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The Corne¬ Daily Sun Vol. 130, No. 67

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News

Science

Arts

Weather

Chess Champion

It’s All Relative

Kill Your Darlings

Mostly Cloudy HIGH: 45 LOW: 39

A Cornell student was ranked one of the best chess players in the -country. | Page 3

Anthony Maers ’13 grad is challenging Einstein’s theory of special relativity. | Page 10

Time to meditate

Zachary Zahos ’15 highly recommends a movie cowritten by a Cornell professor. | Page 13

Int’l Student Enrollment Soars at Cornell University Officials: international students add to campus life

By ASHLEY CHU Sun Staff Writer

RINA KANG / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Instructor Kati Hanna and her students practice the meditative practice of tai chi in Anabel Taylor Hall Tuesday.

Nearly 150 years ago, Cornell welcomed its first five international students. Now, students from abroad represent almost 20 percent of the student body — and, year by year, are coming from more countries around the world, University administrators say.

The growth in the University’s international student population mirrors a nationwide trend, with U.S. institutions reporting

that the number of international students enrolling for the first time increased 9.8 percent between 2012 and 2013, according to the Institute of International Education. At Cornell, international students’ representation in the student body grew from 15.9 percent to 19.1 percent between 2003 and 2012, according to the International Students and Scholars Office.

The development is a welcome one, administrators say, emphasizing that internaSee INTERNATIONAL page 4

C.U.Engineering Gets $51.4M Gift:Autodesk Software

By ANNIE BUI Sun Staff Writer

Beginning this month, Cornellians will have access to new 3-D design, engineering and entertainment software on hundreds of machines, thanks to a donation by multinational software corporation Autodesk, Inc. The gift, which is commercially valued at $51.4 million, includes Autodesk’s Education Master Suite, Entertainment Creation Suite and other programs used in “engineering manufacturing and digital animation for feature films,” according to a University press release.

Autodesk software allows Cornell researchers to work more

cost effectively on federally funded projects. Researchers at Cornell’s Wilson Synchrotron Laboratory have been using Autodesk products since 1993, according to the press release.

Tim O’Connell, engineering manager at the Wilson Synchrotron lab, said the software will make it possible for engineers to test their designs before choosing to invest in the manufacturing of that software.

Prof. Lynden Archer, chemical and biomolecular engineering, echoed O’Connell’s sentiments.

“Powerful [software] can help satisfy a critical need … for a prototype design and evolution process that eschews expensive infrastructure required for manu-

Tom Joseph, head of facturing new products, without compromising the realism and Autodesk’s education division, rigor of the product design expe- said he believes that by equipping rience provided to Cornell chem- “the next generation of creative leaders” with ical engipowerful and neers,” Archer “I look forward to seeing cutting-edge said in the what Cornell’s students software, peorelease. ple will be University and faculty can create capable of Provost Kent Fuchs said using [the Autodesk tools].” confronting the challenges that the gift Provost Kent Fuchs of today’s f r o m world.

Autodesk will “We hope to inspire the best provide a vast array of opportunities for “exploration and educa- and brightest … and to provide them with the technologies to tion.”

“I look forward to seeing what imagine, design and create a betCornell’s students and faculty can ter world,” Joseph said in the create using [the Autodesk press release.

Though based in San Rafael, tools],” Fuchs said in the release.

Joining Facebook’s ‘Open Academy,’ Univ.Teaches Student Programmers

By ERIC OBERMAN Sun Staff Writer

For the past two spring semesters, Facebook and Cornell have teamed up to offer a course that allows computer science students to work on real-world products.

The course, CS 5152: “Open-Source Software Engineering,” is part of Facebook’s Open Academy program, which allows students to get experience

working on open-source projects while working with industry mentors.

Cornell is one of 22 colleges worldwide and one of 13 schools in the U.S. that participates in Open Academy, according to a Facebook press release.

The program was designed to give students experience working on existing projects, rather than starting them from scratch, according to Prof.

Ross Tate, computer sci-

ence.

“Normally in classes, they’ll build a code base on their own,” he said. “It’s very different to hop on somebody else’s project, especially if it’s millions of lines of code already.”

In the past, students have worked on programs like MongoDB, an opensource document database, and Ruby on Rails, a web development program, See FACEBOOK page 4

Calif., Autodesk has a connection to both Cornell and Ithaca. Chief Executive Officer Carl Bass graduated from Cornell in 1987 with a degree in mathematics, where he founded Ithaca Software Inc. with classmates. It was later acquired by Autodesk in 1993.

Autodesk is best known for their 2-D and 3-D computeraided design software, AutoCAD. AutoCAD has been used in projects such as the design of the Tokyo Sky Tree Tower, the National Stadium Brasilia and renovations to The Ohio State University Medical Center, according to Autodesk’s website.

Annie Bui can be reached at abui@cornellsun.com.

Visual overload

SIMON LI / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Prof. Medina Lasansky, architecture, gives a talk titled “Optic Overload: What happens when we look too much? Lessons from the Sacro Monte of Varallo” in Goldwin Smith Hall Tuesday.

2 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Weird News

Daybook

Today International Engagement in Agriculture and the Life Sciences 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., G-10 Biotechnology Building

Umpteen speedy televisions perused two sheep, then umpteen tickets towed Jupiter, and Dan untangles five progressive orifices. Umpteen quixotic aardvarks annoyingly bought two Macintoshes. Umpteen bureaux tickled two extremely putrid botulisms. Paul sacrificed one lampstand, then Jupiter marries the very quixotic pawnbroker. Five purple poisons laughed, yet umpteen chrysanthemums kisses five aardvarks. Batman noisily untangles one Jabberwocky. Two Macintoshes laughed, then one extremely schizophrenic Jabberwocky drunkenly untangles two sheep, however Quark telephoned umpteen obese Jabberwockies. Five irascible botulisms slightly lamely auctioned off the subway, and five chrysanthemums easily untangles one mostly speedy Klingon. Five dogs drunkenly perused Minnesota, however the mats ran away cleverly, although one partly progressive subway quite comfortably sacrificed

Today

of the Week

Ripley’s Black Friday Sale Does Not Dissapoint

Moosewood Cookbook Signing and Tasting Noon - 2 p.m., Cornell Store Employee Assembly Meeting 12:15 - 1:30 p.m., 401 Physical Sciences Building Beyond Sacred Space A Geography of Power in Hebrew Israel 4:30 - 6 p.m., Barnes Hall Auditorium

Tomorrow CU Music: Midday Music at Lincoln 12:30 - 1:15 p.m., B20 Lincoln Hall Student Assembly Meeting 4:45 - 6 p.m., Memorial Room, Willard Straight Hall Society of Women Engineers Student Faculty Dinner 6 p.m., Atrium, Physical Sciences Building Cultura Antojitos Cooking Series 6 - 7:30 p.m., Southside Community Center K-Pop Noraebang Contest 7 - 9 p.m., 132 Goldwin Smith Hall

NEW YORK (AP) — Where’s a Black Friday shopper to turn for a 19th century vampire-killing kit?

Believe it or not, the item is part of the Black Friday madness at the Ripley’s Times Square Odditorium. It will set you back about $25,000.

At a little more than $19,000 a shrunken head is a comparative bargain.

Or the thoughtful gift-giver might prefer a taxidermy Albino giraffe. The price tag is about $1.7 million. Gift-wrapping is not included.

Still got tons of room under the Christmas tree — and about $2.5 million to spare? Your loved one might be clamoring for 18th century, iron-clad elephant armor from India.

Already shopped out? No problem. The “featured collection” is being offered until Dec. 24.

Topless Barber Arrested LONGMONT, Colo. (AP) — A woman who allegedly offered topless hairstyling services in northern Colorado faces criminal charges. But police say the problem isn’t cutting hair without a top. It’s cutting hair without a license.

The Longmont Times-Call reports 46-year old Suzette Hall was arrested Wednesday night on suspicion of practicing cosmetology without a license.

Hall’s former partner says she advertised $45 topless haircuts online.

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According to the arrest warrant, the former partner called police about the topless styling because she “did not believe this was safe or proper.”

Police weren’t able to turn up any Craigslist ads.

Hall’s ex-husband told police she set up shop in Loveland and offered services as “Rebel Barber.” He told police she applied for “a nude license for hairstylists,” but no such license exists.

Police Chief Tased For Charity KNIGHTSTOWN, Ind. (AP) — Knightstown police Chief Danny Baker has used pig roasts and golf tournaments to augment his department’s shrinking budget, but badly in need of $9,000 for a new squad car, he’s reprising his most shocking fundraising approach to date: getting shot by a stun gun.

The jocular 63-year-old chief and another Knightstown official were planning to have a detective shoot them with a Taser at a free event Wednesday night in the middle school gym in their small eastern Indiana town. Spectators — who Baker hopes feel compelled to donate — will get a firsthand look at how 50,000 volts of low-amp electricity affects the human body.

“It’s a shame we have to go to the extent of having fundraisers and getting electrified and so forth, but with small-town budgets you have to do something to get by,” said Baker, a lifelong Knightstown resident who has been in law enforcement for 35 years.

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, December 4, 2013 3

NEWS

In a First, Cornell Will Hold Spring ClubFest

By ANIKA SETHY Sun Contributor

This spring, the Welcome Weekend Committee will hold its first ever Spring ClubFest.

In the past, the Orientation Steering Committee would put on a ClubFest in the spring but only market it to transfer students, according to Tejal Thakkar ’14, vice chair of the Welcome Weekend committee.

The spring ClubFest will be held in late January and will be much smaller than the ClubFest held in the fall.

Groups will set up in Duffield Hall.

According to Thakkar, a Spring ClubFest will allow clubs to reintroduce themselves to freshmen who did not join in the fall semester. She added that it will also allow clubs that did not get a table in Fall ClubFest the opportunity to advertise their club in the spring.

