes of 2000-2009 for our February cocktail event @ Haven!  This event is hosted by the NYC Cornellians- Young Alumni Social Committee.
For more information go to Event link
Location: Haven, 244 East 51st Street (b/w 2nd & 3rd)
Cornell Contact:  Jessica Raha  jessica.raha@cornell.edu

The Class of ‘76 Annual Mid-Winter Gathering
2.19  6:30 PM
At the Home of Ellen Werther Ressler.  Special Guest of Honor Glenn Altschuler, MA ‘73, PhD ‘76, Vice President for University Relations,Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professor of American Studies, and Dean of the School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions
Questions, please email: ewerther@earthlink.net
Please RSVP by February 12, 2010 Event link
Cornell Contact: Tina Gourley  tlg5@cornell.edu

Immortal Journey: A new musical by Samuel J. Bernstein ‘58 & Guillermo Ortiz
2.19 & 2.20
Immortal Journey weaves fact, fiction, song and dance into a new epic musical.  Inspired by Eugene O’Neill’s The Fountain, the story tells of the intrepid Juan Ponce de León, who gained great military distinction in fighting courageously, on behalf of Spain, in its victorious campaign to defeat the Moors during the early years of the Inquisition.
Location: The Kirk Theatre at Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street
Showtimes: 2.19 at 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM and 2.20 at 7:30 PM
Contact Eric P. Vitale at immortaljourney@yahoo.com.

Cornell Asian Alumni Association’s 18th annual Banquet 2010
2.20  6:30 PM
The Cornell Asian Alumni Association (CAAA) is hosting their 18th annual fundraiser banquet at The Golden Unicorn Restaurant, in Chinatown, NYC, honoring Annie Y Wong 77. The event will include a traditional ten-course dinner, along with festive entertainment, and remarks from Vice President for Student Academic Services, Susan Murphy 73, PhD 94
Visit the website:Event link
Location: Golden Unicorn Restaurant
Cornell Contact:   Barbara Naylor  barb.naylor@cornell.edu  607-255-4173

Public Health Grand Rounds
2.22  12:00 – 1:00 PM
Beryl A. Koblin, PhD, ScM, Head, Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention, The New York Blood Center, Adjunct Faculty, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
Location: Weill Cornell Medical College, 402 East 67th Street (between First and York Avenues)
Contact: Maritza Montalvo at 646-962-8005

Cornell On The Road presents Professor Brian Wansink
2.23  7:00 PM
Hidden persuaders in restaurants, movie theaters, airplanes, and even our own homes can trick us into eating more than we want–but it’s possible to fat-proof these places with a few tricks from the Cornell Food and Brand Lab! Lab director and Cornell faculty member Brian Wansink will share some science-based strategies that provide practical and easy ways to lose weight by fat-proofing one’s life.  Cornell on the Road presents Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think with Brian Wansink, Professor of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University.
Location: Cornell Club, 6 East 44th Street
Contact:    Francine Darling  francine.darling@cornell.edu 607-254-7147
$20per person, includes luncheon and presentation.
Advance reservations are required by Friday, February 19th at 12noon.

The Changing World of Crohns and Colitis:The Impact of New Therapies on Old Strategies
2.23  12:00 PM
Speaker: Ellen J. Scherl, M.D., Jill Roberts Associate Professor of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine,Division of Gastroenterology/Hepatology, Department of Medicine, New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical Center
Location: Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, Uris Auditorium
Contact: (212) 746-2631

Outcomes & Effectiveness Research/Health Policy,Research-in-Progress Seminar
2.25  3:00 – 4:00 PM
Speaker: Stephen Lyman, PhD, Director, Epidemiology & Biostatistics Core, Hospital for Special Surgery, Associate Professor of Public Health, Weill Cornell Medical College
Location: Weill Cornell Medical College, 402 East 67th Street (between First and York Avenues)
Contact: Maritza Montalvo at 646-962-8005.

Professor Eric Tagliacozzo, history, spoke at the American Museum of Natural History on January 14th as part of the Curry Economics panel in conjunction with the Silk Road exhibit.

