Author Archives: Albert

Ties Between China and Cambodia

Posted on by
2

For this Becker-Rose Café, Professor Andrew Mertha of Cornell’s Department of Government substituted Professor Benny Widyono and compiled a short talk about his research and discoveries in China, particularly it’s bureaucracy. I really enjoyed the talk that Professor Mertha held because he made it humorous and a lot his experiences were full of vigor and vivid detail. In a lucky turn of events, he found a bunch of old and secret documents that were allegedly blueprints of missile plans and factories. But on a serious note, his search was originally revolved around learning about China’s influence in Cambodia, but he ultimately did not find what he was looking for. I think that this shows how disorganized and difficult the Chinese government is, and likewise with what Professor Mertha has said, China has a lot to fix.

Natural Lands in Ithaca

Posted on by
Reply

For the last Becker-Rose Café of the semester, Andy Zepp from the Finger Lakes Land Trust came to share his experiences about his occupation and the current stance of his group, which has acquired around 50,000 acres of public land. In an attempt to preserve these natural areas, the Finger Lakes Land Trust buys portions of a large piece of land as they open up. However, Mr. Zepp informed us that the funding for these purchases are often from private donations from around a 2,500 member base. He emphasized the value of preserving these lands, which not only serve as land marks, but also as trails for people to hike, relax, and admire nature. In fact, the Finger Lakes Land Trust has been working on installing conveniences such as ramps to make sight-seeing easier for any tourists that come across these forests. Overall, it was an interesting talk to end the semester and to learn how much effort people put in to preserve little of what we have left of natural sites such as forests and trails.

Future College Career

Posted on by
Reply

For last week’s Becker Rose Café, Professor Daniel Schwarz came to give a talk about college success and what we can do to maximize our benefits at school. However, I feel that while the advice was useful, it was slightly difficult to apply. For instance, Professor Schwarz emphasized that we should pick professors who care about the students and know how to teach. And while there are friends or websites that give professors rating, it all depends on whether or not the class is full, or if you have other conflicting courses that stop you from going to one professor.

In addition, Professor Schwarz also gave his views about financial aid and fraternities. One of the biggest benefits of attending an Ivy League is that all of them are need-blind. This means that low-income families have the same chance of attending the school compared to higher-income families. He also mentioned that children from low-income families had the same IQ as kids that were had a better educational background. I feel that while this may be true, one of the harder issues is giving the advantage in academic preparation now that the college admissions process is getting more competitive. Many children may not be able to afford tutoring or extracurricular activities that help make students and their profiles stand out among others.

Lastly, Professor Schwarz talked briefly about fraternities and how they are catered towards people who have the same mindset, similar to a cult. He argued that because of this, there is actually less diversity in these groups since people who join fraternities are similar to each other. Personally, I haven’t had any interest in joining fraternities, but it was nice to hear about his view as compared to student views.

School and Stress

Posted on by
Reply

Last week, Sarah Gills and Andrea Gerding from Gannett Health Services came to give a talk about stress and techniques that students at Cornell can apply to help with finals week. They started off by identifying common stress symptoms, which consisted of physical sensations as well as emotional sensations. I think that they summarized what a lot of students feel really well since they are counselors for many students on campus.

I think that the tips they gave regarding work management and preparing for finals were especially useful. One of the problems that I have when deadlines start rushing in is chunking my work. I often focus on the big problem instead of breaking down the work into manageable chunks to improve workflow. In addition, Sarah and Andrea also talked about a routine technique to help condition our brains to sleep at night. This would usually be a nightly routine, such as reading a book, packing the bag for tomorrow, or even just stepping away from the computer for the last hour before we go to bed.

Lastly, the café ended with a short meditation session that reminded us to be mindful and aware of how we are feeling when we are stressed. We are often overwhelmed by feelings of anxiety and I think the guided meditation was particularly useful in reminding myself to take a breather so that I can clear my mind and work more efficiently.

Importance of Soil

Posted on by
Reply

For last week’s Becker-Rose Café, Dr. Dawit Solomon, a researcher of plant science at Cornell, gave a talk about the importance of soil. We often see soil as the dirt that plants are on, or a substance containing a certain number of minerals. Likewise, Dr. Solomon agrees with the following points, but expanded more about the importance of soil in biodiversity and the planet from his research.

He specifically mentioned the importance of soil in retaining carbon from biomass. I found this point interesting since I’m currently taking a plant biology class and the greenhouse effect. Much of the increase in carbon dioxide is manmade (from burning fossil fuels) and while I learned that CO2 levels are increasing, I didn’t know that soil could be used as carbon sinks. Building off of this idea, he introduced his current research about placing phosphorous back into the soil to make for an even richer soil for indigenous populations.

Professor Blalock later brought in a bagged sample of Dr. Solomon’s product, which was made of cow-bone and merged into the soil for higher carbon concentrations. Not only would this reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released as a byproduct of butchering cows for meat, but it enriches plant life. In addition to helping the environment, soil becomes important by ensuring that agriculture also thrives. Having some background in the material, I thought it was interesting to learn more about a practical application of what has been studied.