“There are around 1,000 organizations on campus

and we only have room for around 330 clubs during Fall ClubFest, so it’s very very competitive. Spring ClubFest is going to be much smaller; there are only 50 spots,” Thakkar said. “It’s unfortunate that we can’t accommodate everyone, but it’s just a matter of the space we’re given.”

Kirat Singh ’14, president of the Cornell Forensics Society, said that he is excited for the chance to reach out to more students.

“I think that Spring ClubFest is a good chance for us to reach out to those that we missed the first time around,” Singh said. “People often feel that once it’s the middle of the semester, ‘I can’t join a competitive team; I missed my opportunity,’ whereas that’s not the case and we want to use Spring ClubFest to put out that message. We think that the Spring ClubFest will enable us to make a clean new start for the people who wanted to join in October and November.”

Catherine Holmes, the outgoing advisor to Welcome Weekend, said that the decision to start Spring ClubFest was based on feedback from the student body.

“The response has been much greater than we anticipated,” Holmes said in an email. “We discussed this as an option this fall; students felt that a Spring ClubFest would be something that fit the Welcome Weekend mission and that the budget could support a smaller ClubFest in the spring. So, they decided to give it a trial run this year.”

Holmes said she hopes the Spring ClubFest will benefit more transfer students.

“For incoming transfer students, we hope that this will be a great opportunity for them to get an idea about [clubs] that exist on campus,” she said.

Anika Sethy can be reached at as2654@cornellsun.com.

SUN FILE PHOTO

A club for everyone | Hundred of groups come to Barton Hall to participate in ClubFest. This year, for the first time, there will also be a ClubFest in the spring, which organizers say will allow groups who could not participate in the fall ClubFest to recruit new members.

Freshman Ranks No. 2 in Chess

Chess master

Adarsh Jayakumar ’17 says the game creates a community

By LAUREN BERGELSON

mina for his next tournament.

In a typical tournament Jayakumar plays two games that last four to six hours each and even Inspired by a desire to beat his father at chess, once played an 18-hour day.

Adarsh Jayakumar ’17 joined an after school chess Although Jayakumar does not currently pracgroup at his elementary school at age 10. Now, he tice as much as he has in the past, he attends the is ranked number two among U.S. chess players Cornell Chess Club’s weekly meetings and coachin the 18-year-old age bracket. es chess to students at Cornell and people outside Jayakumar credits his elementary school, Half of the University.

Day Elementary in Lincolnshire, Ill. — ranked in “Most of my chess work is as a coach and not the top 10 elementary schools that competed in as a player. But when you coach, you also learn. the main chess Nationals Tournament while he You get your fundamentals down and all that was a student — for providing an environment good stuff,” he said. supportive of his interest.

Jayakumar said he has found a strong commu“Because it was one of the top-ranked schools nity that he appreciates through chess. in the country for chess, there were a lot of kids “There’s a huge chess community, and you see that were in the Chess Club,” Jayakumar said. that even at Cornell. And it’s nice to have people Jayakumar said Nationals, one of the first tour- I’ve known ever since I was seven or eight who naments he played for his elehave just always been my budmentary team, was what inidies and I see them whenever I tially sparked his interest in “I remember being a little go to tournaments,” he said. chess.

“Like debate or tennis, there’s kid and all the trophies “I remember being a little always a community behind kid and all the trophies were were bigger than me. ... I it.” bigger than me. It was just a just kind of got into it.”

He said that Cornell’s huge atmosphere with thouChess Team is “pretty solid.” sands of kids, and I just kind Adarsh Jayakumar ’17 “The players at Cornell are of got into it really quickly,” quite strong,” said Jayakumar, Jayakumar said. who is looking forward to He played his first individreturning with the team to the ual Nationals at age 12 and began competing in U.S. Amateur Team East tournament this adult tournaments throughout the United States February. and internationally at age 14.

Last year, 300 teams competed at the tournaJayakumar took a gap year before attending ment. Cornell placed second following Princeton, Cornell, during which he visited Thailand, Jayakumar said.

Singapore, Canada, India, Europe, South America “We’re looking to change that this year with and traveled throughout the U.S. as a profession- some strong new players,” he said. al chess player.

Jayakumar said that he sees himself playing He said his favorite tournament was the occasional tournaments in the future but that he Reykjavik Open, a prestigious invitational tourna- finds great fulfillment in coaching. ment in Iceland, where he had his biggest win “The coaching is very rewarding. Just being against Ivan Sokolov, a Bosnian grandmaster. able to see that glint in [students’] eyes when they Jayakumar said in the week before a tourna- figure something out [is great],” Jayakumar said. ment, he would play eight or nine hours of chess a day. Off season, he said he played four or five Lauren Bergelson can be reached at hours a day and rest up so that he would have sta- lbergelson@cornellsun.com.

Sun Staff Writer

KIKI LI / SUN STAFF VIDEOGRAPHER

Adarsh Jayakumar ’17, the second place national chess champion, plays with a friend. Check cornellsun.com for a video.

Police R eport Criminal Mischief An officer was dispatched to take a report from two students regarding an unknown male individual kicking and breaking a window in the basement study lounge in White Hall.

License Plate Stolen An officer was dispatched to take a report from an individual regarding the theft of a front license plate off a vehicle.

On-Campus Larceny A student reported their iPad being stolen in Stimson Hall Monday.

Aggravated Harassment An officer was dispatched from Barton Hall Nov. 26 to take a report from a staff mem-

ber who was receiving harrassing emails from an unknown individual.

Graffiti Artist An officer took a report regarding graffiti found in the McGraw Place gorge area Nov. 25.

More Graffiti On Nov. 25, an officer filed a report regarding graffiti on one of the Fall Creek Drive Suspension Bridge pillars.

Found for Possesion An individual was sent to the Judicial Administrator after being found in unlawful possession of alcohol in Baker Tower Nov. 24.

— Compiled by Alexa Davis

4 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, December 4, 2013

NEWS

C.U. Sees Increased Enrollment of International Students Number of international students on campus at an all-time high, according to University data INTERNATIONAL Continued from page 1

tional students are playing a significant role on campus.

“I think international students have always made a great contribution to Cornell, and I think it’s really important that Cornell has a network of alumni who are well-placed in foreign countries who are helping spread the word about Cornell and encouraging other talented students to come to Cornell,” ISSO Director Brendan O’Brien said.

Citing increasing interconnectedness around the world, O’Brien said the University will likely continue seeing more international students come to Ithaca.

“I think the world is becoming more interdependent and there are now more qualified students who are interested in pursuing a Cornell degree,” O’Brien said.

Part of the draw of Cornell to potential students, O’Brien said, likely lies in “the fact that Cornell has such a excellent reputation internationally.”

“The name recognition is very good.

We have outstanding programs in just about everything –– a wide variety of courses of study that international stu-

think that students having a chance to dents can pursue,” he said.

International students — bringing have friends and colleagues from all over unique experiences to campus — posi- the world and to hear their perspectives tively shape the Cornell experience for is very, very valuable.” their peers, O’Brien said. They not only Enrico Bonatti ’14, international liaioffer peers a chance to interact with peo- son at-large for the Student Assembly, ple from different cultures but also echoed O’Brien’s sentiment, saying strengthen the University’s academics, he international students bring valuable added. perspectives to the University.

“Aside from allowing U.S. students to “I think international students make great contributions both in and outside learn about different cultures, [internathe classroom,” O’Brien said. “They tional students] bring new and unique points of view to have very strong acaclasses and discusdemic backgrounds sions,” said Bonatti, and make a great “Students are from all who is also president contribution to all of the International of our research over the world, and you endeavors.” can see different national Students Board.

In return, many The presence of international stuinternational stu- trends taking place.” dents coming to dents on campus Cornell find they are also benefits stu- Brendan O’Brien able to access acadedents from the U.S. mic opportunities at a time when more and more companies are asking employ- they might not have had at home.

“A lot of international students apply ees bring global perspectives into boardto Cornell due to its high quality of rooms.

“As globalization continues, our instruction and academic opportunidomestic students have to be able to ties,” Bonatti said. “The 'Cornell brand’ work with people from all over the is particularly strong in Asia, where most world,” O’Brien said. “The marketplace international undergraduate students is becoming a lot more globalized. I come from.”

www.cornellsun.com

Even with the international student population growing year by year, Bonatti said he feels that the University could improve its accommodations for international students.

“There is an understanding [among international students] that current international spaces and resources –– the ISSO Administrative Center, the Holland International Living Center –– are not sufficient, mostly in relation to space. [According to] a survey, most international students feel the need for a meeting space [or] resource center for international students,” he said.

Recognizing the challenges some international students face coming to Ithaca, Fredrik Logevall, Vice Provost for International Affairs at the University, said that Cornell remains “committed to being an exemplary transnational university.”

“That includes recruiting the best students and researchers from all around the world and working to ensure that we have abundant academic and social interactions between our international and domestic and student populations,” he said.

Ashley Chu can be reached at achu@cornellsun.com.

Facebook, Cornell Join Forces To Offer Open Source Class FACEBOOK

Continued from page 1

according to Tate.

Qiming Fang ’13, who took the course last spring, worked on a program called socket.io, which is designed to “make realtime apps possible in every browser and mobile device,” according to its website.

The class splits students up into groups of three to five, which then work with industry mentors and students from other universities, Tate said.

Unlike other courses, the course’s results were used in the real world, according to Brian Toth ’13, who also took the course last spring. “[It] was radically different from any other class I took at Cornell,” Toth said in an email.

“Everything I wrote is now real code out in the wild.”

According to Fang, one of the most difficult aspects of the class was communicating with the people his team was working with.

“Collaboration is hard. We were working with contributors all over the world — in Finland, at MIT, in Brazil and California,” he said in an email.

“Learning to deal with distance and being able to work remotely is important for students looking to enter industry.”

The class meets for 12 hours a week, according to Tate.

Students spend 11 hours work-

ing on their projects and one hour in lecture.

