Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology Ph.D. Candidate Wins Three Minute Thesis Competition

“My thesis explores the blueprint behind building a small intestine. I call it ‘to be or “knot” to be’,” began Bhargav Sanketi, a doctoral candidate in biochemistry, molecular and cell biology, at the sixth Cornell University Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition.

Alongside seven other finalists, Sanketi presented his dissertation research in just three minutes to a panel of judges and an audience from across campus. Presentations were judged by how clearly and compellingly they summarized their research using only one static slide to a general audience.

Read the full story and learn more about the finalists

Resource for Instructors in Addressing Recent Acts of Violence: Hate in the Time of COVID

This panel discussion hosted by the Cornell Asian American Studies program aimed to inform students, colleagues, and communities of the longer history of Asian racialization in the U.S. to educate all on diverse resources for anti-AAPI hate reporting and activism and to build coalitions on both the national and local (central NY/Ithaca) levels.

Access the recording of this October 7, 2020 panel discussion.

Grants Help Students Present Research Online

Travel plans might be on hold but professional development doesn’t have to be.

Andrew Foley planned to attend the 2020 Academy of Management conference in Vancouver, Canada, but the pandemic interrupted his plans. Instead, he presented his paper at the conference’s online alternative, using Graduate School Conference Travel Grant funding toward associated expenses.

“It was still a fantastic experience,” Foley, a management doctoral student, said. “It was great to see how much work our community gets done even while distributed across the globe.”

Read the full conference grant story

Four Tips for Reducing Zoom Fatigue

Are you experiencing Zoom fatigue from frequent videoconferencing? In the first peer-reviewed article deconstructing Zoom fatigue from a psychological perspective, Stanford researchers identify four primary causes and their straightforward solutions:

1. Cause: Excessive amounts of close-up eye contact is highly intense.
   • Solution: Reduce the size of the Zoom window relative to the monitor size to minimize face size.
2. Cause: Seeing yourself during video chats constantly in real-time is fatiguing.
   • Solution: Use the “hide self-view” button, which can be accessed by right-clicking one’s photo.
3. Cause: Video chats dramatically reduce our usual mobility.
   • Solution: Consider where the camera is positioned and how distance or flexibility can be created. Turn the video off periodically during meetings for brief, nonverbal rest.
4. Cause: The cognitive load is much higher in video chats.
   • Solution: Take an “audio only” break during long stretches of meetings by turning off the camera and physically turning away from the screen.

Read more about the research and proposed solutions.

Alumna Spotlight: Carol-Rose Little

Carol-Rose Little, Ph.D. ’20, is an alumna of the linguistics program at Cornell, from which she holds a Ph.D. She is now a postdoctoral fellow in the department of linguistics at McGill University.

Read the full alumna spotlight

Interested in what other alumni have accomplished since leaving Cornell?

Check out our alumni spotlights, Q&As with former students about their current work, experiences, and skills learned at Cornell.

Kudos!

Doctoral Student Publishes Essay Engaging with Art Installation

Jehan L. Roberson, a literatures in English doctoral student, was a Critical Writing Fellow with Recess Art in Brooklyn and recently published an essay that engages the art installation/ritual practice of Ogemdi Ude and Sydney King. The essay is entitled “Ever Present and In Process: Breathing and Grieving with Ogemdi Ude and Sydney King.”