Being an Athlete at Cornell

Posted on by
Reply

For last week’s Becker-Rose Café, Coach Silviu Tanasoiu of Cornell’s Varsity Men’s Tennis Team gave a talk concerning the lives of athletes at an Ivy League university. Not only do these individuals have to balance a workload with respect to their majors, but they also have to wake up at 6:30 in the morning for practice before going to class, followed by another practice and homework. Coach Silviu also highlighted the difficulty of being an Ivy League athlete. In the whole world, there are 48 Ivy League players, meaning that there’s a higher chance that you’d win the lottery than to represent one of the Ivy Leagues. He has also mentioned that there are currently six tennis players competing against each other to represent Cornell.

After talking about the logistics of the Ivy League sports circle, Coach Silviu brought up points that dealt with personal issues, and it was eye-opening to see things from a completely different perspective. When Cornell recruits, Cornell aims to attract the best players and they are often international players. The issue with international players are that they’re often grounded in their decision of playing their sport at the professional level and do not realize the value of an education. In fact, in most countries, many players think that education hinders their progress towards professionalism to some extent, and Coach Silviu reaches out to the player’s entire family to let them know that Cornell is there to enrich their lives with an educational experience as well as offering them an opportunity into one of the most selective sports leagues in the United States.

Since some of these players do not have the academic background and preparation like many of us do, it was refreshing to see that coaches as well as professors (such as Rose House’s Professor Blalock) are there to help these players overcome these deficits. In fact, sports players are not only boggled down by their practice routines, but they have classes and studying to do just like the rest of us. I feel that I’ve come to know a little more about the Cornell community and having a friend who plays varsity baseball at Cornell, I think it’s only now I realize how much tougher school is for him.

Coach Silviu stressed the importance of personal values and it’s great to see that Cornell has such supporting advisors that only wants the best for our students.

DREAMers, the undocumented.

Posted on by
Reply

At last week’s Becker-Rose café, Rose House GRF Esmeralda gave a talk concerning individuals who lacked a sense of identity as they grew up. These individuals are typically young children who had been brought over illegally over to the United States by their parents and thus lose a lot of the benefits that American citizenship provides. One point that Esmeralda emphasized was the lack of financial support for education. The reason for immigration was usually for a better life, but there is no social mobility for undocumented individuals since education may already be limited. Compared to registered individuals, the undocumented have to pay full tuition for wherever they go, and with the ever-increasing prices of college tuition, it’s clear that many of them would not get the education they desire to prosper for a better life.

I was glad that Esmeralda talked about this issue because I never have gotten exposure to people who are undocumented for their whole life. A lot of the other Rose Scholars posts have referred to Spanish television as a way of letting people know about the troubling circumstances these young people face. But since my parents primarily watch Chinese television, I think it’s eye-opening to see other ongoing issues that I didn’t even know existed. And throughout all my years as a student, I don’t think I’ve been taught about this types of issues or what others can do to assist them. I think this just shows how certain systems neglect social groups, but I hope that in the future, we do see improvements politically to assist their community.

Cooking With Technology

Posted on by
Reply

Last week at the Becker-Rose Café, Rose House Professor Garrick Blalock gave a talk about his research in adapting new technologies in Uganda to reduce carbon emissions. Teaming up with engineers, Professor Blalock set to replace the three-stone stoves that the villagers were using. But not only were the three stone stoves inefficient, but they were also releasing a lot more pollution into the air. Professor Blalock and his team devised a stove made by engineers here at Cornell that reduced the amount of pollution the stoves released while focusing the heat on the food. Not only would this save time and energy for the villagers, but also improve health conditions in the house.

I really liked Professor Blalock’s talk since he started out with a problem that everyone could relate with. Nowadays, we’re constantly emphasizing the need to live a greener life. And one of the causes of carbon emissions are cars. However, there are plenty of companies like Toyota that have developed cars that are very efficient in terms of pollution. The Prius was a pretty popular choice when Professor Blalock asked the entire group, but surprisingly, very few people, including my family, own a Prius. Branching off of this idea, Professor Blalock incorporated his research and was able to draw a parallel in trends of the villagers having completely stopped using the stoves after he revisited a year or two later.

It makes me think whether or not it’s because of human behavior and habit that made the transition from traditional stoves to more efficient stoves so much more difficult. Perhaps if there was a bigger motivation force, things could change?

A Glimpse of Cornell Tech

Posted on by
Reply

For last week’s Becker Rose Café, Professor Adam Schwartz, Director of Cornell Tech, gave a talk about the new facility currently being built at Roosevelt Island. He emphasized the uniqueness of Cornell Tech’s program versus other graduate programs that are offered by other big-name universities. One of the main attractions of Cornell Tech is that it’s built very close to NYC and it would only require a trip over a bridge to visit the campus. This would not only allow for more business-oriented opportunities for research, but also allow many of the students and staff at Cornell Tech to participate in startups. Furthermore, the teaching style at Cornell Tech differs from a lot of what we have here on the Ithaca campus. Much like big tech companies, the new institute focuses on group work and collaboration and looks to break away from the lecture-oriented classes.