Tate said the lectures are unusual because they focus on personal and practical skills for programmers, rather than algorithms or coding techniques.

“We go over gender issues in computer science and we go over documentation, writing skills and speaking skills,” he said. “It’s a bit of an unusual programming course.”

Grading for the course is also unusual. Seventy-five percent of students’ grades are determined by their mentors, who grade based on their hireability, according to the course website.

“The mentors aren’t really calibrated for academic grading schemes,” Tate said.

For example, according to Tate, an A in the course is reserved for students who mentors would make room in their companies to hire.

Conversely, students who mentors believe are not hirable receive Ds or Fs. Overall, Fang describes the course as a beneficial experience.

“We were working on something that’s not simply being graded — we’re working on something that real-world developers use,” he said.

Annie Bui can be reached at abui@cornellsun.com.

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, December 4, 2013 5

U.S. NEWS BRIEFS

Jury Chosen for Ex-Officer In Katrina Shooting

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal jury was seated Tuesday to hear the retrial of a former New Orleans police officer who shot and killed a man outside a strip mall four days after Hurricane Katrina.

Opening statements will begin Wednesday in the case against David Warren, who was guarding a second-floor police substation from a balcony when he shot 31-year-old Henry Glover on the ground in the chaotic aftermath of the 2005 storm. Warren is charged with violating Glover's rights and with using a weapon in a violent crime.

This is the second trial U.S. District Judge Lance Africk has held in three years for Warren. The former police officer was serving a prison sentence of nearly 26 years when a federal appeals court overturned a manslaughter conviction handed down in 2010. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Warren should have been tried separately from four other officers charged with participating in a cover-up designed to make Glover's shooting appear justified.

The weapons charge originally said Glover's death “involved actions constituting murder.” For the retrial, Africk let the government drop that section, under which jurors in the first trial also were allowed to consider manslaughter.

During his first trial, Warren testified that he believed Glover had a gun when he fired at him. Defense attorneys have asked Africk to exclude testimony from that trial, arguing Warren had to testify because of evidence that will not be allowed this time. “Any prior testimony by Warren is inadmissible unless and until he chooses to take the stand in his defense,” they wrote.

Prosecutors responded Friday that prior testimony can be ruled out only if it was the product of government misconduct, which has not been found in this case.

Africk has emphasized to potential jurors in the retrial that Warren’s case is unrelated to other federal cases, including those alleging police misconduct. He specifically mentioned deadly police shootings on New Orleans’ Danziger bridge after Hurricane Katrina.

Warren’s attorneys argued in October that some prospective jurors had mistakenly believed he was involved in that case.

“This is not the Danziger Bridge case and has nothing to do with it,” Africk said.

Arizona Police Release Report In Imprisonment Case TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A 17-year-old Arizona girl hugged her two younger sisters, touched their faces and talked about how they had all changed when they finally were reunited after their mother and stepfather kept them imprisoned in their home for up to two years, authorities said.

It's been a week since the Tucson girls were freed. On Tuesday, authorities revealed more details with the release of a police report and a transcript of a neighbor’s 911 call.

Investigators said the two younger girls, ages 12 and 14, escaped Nov. 26 through the window of the bedroom they shared and alerted a neighbor.

They said their stepfather had a knife and that they were scared for their lives, authorities said.

Police said the three girls were malnourished and dirty.

One of them said she hadn’t showered in more than a month.

The girls’ stepfather, Fernando Richter, and their mother, Sophia Richter, face multiple counts of kidnapping and child abuse.

The two remained in custody Tuesday and could not be reached for comment. No current attorney was listed for either parent in court records.

The Richters made brief court appearances by video Nov. 27, but neither entered a plea.

The parents appeared to be drunk when police arrived at the home Nov. 26, the police report said.

“Fernando had bloodshot, watery eyes, odor of intoxicants coming from his person and stumbled as he walked,” the report said. Sophia Richter was in a similar state, according to authorities.

When police asked the stepfather who else was in the home, he answered only that his two dogs were there. However, officers say they found the oldest girl locked in a back bedroom with music blaring.

The music played constantly from the girls’ bedrooms, and duct work was sealed and towels were forced against doors to prevent the sound from being heard outside, police said.

There were motion sensors and locks on the girls’ bedroom doors and video cameras trained on their beds. If the girls needed to use the bathroom, there was an unspecified signal for them to let the parents know they needed a bathroom break, according to police.

When police asked the oldest sister what had happened, she replied: “I haven’t seen anyone in two years. I am in my room all day, and I have not seen my sisters in a year and a half.”

She went on to tell officers that she was let out of her room once a day to go to the restroom and that she was not allowed to go outdoors or look outside.

The girl showed an officer that she had made a calendar, which she kept in a handmade purse she wore around her neck.

Pointing to the calendar, she said: “Look, I haven’t showered since the 19th of September.”

The sisters were reunited in the living room of their home after police got the older girl out of her bedroom, investigators said.

The girls were excited to see each other, and all three had small stuffed animals that they said they had made. The sisters asked each other questions about what they had eaten and how they spent their time.

Nuclear talks

BRIAN HARKIN / THE NEW YORK TIMES

Earl Weener of the National Transportation Safety Board updates reporters during a news conference about the Bronx derailment at a hotel in Yonkers, N.Y.

Obama’s Kenyan-Born Uncle Allowed to Remain in U.S. BOSTON (AP) — President Barack Obama’s Kenyan-born uncle, who ignored a deportation order more than two decades ago, on Tuesday was granted permission to stay in the United States.

Judge Leonard Shapiro made the decision after Onyango Obama, 69, testified that he had lived in the U.S. for 50 years, been a hard worker, paid income tax and been arrested only once.

Asked about his family in the U.S., he said he has a sister and two nieces, then added, “I do have a nephew.” Asked to name the nephew, he said, “Barack Obama,” then added, “He’s the president of the United States.”

Onyango Obama, the half brother of the president’s late father, testified he has lived in the U.S. since 1963, when he entered on a student visa. He

had a series of immigration hearings in the 1980s and was ordered to leave the country in 1992 but remained.

During his testimony, he identified himself as Obama Okech Onyango. Court records and authorities have identified him as Onyango Obama, and no explanation was given for the discrepancy.

Obama told the judge he had led a quiet, simple life, graduating from high school in Cambridge, then attending Boston University, where he received a degree in philosophy. He said he has worked for years as a manager at a family-owned liquor store in Framingham, just west of Boston. He also said he has worked for decades to help African immigrants find housing and settle in the U.S.

OPINION

David Zha |

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

The Game

Independent Since 1880 131ST EDITORIAL BOARD REBECCA HARRIS ’14 Editor in Chief

HANK BAO ’14

AKANE OTANI ’14

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Managing Editor

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Advertising Manager

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Web Editor

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Tech Editor

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Dining Editor

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Assistant Sports Editor

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ARIEL COOPER ’15

Assistant Sports Editor

Assistant Sports Editor

MEGAN ZHOU ’15

HANNAH KIM ’14

Assistant Design Editor

Assistant Design Editor

BRANDON ARAGON ’14

LIZZIE POTOLSKY ’14

Assistant Web Editor

Outreach Coordinator

ANNA TSENTER ’14

SID SHEKAR ’15

Marketing Manager

Online Advertising Manager

ERIKA G. WHITESTONE ’15

LEO DING ’14

Social Media Manager

Human Resources Manager

WORKING ON TODAY ’S SUN DESIGN DESKERS PHOTO NIGHT EDITORS NEWS DESKERS SPORTS DESKER ARTS DESKER SCIENCE DESKERS

Amanda Stefanik ’13 Oliver Kliewe’14 Kelly Yang ’15 Jinjoo Lee ’14 Emma Court ’15 Ariel Cooper ’15 Sam Bromer ’16 Sarah Cohen ’15

Letters

For faculty-led fossil fuel divestment To the Editor: Inspired by the Student Assembly’s recent resolution urging Cornell to divest from fossil fuel companies, we and 27 faculty Senators have submitted a resolution entitled Cornell Investment and Divestment Strategies for a Sustainable Future to the Faculty Senate for the Dec. 11 meeting. This resolution includes goals for Cornell to reach climate neutrality by 2035 and to phase in divestment by then. We focus on the 200 companies holding the largest fossil fuel reserves. These reserves already comprise three to five times more than the total amount of fossil fuels that can be burned before exceeding the 2°C rise in mean global temperature that scientists and governments have agreed is the threshold for dangerous climate change. Nonetheless, these companies are financially committed to burning these reserves and continuing to explore for even more.

In spite of repeated warnings from the scientific community and the obvious extreme weather effects of fossil fuel-induced climate change that we are already beginning to witness, adequate action by our government in the face of predictable catastrophe seems a distant dream. At the recent global conference on climate change in Warsaw, the United States and other large emitting nations made no new commitments to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and the prospects for essential commitments in 2015 look bleak. Given the dire predictions from the scientific community, the actions being taken are too little and soon will become too late. Either from denial, despair or the hope that someone else will take care of it, the highly profitable fossil fuel business continues with little change. But this is a knowledge-based issue, and that is our business. It is also our responsibility. Universities in general, and Cornell in particular, must be the leaders of last resort in this eleventh hour.

If we speak loudly as representatives of a great university to say that the fossil fuel business as usual must stop, we will be heard. Leadership from Cornell will help spur action by our peer institutions, and our concerted voices will help to wake our society from its sleepwalk and raise a grassroots demand for meaningful governmental and industrial action. Our scientific papers, public presentations, and advice to policymakers have not spoken loudly enough. For better or worse, we need to “put our money where our mouth is.” And we can do this in two ways: First, by becoming carbon neutral and, second, by simultaneously stopping our investment in the ongoing extraction of fossil fuels. Although some financial sacrifice in pursuit of our institutional responsibility would be justified, we have conducted the analyses and determined that the proposed actions will not only have a negligible impact on growth of the University’s endowment, they may significantly reduce overall risk in the University’s investment portfolio.