A podcast of the event is available here: Curry Economics podcast link

The Kaufmann Theater - photo by Craig Chesek, AMNH

Christopher Rouse DMA '77

Steven Burke DMA ‘01 and Christopher

Steven Burke DMA 01

Rouse MFA ‘77 DMA ‘77 @ Lincoln Center
2.8  8:00 PM
American Modern Ensemble presents: Intersections
Program
Fauve – Steven Burke
Embracing The Wind – Robert Paterson
Crossfade – Sebastian Currier
Lettere* – John Eaton
Compline – Christopher Rouse
*Celebrating John Eaton’s 75th Birthday
Onstage discussion with the composers
Location: Rose Building, Lincoln Center, 10th Floor 65th Street and Amsterdam Ave.
$20 Advance, $25 at the door
Contact: 800-838-3006 to order by phone (24/7).

American Modern Ensemble link

Abby Joseph Cohen ‘73 @ the 92nd St Y
2.8  8:15 PM
Abby Joseph Cohen ‘73 will present: After the Great Recession, moderated by Claire B. Benenson and Madeline I. Noveck.  Abby Joseph Cohen is a senior investment strategist and president of the Global Markets Institute at Goldman Sachs.
Location: Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street

92nd St Y link

Comparative Effectiveness Research: A Cornerstone of Healthcare Reform?
2.9 12 – 1 pm
Department of Medicine Grand Rounds
Speaker: Alvin I. Mushlin, MD, Chairman, Department of Public Health Nanette Laitman Distinguished Professor of Public Health, Professor of Medicine,  Public Health Physician-in-Chief  Weill Cornell Medical College
Location: Weill Cornell Medical College, Uris Auditorium, 1300 York Avenue
For more information, please call Maritza Montalvo at 646-962-8005

The H1N1 Pandemic: A Case for Preparedness and Response
2.9  6:00 – 7:30 PM
The Center for Discourse on US Health Care Policy and Medical Students Executive Committee and Department of Public Health Presents
Bruce Gellin, M.D., M.P.H.. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health; Director, National Vaccine Program Office, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Location: Weill Cornell Medical College, Uris Auditorium,1300 York Avenue
Contact: mmontalv@MED.CORNELL.EDU

Twenty Under Twenty Wine Tasting
2.9  6:30- 8:00 PM
Come celebrate The Club’s 20th Anniversary year with a four-part series Twenty Under Twenty. Each reception style tasting will feature five wines under $20.00. Sommelier Cynthia Sexton of Vestry Wines will be on hand to answer questions on her hand picked selections. Tasting notes will be provided as well. Since this tasting is in February, what better month for ourr culinary team to pair each wine with an artisan cheese or hors d’oeuvre inspired by the Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day!

Contact: Kerry Strassel K.Strassel@cornellclubnyc.com

Dr. Roy M. Gulick @ the 92nd St Y
2.10  7:00 – 8:30 PM Snow Cancellation – re-schedule TBD
Dr. Gulick presents The Doctor Answers Your Questions About Epidemics and Swine Flu
Dr. Gulick is a Professor of Medicine and the Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases at Weill Medical College of Cornell University / New York Presbyterian Hospital Come learn about the swine flu and how it got to be this serious.
Location: Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street

92nd St Y link

N.Y. Philharmonic and Christopher Rouse DMA ‘77
2.10, 2.11, 2.12, 2.16
Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony & Sinfonia concertante for Winds at Avery Fisher Hall
Rouse’s Odna Zhizn (A Life) 2008 (New York Philharmonic commission, world premiere) “is a biographical picture of someone very near and dear to me,” says Christopher Rouse, “and because she is of Russian extraction, I gave my piece a Russian name.” Naming the piece wasn’t difficult: he decided on the title before he had written even one note.
Previously, Christopher Rouse’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Trombone Concerto was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic for principal trombonist Joseph Alessi, as was Seeing, featuring Emanuel Ax; and Musical America recently named him 2009 Composer of the Year, saying, “Few composers have written as skillfully for orchestra… His self-described ‘off-the-wall inventiveness’ has thrilled audiences worldwide.”
Location: Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center

