Feb 20Sustaining Happinessby Jackie Swift Increasingly, studies have shown that happiness can translate into health benefits. Positive emotions such as joy and contentment have been linked to lower blood pressure, reduced risk for heart disease, and a longer life span. But happiness isn’t the same for everyone. “We know that high levels…Happiness6 min readHappiness6 min read
Nov 14, 2022Designed for Rural Livingby Jackie Swift A small community faced an urgent problem. The inhabitants of Change Islands, an isolated fishing community spanning two small islands off the northeast coast of Newfoundland, were entirely dependent on an old, unreliable ferry to go back and forth to the Newfoundland mainland. The community was often…Information Technology5 min readInformation Technology5 min read
Nov 3, 2022Strikes, Protests, and Today’s Workforceby KeShonna Jackson ’24, Cornell University In December 2021, workers at a Starbucks location in Buffalo, New York, voted to unionize, a first for a corporate Starbucks location in the United States. Less than a month later, some workers at the store walked off the job, fed up with what…Cornell University5 min readCornell University5 min read
Aug 18, 2022Algorithms Based on Human PerceptionBy Jackie Swift When you think about computers, you probably don’t consider the phenomenon of human perception. After all, what do our sensory abilities and brain processes have to do with the logic of a computer? Quite a lot, says Kavita Bala, professor of computer science and dean of the…Artificial Intelligence6 min readArtificial Intelligence6 min read
Aug 12, 2022Justice for Marginalized CommunitiesBy Jackie Swift More than 50 percent of New York State farmworkers are undocumented, and a significant number of them are children and youth under the age of 21. …Cornell University6 min readCornell University6 min read
Aug 5, 2022Farmer-Led Climate ActionBy Jackie Swift The impact of global warming on food production is concerning. The changing climate is already affecting domesticated crops, as well as wild plants and animals that contribute to human survival. Yet, there is hope, says Rachel Bezner Kerr, a professor in the Department of Global Development, in…Agriculture6 min readAgriculture6 min read
Jul 29, 2022Watch Out Chicken, Here Comes HempBy KeShonna Jackson ’24 An Impossible Burger from Trillium, lentil meatballs from Martha’s Café, and soy milk lattes from Café Jennie — plant protein is found almost everywhere on Cornell University’s campus, offering more sustainable and healthy alternatives to traditional animal proteins. Three sources of plant protein currently dominate: soy…Research5 min readResearch5 min read
Jul 22, 2022Peering through Alien AtmospheresBy Skylar Xu ’24 Jonathan Gomez Barrientos ’22 at Cornell University was first drawn to astronomy by Curiosity, the Mars rover that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched in 2011. He wanted to learn more about the instruments on board the rover. …Cornell University5 min readCornell University5 min read
Jul 15, 2022Glowing Planets and Chemical FingerprintsBy Jackie Swift In 1995, astronomers found the first known planet around a sun-like star outside our solar system. The news caused a buzz of excitement around the world. …Cornell University6 min readCornell University6 min read
Jul 11, 2022A Big Red Undergraduate JournalBy KeShonna Jackson ’24 With this spring’s inaugural issue of the Cornell Undergraduate Research Journal, or CURJ, Cornell University now has a digital and print publication dedicated to reporting the findings and research accomplishments of Cornell’s enterprising undergraduate students. …Cornell University6 min readCornell University6 min read