Our students have led the way. It is time for the faculty to step up to the plate. Our goal is to make a strong public statement that will draw attention to the need for society to transition from fossil fuels to truly clean sources of energy that are fossil carbon neutral. We recognize that the University’s divestment actions can result in only a relatively small direct financial impact on these companies. However, the moral courage demonstrated first by Cornell, and then by its peer institutions, will have a galvanizing effect on the movement within this country and internationally. There has never been a more important time in its history for Cornell to demonstrate its leadership.

Prof. Brian Chabot, ecology and evolutionary biology Prof. Stephen Ellner, ecology and evolutionary biology Prof. Charles Greene, earth and atmospheric sciences Prof. Anthony Ingraffea, civil and environmental engineering Prof. Linda Nicholson, molecular biology and genetics Prof. Robert Oswald, molecular medicine Prof. David Shalloway, molecular biology and genetics Prof. Robert Strichartz, mathematics

W

e all have to play, and no one really wins in the end. There are guidelines, but no real rules. You can play as a team, or go at it alone.

You can play for many reasons, but to win it all you’ll need is two things.

First, you must win the money game.

Second, the status game.

The money game always comes first.

True winners are wealthy. Everyone knows that, right? Ryan Seacrest won’t be celebrating the drunken, mournful hymns of Hairy Hank the Homeless on this week’s Top 40. You see, in this world, money is the dividing line between “Poor People” and “Real People.” The only Top 40 list Hairy Hank might see is Top 40 Pests To Be Removed by Animal Control.

There are plenty of ways to get rich.

The human mind is a locus of infinite potential energy, capable of conjuring immersive fantasy worlds to planning Ponzi schemes to marketing the same shit you sold for six years so that loyal peons buy a seventh version. From what I hear from the rich, luck is not a true factor. If you’re plans for affluence aren’t succeeding, you’re either not innovative or not working hard enough. This comforts me. I used to detest the rich assholes I met, but now realize all of their merits must have come from creativity and diligence, not birth or chance.

To win the money game, one should ideally be wealthy enough to look from a lofty vantage point upon the rest of mere humanity. Unfortunately, there is little room in this world for so many esteemed positions, so for those of you who are more pragmatic than ambitious, don’t worry. Just make sure you have enough for the important things.

Like the annual family outing to your Martha’s Vineyard beach house and having someone else to make your iPhones. The middle class needs filling too, you know!

Once you’ve accrued enough money, then the real fun begins – the status game. Your success in the money game will dictate how you play the status game. If you have placed into the richest circles, it is time to put that hardearned capital to use. What good is money if it’s just sitting around and not making you look cooler? A mansion or two would be a good start. Throw in a fleet of expensive cars. Definitely a yacht. Become a sugar daddy or a cougar. Drink only scotch aged over 40

years, bought from the various auctions you frequent. If you’re smart, you’ll even start a charity or two. Doesn’t matter for what cause, just make sure you write your name legibly. Impress your like-minded friends with your vast knowledge and collection of Renaissance paintings. Immerse yourself in the beauty of your private polo and golf courses. Remember to define yourself primarily by what made you rich.

Science teaches us to back our hypotheses with hard evidence. To win the status game, make your money the hypothesis and support it with concrete proof.

If you do not rank highly in the money game ladder, all is not lost. You too can play the status game with your surrounding peers! Just double check that you’re on track to being a “Somebody.” True winners are Somebodies. This doesn’t have to mean fame.

Just make sure you always have a buzzword on hand that will sum you up.

Lawyer. Banker. Editor. Doctor.

Manager. Senator. Consultant. These are some examples of the best buzzwords.

Artist. Actor. Engineer. Accountant.

Writer. Musician. Teacher. These are not as good, but can be justified as Somebodies if you qualify them.

Janitor. Garbageman. Plumber.

Cashier. Try to avoid these. They do not indicate significant income, making them poor buzzwords. It will be hard to convince strangers you are a Somebody.

But the best part of the game is that it never ends! There are always more rewards around the corner. Don’t get cynical or jaded with the game if you’re losing, just change your play style!

Anyone can win if they set their mind to it. You just have to want it harder.

And in the rare chance you are a social freak who only likes to watch, remember no matter how far you run, the game will find you and it will force you to play. Kinda like Jumanji.

And to those individuals tempted by the red pill, I ask that you remember one thing: The more you play, the more you earn. The more you earn, the more you win. The more you win, the happier you’ll be.

David Zha is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He may be reached at dzha@cornellsun.com. The Angry Spirit Bear appears alternate Wednesdays this semester.

SUBMIT LETTERS & COLUMNS TO OPINION

@CORNELLSUN.COM.

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, December 4, 2013 7

OPINION

Sarah Byrne | Let It Byrne

T

Five Things You Should Be Happier About

his is my last column for the semester, but don’t cry. I still have a few paragraphs of knowledge to bestow upon you. I thought about writing a sappy final column about myself, or things you should do over winter break, or my wishes for you all for the upcoming semester. In the end, I thought back to my first column this semester, which addressed things you should be more outraged about. Now, at the end of the semester, I’d like to present you with the opposite point of view. So, here is a list of things we should all be more excited about, right now, right here, on this Wednesday in December.

1. SMART TELEVISION COMEDIES STILL EXIST: As a former viewer of exclusively sitcoms (emphasis on former), I can say with confidence that most of these sitcoms do not last. Even when they are consistently renewed, they deteriorate to the point of unwatchability (looking at you, How I Met Your Mother). However, there are a few select shows that give me hope that the United States does produce high quality creative work. In the more popular sector, we have Modern Family. Although it’s in its fifth season, it is still just as witty, topical and hilarious as it was in the first episode. If anything, it’s gotten even better with time. And then for the more niche audience, there are shows like Parks and Recreation, which somehow manages to be silly and smart at the same time.

Basically, Amy Poehler is a god, but for mere mortals, it will suffice for us to watch the show and bask in her glory.

2. LEIGHTON MEESTER AND ADAM BRODY GOT MARRIED: Confession time. Although I just professed my love for intelligent television programming, sometimes I can’t help but love what some might generously call “trashy” shows. As an avid watcher of both The O.C. and Gossip Girl, nothing in the world makes me happier

Hidden agenda for this list: Make Cornell a happier place during finals. I would love see someone in a library smile at some point. than seeing Seth Cohen and Blair Waldorf get married. I want to be Blair, and I want to date Seth, so I can’t even deal with this level of perfection. Critically speaking, I think it is a little unhealthy to support celebrity relationships based on love for fictional characters, but this is different. It just is.

3. PEOPLE YOU WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL WITH ARE BECOMING UNSUCCESSFUL: As someone who was “smart” in high school, and therefore excluded from any other characterization, I was frequently promised by adults that those who dismissed me for my academic success would one day suffer for this unkindness. Not to be overly condescending or rude, but to be a little bit of both of these things, as a junior in college I am excited to finally see these promises coming to fruition. I have no illusions about my own success. At Cornell, I am reminded of my own academic shortcomings on almost a daily basis, by all sorts of people (usually because I deserve it). However, it is just a little bit comforting to see the fall of those who were considered more “popular” than me, even if it’s just the fact that they still live in their parents’ basement.

4. FRESHMEN ARE LEARNING HOW TO BE HUMANS: Shout out to all the freshmen! Guys, you are doing great. Although it’s still easy to identify the large herds of freshmen traveling around campus, they seem to have stopped wearing their keys around their necks, and what more can we even hope for? As finals approach — the first round of college finals for a quarter of our population — I see many fewer freshmen who are still clearly high school seniors at heart. They have learned where buildings are, which Olin is which, how not to curse in front of professors and so much more. So for now, let’s celebrate the maturity of freshmen — maturity we can appreciate for an entire semester before we get a new batch of them.

5. THREE MORE WEEKS: There are fewer than 20 days left of the semester. I’m so overcome with emotion, I don’t even know what to say, except that I am taking 22 credits right now, and I have never been happier to see a semester’s end. As we all write papers, cram for finals in classes we’ve never been to and lurk around libraries trying to get tables, just remember that it will all be over soon. In the end, it will either get done or it won’t. And if it doesn’t, life will go on. Good luck to you all.

Hidden agenda for this list: Make Cornell a happier place during finals. I would just love to see someone in a library smile at some point during the next few weeks, because libraries are just really depressing places during finals. Just one person. One. Please?

Sarah Byrne is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She may be reached at sbyrne@cornellsun.com. Let it Byrne appears alternate Wednesdays this semester.

Web

Comment of the day When you go to Cornell (or any other school far away from home), this is something you take into account when you go. So, didn’t this occur to people from the West Coast that MAYBE the price of airfare would limit their ability to go back on break? If you didn’t want to deal with it, maybe you shouldn’t have decided to go. I went here from across the country knowing 1) I was not too well off 2) I’d probably not be able to come back more than one break a year, but I decided the ability of going to Cornell was worth it. I have bare sympathy for you. whysoserious Re: “OH: Thanksgiving in Ithaca: Stranded and Starved,” Opinion, published Dec. 2, 2013

Ihsan Kabir |

Guest Room

Reimagining Our New Destinations W

e’re familiar with the neglects mentioning religion, Along with the advocating policies: United faith or anything to do with for my own religion, I am also Student Body, Toward worship. advocating for the importance New Destinations the list goes I know Cornell was founded of a healthy religious communion. Our school, on a multitude as a secular institution, and we ty. I’d love to see proper of levels, has admirably pushed pride ourselves on this fact and resources for students, like toward raising awareness among on our open-mindedness, but at myself, who feel stronger conevery Cornellian regarding the times this secularity seems anti- nections to their religious idenissues underrepresented minori- religious. We live in a world tities when compared to their ties face, including the language where it’s not cool to be reli- cultural ones. Cornell tries to we should be using to create safe gious anymore, and that trend support us, and helps fund spaces and the responsibility manifests itself here at Cornell. CURW and interfaith programeveryone has to help students The media portrays my religion ming, but the support has a from these oppressed communi- as a catalyst for terrorism, intel- limit due to our secular roots. If ties succeed. Even though we’re lects portray my religion has a other students showed a genuine quick to criticize the Student hurdle to critical thinking and interest in listening to us, Assembly and the “administra- islamophobes portray my reli- attending our events and learntion” (something I ing more about our reliadmit I’m guilty of gions, this would help too), when I reflect Ultimately, I want to see a cultural change at the religious communion my past three years ties thrive. The initiatives at Cornell, I’ve seen Cornell, a change in which students want to put forth by the various these issues pushed have a plauralistic education outside of the factions of Cornell serve into the mainstream an important purpose, classroom. I would love to see more discourse around the but they will be incominteractions between the religious University more and plete unless we accommore each year. modate our religious organizations and the rest of campus.