NY Philharmonic link

The Breakfast Club
2.11  7:45 – 9:30 AM
The Breakfast Club has maintained a strong following and is a great opportunity for developing strong business relationships through the exchange of ideas and advice with fellow Club Members. Topics of discussion are typically determined at the start of the breakfast. Most often attendees come with topics that may range from a challenge he/she is facing at work, a request for advice on a business idea, the economy, news of the day, and so much more. The breakfast is led by Leslie Nydick ‘85, a member of The Club’s Board of Directors and a professional mediator who has broad experience facilitating and moderating group discussions. A breakfast buffet will be served.
$20 per person.
Advance reservations are require

Contact: Kerry Strassel K.Strassel@cornellclubnyc.com

A Simulation Study of Regional Earthquake Response Using Telemedicine
2.11  3:00 – 4:00 P.M.
Speaker: Wei Xiong, Ph.D.Assistant Professor, Division of Outcomes & Effectiveness Research, Public Health Department, Weill Cornell Medical College
Location: Weill Cornell Medical College Department of Public Health’s Conference Center,402 East 67th Street (off First Avenue) Level C1
Contact: Maritza Montalvo mmontalv@med.cornell.edu

Human Resource Practices and Industrial Relations in Professional Sports with Gary B. Bettman and Robert D. Manfred, Jr.
2.11  6:30 – 9:00 PM
The sports industry is central to the social, economic, and cultural development of American life, but many of the industrial relations practices in sports stand apart from what is standard in the private sector. Given the nature of the work, the presence of star players, and the league system, as well as the application of labor law and antitrust law, industrial relations practices in sports necessarily differ from the rest of private sector. Mr. Bettman and Mr. Manfred will discuss whether the skills and approaches used in other areas also can be applied to sports, or else what unique set is needed.  This is a Workplace Studies Institute series
Location: The Cornell Club, 6 East 44th Street
Contact: Katie Briggs kathleen.briggs@cornell.edu

Veterinary College @ Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

Dean Don Smith with 2006 Best in Show winner, Rufus

Brenda Tobias with 2001 Best in Show winner, JR

2.15 – 2.16
Cornell Veterinary College will participate in the 134th Westminster Dog Show.  Dr. Tom Kern will be discussing the prepping that occurs for the show, what it is like being in the show ring and explaining the road to Westminster.  Cornell Veterinary student Ingrid Rhinehart ‘11 will be receiving a scholarship on the last night of the show.
Please contact Stephanie Specchio sas6@cornell.edu for more information

There was a full house last night for Part and Apart: Black and Jewish  Students at Cornell, 1869-1969.  The program, sponsored by Cornell on the Road and Cornell Hillel, and held at the UJA Federation, attracted a very enthusiastic crowd with stories to tell.  Elaine Engst began the evening’s program with an archival overview of Jewish students at Cornell University.  The stories were gleaned from scrapbooks, correspondence and photographs.  Carol Kammen presented the history of African American students at Cornell which was a bit more challenging, as records have not been earmarked to indicate race.  (Presumably the last names of the Jewish students made their identification easier.)

Andrea Strongwater '70, Julia Levy '05, Steven Ludsin '70

The program left time for audience participation, and many stories were shared.  One of the most telling was that of the Jewish alumnus who recounted that African American women often joined Jewish sororities, indicating some version of solidarity.

Bruce Steiner '72, Sheryl Hilliard Tucker '78, Renee Alexander '74, Jonelle Bradshaw '96

Audience members (many representing classes after the 1960s) were encouraged to share their stories to provide a fuller picture of what it was like to be an African American or Jewish student at Cornell University.  Those interested should contact Julia Levy (director of advancement, Cornell Hillel) jml82@cornell.edu or Renee Alexander (director of affinity programs, Cornell University) rta3@cornell.edu.

If you are unable to attend tonight’s Cornell on the Road event featuring Carol Kammen and Elaine Engst on the history of black and Jewish students at Cornell, you can still hear this fantastic talk by these two wonderful historians – virtually!  Just visit Cornell on the Road’s Livestream channel:

Livestream link

The presentation starts tonight at 7:30 P.M.

