Dear SIPS community,

It is with a heavy heart that I write my March update. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has impacted friends and colleagues in SIPS, and around the world. Stories from the region over the past 5 days are heartbreaking, as are stories from those in SIPS who are concerned about friends and family in the region. Some of those stories are included in Monday’s Cornell Chronicle. Please know that as a community, we stand in support of those impacted by these terrible events.

Welcome:

• Dr. Abe Strook, Gordon L. Dibble ’50 Professor in Cornell’s Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering has been appointed as a SIPS-wide adjunct professor. We look forward to continued collaboration with Abe!

Congratulations:

• Hannah Thomas, Jesus Martinez-Gomez, Shanthanu Krishna Kumar, Jiaming Wen, George Stack, and Jacob Toth, recipients of the Barbara McClintock Graduate Student Award for 2021. Read more at Six SIPS Graduate Students receive the Barbara McClintock Award

Faculty Search update:

• Sustainable weed management – the position has been posted to AJO, please forward it to anyone that may be interested. Applications will be accepted until March 4, 2022  https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/20872
• CALS cohort hire – Interviews are underway. There will be two interviews the week of March 7. Check Magdalen’s Monday news for info on research seminars and please do attend!
• SIPS Director – The process continues to move forward. Beth Ahner has contacted potential candidates and will provide more information on the next steps in the process later this month.

Renovation update:

Renovation of the Plant Science Building will require major disruption of perimeter landscaping. Some trees and shrubs will remain in place, and some will be transplanted or taken down. Staff from Cornell facilities and grounds will be tagging trees in the two courtyards that flank the south entrance of Plant Science (Tower Road side) in preparation for their relocation. Depending on weather, the actual transplanting will happen in late March. Read more

Congratulations to the following people who were recognized with a SIPS Kudos in the last month! Thanks for your effort and passion in support of SIPS.

• Going Above and Beyond: Ashlee Cherry, Jamie Crawford, Nick Kaczmar, Caylyn Railey, Swayamjit Ray, Ali Cala, Maddie Flasco, Karin Jantz, Alicia Caswell, Josh Balles, Brianne Crowley,
• Building Mastery and Skill: Michele Blackmore
• Strong Team Spirit: Jennifer Scaglia, Greg Smith

PLEASE remember to recognize people in our SIPS community that have gone out of their way to enhance our School. All you have to do is complete the brief form here

Take care,

Chris