Alumni Newsletter Spring 2025
Photo: Simon Wheeler for Cornell University
Biomedical and Biological Sciences Ph.D. Candidate Wins 2025 Three Minute Thesis Competition
“One in six people will develop knee osteoarthritis by the time they are 60 years old,” began Sydney Womack, a biomedical and biological sciences doctoral candidate and doctor of veterinary medicine student, at the 10th Cornell University Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. “Osteoarthritis is a joint disease which causes symptoms like pain and stiffness, and there are no drugs available that can slow the progression of the disease and are safe for people to use in the long term. Don’t you wish we had a way to really study diseases like osteoarthritis and develop new therapies?”
More Graduate School News
- Hundreds of Grad Student Volunteers Host Science Conference for Budding Scientists
- Three FFAR Students Visit Congress
- Doctoral Candidate Selected as IFER Graduate Fellow
- Alum Gave Inaugural Bouchet Lecture
Photo: Amritansh Kwatra
A team of researchers from Cornell Tech, including information science doctoral student Amritansh Kwatra, have developed a new tool designed to revolutionize hardware troubleshooting, with the help of 3D phone scans.
More Research with Impact
- Medical Students Use AI to Practice Communication Skills
- Yann Hicke, computer science doctoral student
- Durable Plastic Gets a Sustainability Makeover
- Reagan Dreiling, chemistry and chemical biology doctoral candidate
- Working Moms Set an Example for the Next Generation
- Giulia Olivero, public policy doctoral candidate
PhotoL Provided
Diego Rey, Ph.D. ’10, is an alumnus of the biomedical engineering doctoral program with minors in applied and engineering physics and biophysics. He is now CEO of Gemini Therapeutics, Inc.
Photo: Ryan Young/Cornell University
The Cornell Board of Trustees on March 21 voted to appoint Michael I. Kotlikoff, who has served as interim president since July 24, Cornell’s 15th president, effective immediately.
Read more about the appointment.
More Cornell and Ithaca News
- Funding Secured for Commercial Kitchen at Ithaca Farmers Market
- Kathryn Boor, Graduate School Dean and Vice Provost, to End Term
- Historic Marker Celebrates Pearl S. Buck’s Stop in Ithaca
Photo: Jason Koski/Cornell University
Free Cornell-themed Quizzes and Puzzles
How well do you know your fictional Cornellians? Can you complete a crossword based on Dragon Day, Cornell’s annual ‘Rite of Spring?’ How well do you know the cafés and dining rooms across campus? Looking to brush up on your Big Red trivia? Find out with quizzes and trivia from Cornellians!
Explore the quizzes and puzzles.
Photo: Ryan Young/Cornell University
Cornellians Would Love to Hear From You!
Grad Notes are your opportunity to connect with your fellow alums and share news. Have you marked a career milestone or taken a trip? Did you get married, have a baby, or welcome a grandchild? Do you have a Big Red memory that would make other Cornellians smile?
Submit a news form or email cornellians@cornell.edu.
Photo: Rare and Manuscript Collections/Cornell University
The first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. on the Hill, Flemmie Kittrell, Ph.D. ’36, became a leading nutrition educator and policymaker. After she passed away in 1980, the eulogy at her funeral included praise for her dedication to bettering people’s lives around the globe.
More Alumni in the News
Cornell Incubators Propel Startups Toward Real-world Impact
Cornell Chronicle, 4/24/25
Alumni: Gaganpreet Sidhu, Ph.D ’11, and David Fischell ’75, M.S.E. ’78, Ph.D. ’80
History of Art Staff Member Publishes Research on Face Pots
A&S Communications, 3/17/25
Alumni: Danielle Vander Horst, M.A. ‘19
Barrier-Breaking Astronomer Graces a U.S. Quarter
Cornellians, 3/4/25
Alumni: Vera Cooper Rubin, M.S. ‘51
Do Starchy Carbs Cause Cavities?
Cornell Chronicle, 2/26/25
Alumni: Dorothy Superdock, Ph.D. ’23, and Shuai Man ’23, M.A. ‘24
These Alums are so Inventive, They’re in the Hall of Fame!
Cornellians, 1/29/25
Alumni: Eric Betzig, Ph.D. ’88; Harry Coover, Ph.D. ’44; Robert Moog, Ph.D. ’65; and Ching Wan Tang, Ph.D. ‘75
Mini Smart City Drives Design of Safer Automated Transportation
Cornell Chronicle, 11/20/24
Alumni: Simon Tian, M.S. ’24, and Heeseung Bang, Ph.D. ‘24
Like WFH? Depends How You Got There, and Who’s Doing It
Cornell Chronicle, 11/19/24
Alumni: Kristie McAlpine, M.S. ’14, Ph.D. ‘17
Bells Are Ringing for This Veteran Chimesmaster
Cornellians, 10/30/24
Alumni: Jennifer Courtley Lory-Moran ’96, M.A.T. ‘97
See more alumni in the news stories.
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