LaVecchia, A View From the Bridge - Opening Night, provided by BroadwayWorld

Antoinette LaVecchia ‘89 opened in A View From the Bridge on Sunday night.  This limited run show directed by Gregory Mosher at The Cort Theater has received universal rave reviews.  The all star production is Ms. LaVecchia’s first Broadway production, after completing a successful run of her show How To Be A Good Italian Daughter.  I had the opportunity to see A View From the Bridge last week   This was my first time with this particular Arthur Miller play.  There is as much back story as there is theatrical story, and I found it all almost too much to absorb.  “Bridge” is often seen as the final “take that” in the demise of the friendship between Elia Kazan and Mr. Miller.  For years after the McCarthy trials, the two spoke only through their art forms.  It is said that Miller expressed his sorrow and rage at Kazan with The Crucible, and Kazan replied with On the Waterfront, that then followed by “Bridge.”  It is very hard to ignore all that when watching this play that centers around codes of honor, betrayal and human frailty.

The play is crafted exquisitely and narrated by the attorney, Alfieri (Michael Cristofer.)  Mr. Mosher has directed Cristofer beautifully.  It is no small feat to narrate a drama while playing a character within the play.  His transitions are fluid and his stage presence pulses with an understated power.  The story, as told by Alfieri, is that of a family of first generation Italian-Americans in Red Hook, Brooklyn.  Eddie (Liev Schreiber) and his wife Beatrice (Jessica Hecht) have raised their niece Catherine (Scarlett Johansson.)  Catherine is a sheltered seventeen year old with her first exposure to men her own age (illegally) arriving in the form of Beatrice’s cousins Rodolpho and Marco.  Tragedy unfolds as Eddie finds the budding romantic relationship between Catherine and Rodolpho intolerable.  There is an unwholesomeness to Eddie’s interest in Catherine that colors his entire perspective.  The tragedy that results from a man who loses his conscience while caught up in his misdirected impulses is life altering.

This lovely production has great bones and an unparalleled cast.  (Jessica Hecht should be performing all the American classics.)  The staging was wonderful, with self contained, restrained moving sets and brilliant fight scenes.  Fight scenes, as we all can attest to, are a horror.  They are not easy to choreograph (Thomas Schall) and certainly not always easy to watch.  These were pitch perfect and utterly convincing (except for one small moment when Mr. Schreiber is careful not to bang Mr. Spector’s head on the table.)  The costume design (save Mr. Schrieber’s “dockwocker dressed by Armani” look, and Ms. Johansson’s pin-up look) are brilliantly on point.  There is one off kilter set construct in the venetian blinds in the Red Hook tenement apartment.  I did very much appreciate the absence of microphones and the smallness of the production, both designed to pull me in.
It was a special thrill to see Ms. LaVecchia as a neighbor during the final most dramatic scenes.  She is a beautiful actress with a commanding stage presence, and if it weren’t for the fact that I have met her, I would have been utterly convinced that she was a Red Hook resident in 1956.

Dr. Mallay Occhiogrosso

The Women’s Program at Payne Whitney Manhattan
1.27  12:30 – 1:30 PM
Speaker: Mallay Occhiogrosso, MD, Instructor in Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, Assistant Attending Psychiatrist, Payne Whitney Clinic
Location: Weill Cornell Medical College, Public Health, 402 East 67th Street (between First and York Avenues)
Contact: Maritza Montalvo at 646-962-8005

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ‘54 @ 92nd St Y
1.28  8:00 PM
Ruth Bader Ginsburg was nominated by President Clinton as associate justice of the United States Supreme Court in June 1993, and took the oath of office in August 1993. Prior to her appointment, she served on the bench of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Ginsburg holds a BA from Cornell University, and received her JD from Columbia Law School. In 1971, she was instrumental in launching the Women’s Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union. Throughout the ’70s, she litigated a series of cases solidifying a constitutional principle against gender-based discrimination. Ginsburg has written widely in the areas of civil procedure, conflict of laws, constitutional law, and comparative law.  Justice Ginsburg will be interviewed by Nina Totenberg.