While some of communities as well. these issues see slow Ultimately, I want to but steady progress, not all of gion as an obstacle to freedom see a cultural change at Cornell, them have this comfortable and the root of almost all a change in which students want degree of momentum. While oppression. to have a pluralistic education most of the diversity issues are I identify as a Muslim, and I outside the classroom. I would well represented and enjoying live my life trying to fight the love to see more interactions dinner at the administrative incorrect narratives of Islam cir- between the religious organizatable, one lonely issue stands culating today. For example, tions and the rest of campus, as outside, in the cold, staring in Islam teaches us that all men well as more informal interacand wondering why it doesn’t and women are created equal; tions between students in relihave a place at the table as well. that humankind is a single gious organizations and their On campus, we neglect to dis- nation. I could list other quotes peers. I know my friends and I cuss religious diversity and from the Holy Qu’ran that are all ready to integrate into the inclusion, and as a Muslim stu- counteract the impression of community. The question is — dent, I find that troubling. Islam circulating worldwide, but will you have us?

While United Student Body at times I have no audience. As a includes a section on religious member of a religious commuorganizations, our community nity, I want to try to educate Ihsan Kabir is a senior in the College of has yet to be contacted by any people and show them my reli- Arts and Sciences. He may be reached student group. Toward New gion isn’t the evil monolith some ibk7@cornell.edu. Guest Room runs periodically this semester.

Destinations completely people make it out to be.

SUBMIT YOUR GUEST COLUMNS E-MAILS SHOULD BE SENT TO ASSOCIATE-EDITOR@CORNELLSUN.COM.

8 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, December 4, 2013

www.cornellsun.com

You can always find The Sun on campus! BUT can you find it on the Hertsprung-Russel Diagram???

The Cornell Daily Sun HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE | Wednesday, December 4, 2013 PAGE 1

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welcome

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THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, December 4, 2013 9

COMICS AND PUZZLES

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

Sun Sudoku

Puzzle #236: HADOUKEN!!!!

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Caesar’s love 5 Signal to an oncall doctor 9 Omits 14 Chowhound’s request 15 Sharif who played Zhivago 16 World Court site, with “The” 17 Shepard in space 18 Plate ump’s purview 20 Brand for heartburn 22 Providence-toBoston dir.

23 Scraps for Rover 24 Unit of work 25 Soda for dieters 28 French season 30 Thin pancake 31 Violinist’s gift 34 Move very slowly 36 Suffers from 37 In recent times 39 Mechanic, at times 41 “That works!”

42 4-Down collector 43 Boy king 44 Made a hue turn?

45 Suffix for records 46 Oater group bent on justice 48 Nile biter 49 Blush wine, for short 51 Short market lines?

54 Piedmont wine region 57 Erie Canal mule 58 __ Pipeline, Oahu surfing attraction 60 “She’s Not There” rock group 63 “Ripostes” poet Pound 64 Overnight refuge 65 Theater part 66 Choir part 67 Blow some dough 68 __ collar 69 Stonewall’s soldiers DOWN 1 Shock 2 Large grinder

3 Citrus shavings 4 Payment to 42Across 5 “Thick and Rich” chocolate syrup 6 Rescue pro 7 Ones on the payroll 8 Freddie __ Jr. of “Scooby-Doo” films 9 Ship reference 10 Musical buzzer 11 Composer Stravinsky 12 Fourth-down play 13 Dates 19 Property border warning 21 The Red Sox’ Jon Lester, e.g.

26 1980s Chrysler product 27 Altered mtge.

29 Social cupfuls 31 This crossword, literally for some, phonetically for all 32 “Please don’t yell __” 33 Oboe, e.g.

34 Eye rudely

35 They’re found in lodes 36 Reason for a medal 38 Classic Fords 40 Last year’s frosh 41 1956 Mideast dispute area 43 J. Alfred Prufrock creator 47 Straw-strewn shelter 48 Santa __ winds

49 Shrivel 50 “A Doll’s House” playwright 52 Medicare section 53 Informal byes 54 Dollar dispensers, for short 55 Hit a Target?

56 Head of Paris?

59 Close by 61 Getting on in years 62 Big one on the set, perhaps

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

xwordeditor@aol.com

12/04/13

Fill in the empty cells, one number in each, so that each column, row, and region contains the numbers 1-9 exactly once.

Each number in the solution therefore occurs only once in each of the three “directions,” hence the “single numbers” implied by the puzzle’s name.

(Rules from wikipedia.org/wiki /Sudoku)

Circles and Stuff

By Ed Sessa (c)2013 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

Doonesbury

Mr. Gnu

Strings Attached

by Robert Radigan grad

12/04/13

by Garry Trudeau

by Travis Dandro

by Ali Solomon ’01

It’s up to us. reduce reuse conserve protect recycle

10 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, December 4, 2013

SCIENCE

Physics

Human Development

Neurobiolgy and Behavior

Anthony Maers ’13 Challenges Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity

By SOFIA HU Sun Staff Writer

In a remote room of the Plant Sciences Building, Anthony Maers ’13 grad is challenging Albert Einstein’s theory of special relativity. Over the course of four years, Maers has worked with Prof. Randy Wayne, plant biology, to replicate an important experiment that Einstein used to support his theory.

In 1851, Hippolyte Fizeau conducted the original experiment that Maers and Wayne are currently replicating. The experiment uses an interferometer, a common tool that scientists use to study light.

The interferometer splits an incoming beam of light into two, directing one beam into a pipe where water flows in the same direction as the beam and the second into a pipe where the water flows in the opposite direction. At the end of the pipes, the two beams are recombined into one and analyzed.

The recreated beam creates an interference pattern – a pattern of fringes that looks different depending on the speeds of the two light beams. By analyzing the interference patterns, Fizeau could determine how the speed of the water, the medium the light was traveling through, affected the speed of light.

According to classical, Newtonian physics, the overall speed of light should equal the simple sum of the speed of the water and the speed of the original light beam.

However, Fizeau discovered that the velocities of the water and of the light were not additive, and that the speed of the medium did not affect the speed of light as much as Newtonian physics predicted.

Einstein later used Fizeau’s results to support his theory of special relativity, which posited that time and speed are relative.

Wayne studied alternatives to special

COURTESY OF ANTHONY MAERS ’13

Rivaling relativity | Anthony Maers ’13, left, works with Prof. Randy Wayne, right, to question Albert Einstein’s theory of special relativity. relativity and mentioned them one day when helping Maers, then a freshman in his biology class. Wayne had a theory that special relativity was unnecessary if instead “one takes into consideration the well-known and commonly observed Doppler effect.”

The Doppler effect is the change in frequency of waves to the observer when the observer moves relative to the source of the wave.

Rather than use what he feels like is an unintuitive theory, Wayne does away with special relativity and explains scientific phenomenon using just the Doppler effect. Maers, interested in this idea, became involved with Wayne’s research.

“He came back as a sophomore, and

he said that he wanted to learn traditional special relativity before he began working on my alternative ideas,” Wayne said. “Everyone believed relativity, and he wanted to see if there was even a need for my ideas. Brave for a sophomore, right?”

After a semester of reading about special relativity, Maers looked at the velocity addition laws and realized that there was room for interpretation of the Fizeau experiment results.

“I wanted to redo the experiment, and Randy said, ‘Okay, let’s do it.’

Before I know it, four years later, here we are, literally starting from scratch,” Maers said. “We didn’t just go buy flour and eggs and make bread. We actually

grew the wheat and hatched the chickens. We started from the very bottom to get to where we are today.”

Since then, the two have built an interferometer after continuously testing and refining the instrument. Among numerous improvements, they have changed how the water is pumped into the pipes and designed a computer program that analyzes the resulting interference patterns.

Along the way, the two have collaborated with others, including Prof.

Richard Furnas, mathematics, and Michael Rutzke, senior research associate at the Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health.

Wayne estimated the total cost of the project to be a few thousand dollars a year, all of which came from his and Maers’ own pockets.

“When we started, we couldn’t even do one experiment a day, and then when we could do experiments, we couldn’t analyze them,” Wayne said.

The project has slowly progressed from that point, and Maers and Wayne have successfully replicated the Fizeau experiment and demonstrated that their model matches the experimental results more accurately than Einstein’s theory.

“We found that the results are better described by [our model of ] taking the Doppler effect into consideration than by special relativity,” Wayne said. “If we’re right, that means that there is no need to postulate that space and time are relative.”

Now that Maers and Wayne have published two papers on the subject, they hope that scientists with better funding and more resources will replicate the experiment.

“Even if someone could find out that we were wrong, that would be great too, because we’re just curious,” Maers said.

“We didn’t really know what we were gonna get. We lucked out when it matched our theory better.”

COURTESY OF ANTHONY MAERS ’13

Making machines | Meyers and Wayne built an interferometer that uses mirrors to split beams of light. They use this machine to recreate the Fizeau Experiment, which measures the speed of light through water. Einstein used the experiment to support his theory of special relativity.

Sofia Hu can be reached at shu@cornellsun.com.