Although the talk was oriented to provide us with information about the learning environment and development of Cornell Tech, I think that it would’ve be even better if Professor Schwartz could have talked more about how an undergraduate could prepare for admission to Cornell Tech. Since he emphasized being creative, it left me wondering if undergraduates looking to pursue a degree at Cornell Tech should be involved in research or attempting to join startups.

Environmental Humor

Posted on by
Reply

For last week’s Becker/Rose Café, Professor Aaron Sachs of Cornell’s Department of History gave an entertaining and satirical talk about environmental humor. Before this event, I didn’t really notice that such a category existed. I often think of a line of separation between the scientists who understand and research about the environment, while the other side sports individuals who have less knowledge about their surroundings. And it’s precisely since environmentalists are often ignored that they are seen as individuals who have no sense of humor at all.

However, during the talk, Professor Sachs provided several video clips, courtesy of ‘The Onion’. The videos, while appearing to be very serious in nature, were comedy skits that mocked the current situation of the planet with regards to the environment. It was mentioned that this form of communication to people presents a more relatable moment compared to emphasizing the negative truths to an extreme. Presenting this information where everyone laughs about it is at the same time, educating people about the current trending topics about the environment.

But while those videos are hilarious, I feel that it’s also important for people to be actively wanting to change the situations instead of just laughing about them.

Melancholy and Love

Posted on by
Reply

Last Becker-Rose Café, GRF Sara Schlemm led a talk about the development of melancholy over time in literature. I thought the talk was intriguing since melancholy isn’t a term that people talk over a cup of tea and a cookie or two. Emotions are often felt more than they are talked about and it was different to see melancholy from a more academic standpoint.

Sara briefly introduced her own research on melancholy and told us about how it led to the exploration of several literatures, such as Hamlet. It’s been a few years since I’ve touched on Hamlet, but Sara reminded everyone of the scene where Hamlet stages an act of madness. She talked about the brilliance of the writing and how the concept of torturing oneself is a form of melancholy.

And to pull away from more concrete, written sources, she later showed us clips from a movie called Vertigo in which a former detective is hired to follow a woman. I think I really admired the scene where the woman was dressed in the same attire in the painting since it brought to light the different ways melancholy can be portrayed. In that clip, melancholy was represented visually and audibly and it somehow created an feeling of eeriness and beauty.

While I haven’t watched Vertigo in it’s entirety, I will be sure to revisit the movie and hopefully gain some more insight on the topic of melancholy!

Planning For the Future: Ithaca Commons

Posted on by
Reply

Last Wednesday, I had attended a talk led by Lisa Nicholas about the development of economic trends in Ithaca. She specifically talked about the reconstruction of the commons and how planning went about when deciding the exterior design and placement of buildings to better fit the community. One of the most interesting points that she talked about was the future completion of a new Marriot hotel.

I’ve only been to Ithaca Commons several times, but the environment really reminds me of South Street Seaport in New York City. That being said, the ambiance is comforting and evokes thoughts of a cozy, tight knit community. One of the issues that Lisa emphasized was how to blend in a hotel into a communal environment? While a lot of big name companies propose to the county of Ithaca about hotel plans, the hotels often look to minimize costs in construction. This would typically result in a metallic looking building that stands right near the friendly, cozy-looking Commons. Consequently, a lot of negotiating has to be done because the prospect of a hotel would in fact benefit the economy of Ithaca.

Though I haven’t had the time to fully explore the commons, or I may not even have time until I graduate, the fact that there is going to be a hotel makes the possibility of visiting Ithaca after my education a lot easier! As Lisa also mentioned, Ithaca is one of the top-ranked places in the United States to spend retirement or vacation, and I think it would certainly be wonderful to bring my parents up here for a week-long vacation!

Holding the Rail

Posted on by
Reply

Last Saturday, Rose House had an ice skating event and we went to Lynah Rink with GRF Andrew and SA Caitlan! Though I didn’t have any experience with ice skating, I do have a fair share of experience with rollerblades. That being said, my friends and I all ended up just holding onto the edge of the arena going around in circles until there was a 10 minute break for a tiny truck to resurface the ice!

That being said, I felt that skating on ice was more difficult than skating on wheels. For one, the ice is more slippery than the ground and there are grooves that are dug by the blades on the skates. But despite falling once or twice, this event has definitely piqued my interest in ice skating and I’m actually planning on taking either the ice skating or figure skating courses that Cornell offers as a PE class! And even though we still don’t have any formal training, my friends and I are still planning to go back for another round of ice skating some time in the semester!