92nd St Y link

Location: Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street
Contact: 212.415.5500

Improving Blood Pressure Control Among High Risk Patients: Transitional Care Results of Home-based Interventions
1.28  3:00 – 4:00 PM
Speaker: Penny Feldman, PhD,Vice President, Research & Evaluation, Director, Center for Home Care Policy & Research,Visiting Nurse Services of New York
Location: 402 East 67th Street (between First and York Avenues)
Contact: Maritza Montalvo at 646-962-8005

The Cornell Law School and Cornell Law School Alumni Association New York Annual Luncheon
1.29  12:00 – 2:30 PM
Featured Speaker: Marshall Phelps, JD ‘69 will present: “Strategic Innovation and the Role of Intellectual Property Rights”
Location: The New York Helmsley Hotel, 212 East 42nd St.
Cost $75 / $50 Public Service or Young Alumni (Classes of 1998-2008)
Table sponsorships are also available.
Please Register Online by calling the Alumni Affairs Office at 607.255.5251.
For more information go to Cornell Law link

Collegiate Night at the Armory – Men’s Track
1.30  All Day
A scored meet featuring Virginia, Villanova, Syracuse, Princeton, Columbia and Albany
Location: 216 Fort Washington Avenue
For more information please contact: Kevin Zeise kjz3@cornell.edu    607-255-5627

A Little Night Music – Cornell Club
2. 3  8:00 PM
Academy Award-winner Catherine Zeta-Jones, five-time Tony Award-winner Angela Lansbury and Olivier Award-nominee Alexander Hanson will star in the first Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s Tony Award-winning masterpiece A Little Night Music, directed by Tony Award-winner Trevor Nunn. Based on Ingmar Bergman’s film Smiles of a Summer Night, A Little Night Music is set in a weekend country house in turn of the century Sweden, bringing together surprising liaisons, long simmering passions and a taste of love’s endless possibilities. Hailed as witty and wildly romantic, the story centers on the elegant actress Desirée Armfeldt and the spider’s web of sensuality, intrigue and desire that surrounds her.
Location: Walter Kerr Theater 219 West 48th Street
$130per ticket/final sale
Contact: Kerry Strassel K.Strassel@cornellclubnyc.com

Strategy Execution and Risk Management: An Uneasy Alliance?
2.4  5:30 – 8:00 PM
Cornell Wall Street (CWS) presents Strategy Execution and Risk Management: An Uneasy Alliance? featuring Dr. Robert S. Kaplan Ph.D. ‘68, Baker Foundation Professor at Harvard Business School
Location: The Cornell Club of NY, 6 E 44th St

Cornell Wall Street link

John Dewey (1859-1952): A New Approach to Practicing Philosophy
2.4  4:00 – 5:30 PM
An Ethics, Technology, and Dignity: An Introduction to Twentieth Century Philosophers seminar
Location: Weill Cornell Medical Public Health Conference Center, 402 E 67th Street
Contact: Kerrine Carter kec9014@nyp.org

Hip and Knee Arthroplasties: Trends and Disparities Revisited
2.4  4:00 – 5:30 PM
Speaker: Ya-lin Chiu, MS, Research Biostatistician, Department of Public Health, Weill Cornell Medical College
Location: 402 East 67th Street (between First and York Avenues)
Contact: Maritza Montalvo at 646-962-8005

Public Service Awards Recognition Reception
2.5  6:00 PM
Public Service Awards Recognition Reception @ the New York City Bar Association. We estimate approximately 100 people in attendance.
For more information go to Cornell Law link.
Location:  New York City Bar Association
Contact: alumni@lawschool.cornell.edu 607-255-5251

Members of the Cornell Glee Club warm up the crowd at Alice Tully

The Cornell Glee Club performed to a sold out crowd at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall as part of their Northeast Tour 2010.  The Glee Club performed; Sicut Cervus, Non Nobis Domne, Winter Lullaby, and were then joined by members of The Hangovers.  The program concluded with Cornell performing with The University Glee Club of New York City (founded in 1886) such songs as Strike Up a Song to Cornell and the Alma Mater.