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, December 4, 2013 11

SCIENCE

Aging Versus Disease-Caused Memory Loss

By SRINITYA ARASANIPALAI Sun Staff Writer

Memory loss is a normal part of the aging process, but memory loss is also one of the main symptoms used by clinicians to determine if an individual has dementia.

Prof. Charles Brainerd, human development, Prof. Valerie Reyna, human development, and Carlos Gomes grad have created a mathematical model that can help discern normal memory loss from memory loss due to a neurological disease.

Memory loss, whether or not due to disease, is characterized by episodic memory loss. Episodic memory loss is when a person cannot remember specific things that happen at a particular time at a particular location.

“It’s remembering what a hot dog is but not remembering that you ate a hot dog in a baseball game last Saturday evening,” Brainerd said.

A specific component of episodic memory loss is called recollection in which the brain uses a particular method to remember the when and where components of a memory. Recollection is characterized by vivid memories of what happened which one can see in their mind’s eye and hear in their mind’s ear. According to Brainerd, recollection is what is expected to decline in a healthy normal person in their late middle age.

Contrary to popular belief, this decline

does not hold steady throughout adulthood. It has been found that steady decline in memory loss starts at late middle age, declines until about the age of 70 and then stays constant as long as the individual stays healthy, Brainerd said.

Brainerd focuses on differentiating healthy elderly people with normal memory loss from people who have memory loss due to neurological diseases. Within the segment who have neurological diseases, Brainerd also seeks to separate individuals with diseases such as dementia from people who have cognitive impairment, an intermediate stage between age-related memory loss and a neurological disease.

According to Brainerd, people with neurological diseases will show a different pattern of memory loss as compared to individuals with normal memory loss.

Current clinical tests used to detect episodic memory loss in individuals include recall and recognition tests, Brainerd said. In a recall test, a person is given a list of words to study and asked to recall as many words as they can. In a recognition test, one is given a list of words and then given a second list of test words.

The person is then asked to identify which of the test words were on the first list and which were not.

According to Brainerd, these tests are not consistent and do not rise to the gold standard of sensitivity and specificity.

Sensitivity is being able to positively iden-

tify a person in the disease category while specificity is being able to reject a person as not belonging to the disease category.

Eighty-five percent of specificity and sensitivity are considered gold standards.

When individuals remember things or words in recall and recognition tests, different, independent component memory processes are involved. Different individuals can also use different processes to remember the same word. When an individual takes the currently used recall or recognition tests, however, they are just repeating words with nothing to pinpoint the processes used, according to Brainerd.

Brainerd, Reyna and Gomes created a theory-driven mathematical model that measures the separate memory processes used on the recall and recognition tests instead of just raw performance.The model seeks to detect error patterns by analyzing the performance on these tests, which results in a higher level of both sensitivity and specificity.

By using this new test, researchers found that individuals with dementia or cognitive impairment experience memory loss during recognition processes. This differs from normal memory loss which loses recall of words or events instead of recognition, Brainerd said.

In addition to the diagnostic component, Brainerd also focuses on trying to predict which healthy people will be likely to develop cognitive impairment or

dementia.

“It is really important to do this because treatments for dementia and cognitive impairment are not very good,” Brainerd said. “In order to develop treatments to prevent neurological diseases, we have to be able to identify people who are still healthy but will, in the future, develop these conditions so as to test the current treatments.”

According to Brainerd, over a period of one to six years, increased decline in recognition memory indicates a transition in healthy individuals from normal memory loss to cognitive impairment or dementia.

These mathematical results are significant because they are better predictors than genetic markers in identifying neurological diseases, Brainerd said. Generally, genetic markers are only good in detecting diseases during their later stages. According to Brainerd, the Apolipoprotein E genotype is the best known genetic marker in predicting future cognitive impairment or dementia. However, it is only 50 percent accurate.

“We are at a tipping point where we are really at the ground floor of things with so much fundamental work and advancement to be made at this point,” Brainerd said.

“No matter how many good ideas we have about treatments, we cannot cure the diseases if we cannot identify [them].”

Srinitya Arasanipalai can be reached at sarasanipalai@cornellsun.com.

Fish Brains Reveal Origin of Hand Gestures

By REEM KHONDAKAR Sun Staff Writer

Call it going out on a limb, but recent research by Prof. Andrew Bass, neurobiology and behavior, on toadfish may provide insight into how human hand gestures evolved.

Bass studies the neurons responsible for sound production and hearing in toadfish, one of the most vocal groups of fish.

“Toadfish are the songbirds and frogs of the ocean. Much like frogs, their entire lives revolve around making and hearing sound,” Bass said.

Like most fish, toadfish produce sound by contracting their swim bladder, a muscular apparatus that, according to Bass, evolved specifically for the production of sound. By locating a developing swim bladder muscle within an embryo and the corresponding neurons in the brain controlling that developing muscle, Bass’ lab built a map of the early development of the vocal system in toadfish. They found distinct populations of neurons that control the duration, amplitude and frequency of fish sounds. Together, these distinct populations make up what is known as the vocal central pattern generator, a network of neurons in the hindbrain that controls sound production.

“In doing those studies, we identified exactly where in the hindbrain this vocal central pattern generator develops,” Bass said.

Fish communicate in two major ways: by using their swim bladder, which is dedicated to sound production, and by moving their pectoral fins, which are used mainly for motion but can also sometimes be used for producing sound. According to Bass, these pectoral appendages can be thought of as functionally equivalent to human forelimbs.

It was while studying the early development of the vocal central

COURTESY OF PROF. ANDREW BASS

Communication clues | Prof. Andrew Bass, neurobiology and behavior, studies toadfish to understand the evolution of human hand gestures. pattern generator that Bass came across something unexpected: the neurons responsible for the movement of pectoral fins develop close to the neurons responsible for the production of sound.

“Imagine there’s a compartment, a segment of the developing brain, where the vocal central pattern generator is born. It turns out that the motor neurons that control development of the pectoral fins, lo and behold, appear to be born in the same segment of the developing brain,” Bass said.

The discovery of a developmental overlap between the neurons that control sound production and the neurons that control pectoral appendage movement sparked questions about what neurobiological properties two disparate functions might share.

“If we think about how humans typically use hand gestures when they are speaking, and how even people who are deaf use their hands for communication, there is some fundamental coupling between hand movement and sound production,” Bass said.

Indeed, this coupling is widespread in the animal kingdom.

“For years I knew that many birds, like fish, make sound in similar ways. For instance, manakins, birds from the Central and Southern American tropics, make incredible sounds by beating their wings, which are modified pectoral appendages. Fish are doing the same thing,” Bass said.

Unlike in mammals, the pectoral girdle in fish is attached directly to the head and is used primarily for steering purposes. In

humans, the functional equivalent would be the clavicle and scapula, which are located near the shoulders. What makes the pectoral girdle particularly interesting as a tool for communication is that, unlike the swim bladder, pectoral appendages are multi-functional.

According to Bass, one study demonstrated how disrupting the ability of croaking gouramies, a small species of freshwater fish common in aquariums, to move their pectoral appendages changed their social interactions.

Bass aims to understand the neuronal changes that occur when an animal uses its pectoral appendages to make sound and when it uses it for another behavior, such as locomotion.

“At times the pectoral girdle can be engaged just for sound produc-

tion. That becomes a very interesting question, how it switches between one and the other,” Bass said.

While many of these questions are unanswered, the findings of a shared developmental origin for both systems in toadfish may spark new research in the field.

“It’s worth asking the question, does this enable us to identify the underlying principles of neural organization that define both the use of the pectoral system for signaling and the use of a vocal system for signaling, and can we learn from that the principles that underlie our own ability to do that?” Bass said.

Reem Khondakar can be reached at rkhondakar@cornellsun.com.

A&E

12 | The Corne¬ Daily Sun | Wednesday, December 4, 2013

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT The Sun’sTop 10 Songs of 2013 Black Skinhead

Kanye West

Afterlife

2

Arcade Fire

By now, there are at least four different music videos of “Afterlife”: the SNL performance, the bizarre Spike Jonze dance-thing at the YouTube Music Awards, the lyric video interspersed with scenes from the movie “Black Orpheus” and the official one of a single Mexican father and his family. Despite the different narratives, “Afterlife” is a fitting track for each and every story of loss and heartbreak. “Afterlife” reminded hardcore Arcade Fire fans why they were so drawn to Funeral: It was Arcade Fire doing what they do best in creating the anthemic magic that makes you want to cry and pump your fist at the same time. Combined with just a light touch of James Murphy, the song urges us to dance at the cusp of death — not out of hedonistic celebration, but content, teary remembrance of everything that is good in the world that is passing us by.

5

Mirrors

Justin Timberlake

Even though Justin Timberlake, at this point arguably pop’s leading man, tried his hand at a concept album this year, he hasn’t completely abandoned his accessible roots that began with N’Sync. Ditching his frosted tips for dapper tuxedos and pomade-laden hair, Timberlake has certainly been finding his niche as he matures. This doesn’t mean he’s given up on making pop bangers, though, and “Mirrors” delivers swinging pop goodness in spades. Equal parts electronic magic and J.T.’s angelic voice, “Mirrors” is proof that Justin’s mainstream side is far from dead.

8

Stoned and Starving Parquet Courts

Fine, it’s a song about getting high and shopping for snacks, but it’s a song about getting high and shopping for snacks like “Sister Ray” is just a song about oral sex and shooting up heroin. “Stoned and Starving” is a drone rock epic that marries Sonic Youth’s trash culture beat poetry with a motorik pace that suggests the underlying anxiety that comes from looking up the ingredients on a bag of Swedish Fish. Like a punk rock version of Das Racist, Parquet Courts deadpan on the minutiae of the stoner lifestyle with a fervor that suggests maybe — just maybe — our decision between “roasted peanuts or licorice” says something important about us after all.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Kanye West is angry: at Louis Vuitton, at Jimmy Kimmel, at Nike and, most of all, at people who aren’t taking him seriously. Say what you want about the feasibility of a leather jogging pant, but on “Black Skinhead” ‘Ye makes incongruous fashions work. Gary Glitter handclap drum beats, ethereal wailing, distorted screams, that absolutely filthy synth mantra — we say a lot about Kanye’s ego, but this the sound of his id, all frustration, fury and the quelling of self-doubt. For his theme song, Kanye hits us with a brutal manifesto that sees him proselytizing on race, the media and his own greatness like a man possessed. It’s a warts-and-all excavation of his own personality, projected by a self-confidence and sense of purpose unparalleled by anyone in pop music. “Black Skinhead” hijacks your brain and forces you to pay attention. If you’re not taking Kanye seriously by now, you’re just not listening.

3

Full of Fire The Knife

Hey you! Tired of worshipping your corporate overlords in silence? The Knife has the song for you!

“Full of Fire” is over nine minutes of mechanistic electropop to get you appeasing the patriarchy the old fashioned way. Try any one of these synergistic dance moves: The Goldman Shuffle, the Citi Chanteuse. Good luck stopping this frisk, Bloomberg! We’re on a roll! Back and forth, back and forth, liberals giving me a nerve itch. No, the song hasn’t ended, you keep your feet moving! Now repeat after me, just like we rehearsed. OBEY, CONSUME, CONFORM! OBEY, CONSUME, CONFORM!

6

Hannah Hunt

Vampire Weekend

It’s not a single, it’s not a dance track, it’s not the irresistible cocktail that is “Diane Young.” But we all return to “Hannah Hunt.” Perhaps we don’t hear songs as tender and forthright as this anymore, even when we know they do us a whole lot of good. Ezra Koenig’s lyrics speak to the mystical potency of love — how it turns atheists into believers, skeptics into storytellers. Instead of God, however, our lover has Hannah, another mortal who “live[s] on the US dollar.”

As he belts his exasperation at how anti-romantic the world is over spritely E Street Band-esque keys, we know he’ll try, goddammit, to keep the dream alive.

9

Childhood’s End Majical Clouds

Known for their enigmatic live performances and depressive lyrics, Majical Cloudz have produced another memorable heart-sinker with “Childhood’s End.” This track, a single from their LP Impersonator, creates an unsettling mental space as Devon Welsh’s dark voice croons about a child’s father being shot and killed. Laid over sparse electronics and percussion, Welsh’s vocal prowess gives the stand-out single its profound weight.

“Childhood’s End” may not be the best way to start a day, but its stark, intense beauty makes it irresistible.

1

Q.U.E.E.N.

4

Janelle Monae

Janelle Monae is one of the smartest musicians alive. Many artists put out dissing tracks that deal with their newfound fame, but Monae uses “Q.U.E.E.N.” to talk about more than just herself.

With her alter-ego as the android Cindi Mayweather, Monae carries on the long Funk tradition of Afrofuturist funk musicians who use science fiction tropes to highlight racial inequity in America. She pointedly asks — so innocently you might miss it — “Will your God accept me in my black and white?

Will he approve the way I’m made?” But her last verses are so powerful and pointed they deserve to be reprinted: “Are we a lost generation of our people?

Add us to equations but they’ll never make use equal.”

She will permit you to groove, but you’ll do it by her rules.

7

White Noise

Disclosure

“White Noise” is a perfect example of the kind of hipster-pleasing and club-banging house hits that defined one of this year’s top releases, Disclosure’s Settle. Featuring the slinky vocals of Aluna Francis of AlunaGeorge, whose sharp staccato meshes perfectly with the looping synth that accompanies her, the track plays like a sped-up and coked-out version of Sbtrkt’s “Wildfire.” The lyrics themselves also embody the inherent duality of this album. On one level, they’re prime for partying — “Lately I’ve been thinking, if you want to get tough / then let’s play rough,” Aluna repeats beckoningly throughout. But, those music fans that like their house with a bit of brains need only delve a bit deeper into her instistence that she be heard as more than “just noise, white noise.” In short, it’s a track with the hooks to satisfy casual listeners and the IQ to gain the approval of even the snobbiest critic.

10

Peace and Quiet Waxahatchee

Katie Crutchfield’s first outing as Waxahatchee, the staunchly lo-fi American Weekend, sounds like a series of crossed-out entries from a diary — the sort of unfiltered musings that are too intimate to put on display. “Peace and Quiet,” from this year’s excellent Cerulean Salt, finds Crutchfield mining the same personal ground with a newfound self-assuredness. The lyrics reflect on the futility of revenge (“If I muster the strength to afflict you, I won’t feel any better at all”) amid a propulsive chorus that hints at Crutchfield’s time with beloved pop-punkers P.S. Eliot. Ideal for post-relationship angst, “Peace and Quiet” is an anthem for lonely bedroom romantics everywhere.

A&E

Wednesday, December 4, 2013 | The Corne¬ Daily Sun | 13

Premiere: Kill Your Darlings

Featuring co-writer and professor Austin Bunn

BY ZACH ZAHOS Sun Associate Managing Editor

If you’ve heard Daniel Radcliffe’s name in the news anytime over the past couple months, there is a good chance his new film Kill Your Darlings is the reason why. While Radcliffe has been a tabloid

staple for years now (that’s what being the face of a multi-billion dollar franchise will do to you), the challenges of this role, and the degree to which he pulls it off, have earned him reappraisals from all corners, including cover stories on The New York Times Magazine and Out. You see, one of the biggest movie stars in the world took on the role of Allen Ginsberg — and you owe at least half the

COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES CLASSICS

A

credit to our very own Prof. Austin Bunn, performing and media arts.

Alongside co-writer/director John Krokidas, Bunn wrote a script about the Beats — including Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac — before they were famous and when they, in a little-known historical episode, became embroiled in a grisly murder. Bunn and Krokidas veered little from the facts in recreating this heated period of time, where Ginsberg fell for an older student, Lucien Carr (played by Chronicle’s Dane DeHaan). The movie’s got sex, drugs and rock ’n roll — or, rather, jazz (this was 1944, after all).

Tonight at 7:10 p.m., you can not only see Kill Your Darlings at Cinemapolis but hear Bunn introduce and answer questions about it, too. The script took nearly a decade to get picked up, filmed and released, so aspiring

COURTESY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PERFORMANCE AND MEDIA ARTS

screenwriters should listen up for any advice he learned along the way. Ask him about historical context, the film festival circuit and, who knows, maybe some behind-the-scenes gossip, too.

Remember: He’s like best buds with Daniel Radcliffe now.

Zachary Zahos is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at zzahos@cornellsun.com.

A Product of Mouse Clicks

few weeks ago, I showed up to my thesis advisor’s office and stupidly forgot he was out of town. As I wandered awkwardly around Ives Faculty Hall, I walked past a commotion near the conference room: A guest lecture was about to begin. With nothing else to do in the afternoon, I went in on a whim.

“Digital Labor: The Internet as Playground and Factory” addressed new forms of labor and work that have arisen in the age of the Internet. Editing Wikipedia (improving the product), posting to Facebook (contributing advertising demographic data) and sharing crap from Upworthy (please stop doing this) are all forms of labor. Perhaps the best example of this was the lecturer’s example that customer service workers on company forums are paid nothing to address service issues.

If you ever posted a question on the Apple Support forum, chances are that the answerer is doing it with the commitment of a second job … for free. In all cases, the labor is voluntary and the reward is psychological, not monetary.

A desire to help others or for selfexpression may be part of that reward, but usually the most gratification comes from the “gamification” of the work itself, or the creation of a small reward after an interactive activity. Customer service forums like Apple’s reward points for the “best answer,” even if those points are purely nominal.

Your friends’ “likes” encourage you to use Facebook again and again. TV shows use hashtags to interact with their audience.

Today, pure TV feels inadequate; everything must have some sort of game element.

One of the most interesting conceptual works is “Fort McMoney,” a website with all the makings of a documentary in the format of a video game. Centered around the oil boom town of Fort McMurray, Canada, “Fort McMoney” tackles thoroughly-covered territory. There are plenty

of documentaries on the Canadian oil sands boom, all with a familiar story: Previously ecologically harmful oil sands are now phenomenally profitable, and thousands of hopefuls across Canada come flocking to the extremely isolated Athabasca oil sands hoping to earn big money. Many trek to the extremely cold and harsh tundra on a hazardous road nicknamed the “Highway of Death” for its auto accidents. Some people get jobs and drive up the cost of living to boomtown prices — houses in the millions, 20 bucks for a sandwich. Liquor, drugs and prostitution abound. Those that find no jobs are destitute and homeless. Most jobs here are grimy and industrial, and the water and air are toxically polluted.

“Fort McMoney” repackages that story into a cross between a video game and an interactive tour of the city. Rather than a 50-minute long film that exposes a seedy boomtown with economic and social problems, “Fort McMoney” opts for short clips that give minimal background information interspersed with interactive content. The entire game is driven by the people that you decide to interact with and the questions you ask. You could go down to city hall to ask the mayor questions, or you could follow an unemployed ex-alcoholic who collects cans to pay the rent.

As you explore more places and talk to more people, you earn influence points.

Kai Sam Ng You’ve Got to Be Kitsching Me Those influence points can influence the alternate simulation city called Fort McMoney in the dashboard. In the beginning, Fort McMoney starts off with the same stats as Fort McMurray does, but, with influence points, you vote on referendums and different social policies that affect Fort McMoney, and you can see how

NILS AXEN / SUN STAFF ILLUSTRATOR

your results differ. Here, the gameplay gets a little muddled.

I only have one qualm with the game/documentary: One of the objects I picked up outside City Hall were “Secret Confidential Documents” on the oil sands.

I understand this is a gameplay element to keep things interesting, but it does warrant a cautionary note: Introducing fictional elements is part of what games are about, but when placed into the context of a documentary — a work that’s supposed to reflect reality — it makes you wonder what else is made up.

But conceptually, the game/documentary is ingenious. Audiences engage more with games than with a documentary, and turning the game into a documentary encourages a deeper dive into an enormously complicated issues, like how Canada’s oil boom is impacting the economy and its citizens. Interviews are much

more rewarding because the subjects get to answer in length — no one is cut off because there are no considerations of time limits. Documentaries have an editorial voice — the name “Fort McMoney” itself evinces which side of the issue the filmmakers (or game developers?) are on.

However, “Fort McMoney” feels much more organic in its format than many other documentaries on the issue precisely because its pace is dictated by the audience. If you want to focus on the oil industry’s side of the argument, then you can do that. If you want the opposite, you can do that, too. It’s completely up to you. The world is a product of mouse clicks.

Kai Sam Ng is a senior in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He can be reached at kng@cornellsun.com. You’ve Got to be Kitsching Me runs alternate Wednesdays this semester.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

14 THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, December 4, 2013

CLASSIFIED AD RATES Ads are accepted at The Sun‘s office at 139 W. State Street downtown, by phone or e-mail.

Deadline: 3:30 p.m. at The Sun‘s office on the day preceding publication. Monday’s deadline: Friday, 3:30 p.m. at The Sun office.

Standard Rate: $3.40 per day for first 15 words, 32 cents per day per word thereafter. 5 or more consecutive insertions, $3.15 per day for first 15 words, 30 cents per day per word thereafter.

Commercial Rate: $5.20 per day for first 15 words, 33 cents per day per word thereafter. 5 or more consecutive insertions, $5.00 per day for first 15 words, 31 cents per day per word thereafter.

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Kidd: On-Court Star, Off-Court Nightmare HOROWITZ

Continued from page 16

will translate into being a great coach, one that can put all of the star pieces together to produce a championship team. His superior understanding of the game may help the team play smart, winning basketball.

Kidd’s genius on the offensive side of the ball and his ability to bring out the best in his teammates may help him encourage each of Brooklyn’s offensive stars to release their full potential.

However, there has always been a darker story unfolding in Kidd’s off-court life. In 2001, he was arrested and pleaded guilty to physically abusing his wife Joumana. She also accused him of frequently cheating on her and emotionally abusing her. Kidd claims that Joumana was also abusive to him.

Although he attended anger management classes as a punishment for the crime, Kidd couldn’t hold the marriage together. He and Joumana ended their marriage in a messy divorce with their three kids caught in the middle.

In July of 2012, after he had signed with the Knicks, Kidd was arrested for drunk driving after he crashed his car into a telephone pole at 2 a.m. in Southampton, N.Y. He pleaded guilty to the charge and was suspended by the NBA for the first two games of this season. Not exactly a great way to begin a coaching career.

The start to the Nets’ season has not gone as planned. In fact, it has been nothing short of dreadful. They lost 10 out of their first 13 games and are currently the third worst team in the Eastern Conference with a record of 5-12. There is still time, to turn things around, but the Nets management had high expectations for this season, and corrective moves will be made if Kidd can’t right the ship.

In a recent loss to the Lakers,

with the Nets down by two points with 8.3 seconds remaining and no timeouts, Kidd instructed one of his players to intentionally bump into him so that he could spill his soda and stop the game in time for the Nets to diagram a play for their final possession. When the NBA looked at the video and saw Kidd clearly saying “hit me” to second year guard Tyshawn Taylor, Kidd was leveled with a 50,000 dollar fine for the deceptive action. Even in the game itself, Kidd got what he deserved, as the Nets still failed to score on their last possession and lost the game.

Immediately after the game, Kidd denied that he intentionally spilled the soda, instead attributing it to “sweaty palms.”

Only after the NBA announced

There has always been a darker story unfolding in Kidd’s off-court life. the fine did Kidd admit to intentionally spilling the soda in order to buy time for the Nets to design a play.

This type of behavior is inappropriate for any person, let alone a famous NBA coach. It’s time for Kidd to pull himself together and gain a sense of honesty, rather than denying every mistake that he makes. He was a great player and has the potential to be a great coach — the Nets’ poor performance isn’t even entirely his fault.

However, he needs to come clean, apologize for all of his past blunders, and start living up to the standard of behavior and sportsmanship that fans rightfully demand. If he does, he can be a role model for aspiring young point guards for years to come.

Ben Horowitz can be reached at bhorowitz@cornellsun.com.

THE CORNELL DAILY SUN | Wednesday, December 4, 2013 15

SPORTS

SQUASH

Cornell Strives to Squash Columbia Lions Next Weekend Top men’s and women’s teams seek to hold winning streak

By HAMDAN AL YOUSEFI Sun Staff Writer

After kick-starting their respective seasons in blazing fashion with victories against Drexel, Stanford and the University of Western Ontario, both men and women’s squash look to keep the momentum going when they host Ivy League rival Columbia next weekend. With Columbia’s women and men’s teams ranked No. 11 and No.12 respectively, as opposed to the Red’s No. 6 and No. 8 teams, Cornell may be able to claim an easy victory.

Columbia, however, has recruited intensively over the summer, bolstering its ranking with several international players as the program enters its fourth year.

“I see them breaking into the Top-Eight, but not by beating Cornell. They are definitely not to be taken lightly,” women’s head coach Julee Devoy said. “At the moment we’re looking behind — anything ahead of us we’re going to go out there and give it our best shot. There are a couple of teams ahead of us who are a little weaker than last year, but so are we. But who knows what could happen.

Potentially [we could finish higher than we started], just like Columbia is trying to get us.”

The results of the match against Columbia may affect

Cornell’s position in the standings, according to men’s head coach Mark Devoy.

“The teams are getting stronger and stronger every year. Columbia have put a lot of effort into their program and have several international players coming in this year,” he said. “If we lose this weekend we’re more likely to drop out of the Top-Eight. When you drop out of the Top-Eight, you’re reliant on the results of other teams to determine your outcome, which is not a position I want to be in.

Columbia is going to be very strong and difficult, so it’s important that we get the win this weekend.”

Despite acknowledgements of the strength of Columbia’s team, both coaches believe that the Red has the superior program and are hoping for a win.

“We’re hoping for a win, we need a win,” Mark Devoy said.

“It’s going to be a very tough game. We had a very tough battle with them last year. They’re ranked behind us so this is actually a must-win. For all intensive purposes this is going to be a close match.”

“Well, certainly we’d like to come off with a win,” Julee Devoy said. “We did play them at the scrimmage and even though scrimmages are no account and both our line ups have changed,

we could get different match ups.

At the end of the day I think we might have the edge, but we still have to play well to pull it off.”

A loss this weekend may have disastrous consequences for Cornell’s season.

“That would be telling them that Cornell is definitely a weaker team ... and anyone else would think they’d have a reasonable shot against us,” Julee Devoy said. “But after Columbia there is a little bit of gap in strength. For example, Columbia played GW before the break and Columbia beat them 72.”

Mark Devoy also focused on analyzing Columbia’s result against GW, believing it was not as indicative of Columbia’s strength as it seemed.

“It’s hard looking at the matchup [as] GW is a considerably weaker team. It’s hard to gauge quality looking at just that.

Something in our favor is that we’ve had several hard matches before the break [and Columbia hasn’t]. We’ll be their first big test,” he said. “We got a bit of a wake up call against Drexel, which is good. We have a slight advantage in that aspect. And we have a home court advantage which is always big in squash.”

After a semester of training and build up, only to have the season broken off by the Thanksgiving

CONNOR ARCHARD / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Smack it to ’em | Next weekend’s Columbia matchup will affect the Cornell’s national standings, making it a must-win for the Red.

break, the Red is ready to get the season going and the players aware of their responsibilities.

“They know it’s a big match, they knew Stanford was a huge match as well — particularly at the beginning of the season — and they did a great job. I know that they’re going to approach the Columbia game in the same way,” Julee Devoy said. “They know it’s an ever improving team and a critical match. You have to look at the teams coming up behind you.”

Mark Devoy is keen to not let the holiday festivities get in the way of team preparation.

“I’m looking to get a good seri-

ous week of training in this week, [but] post-Thanksgiving is not the best time. I’ll have a better gauge once we start training,” he said.

Julee Devoy, however, said that a lot would depend on what happens during the match.

“You can train and practice and prepare for matches but squash is all about [what happens] on the day [of the match.] It’s about who fronts up and who comes to play and who’s selling good on the day,” she said.

Hamdan Al Yousefil can be reached at halyousefi@cornellsun.com.

FENCING

Fencers to Finish Successful Semester at Brandeis Invitational

By SYDNEY ALTSCHULER Sun Staff Writer

The Cornell fencing team will travel to Waltham, Mass. to compete in the Brandeis Invitational Sunday. The Red will face-off against Brandeis, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Boston College and St. Johns.

So far, Cornell has had a very successful season. The squad went 8-7 at the Vassar Invitational, giving head coach Iryna Dolgikh her 100th career victory with the Red. The Red hopes to perform well at this tournament in order to end the season strong and improve its overall record.

“Brandeis is coming up next weekend and we are all excited to compete. We look to finish this

“We look to finish ... on a positive note.”

Ashley Muller

OLIVER KLIEWE / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Staying sharp | Cornell will be up against a challenging set of schools this weekend, but its recent successes have the team feeling confident.

semester off on a positive note,” sophomore Ashley Muller said.

The Red expects this tournament to be one of the most challenging of the season, as the competition is fierce. Nevertheless,

Cornell has reason to be confi- atmosphere characteristic of a dent. At the Brandeis Invitational challenging tournament such as last season, the Red went 4-1, this one. The fencers have been falling only to nationally ranked powerhouse St. Johns. St. Johns placed “We’ve been working third at the 2012 NCAA very hard as well, and I’m championships and has been ranked in the top for confident in our chances the past ten years, consecu- going into this tively. Still, last season, Cornell put up a fight competition.” against the Red Storm, Taylor Wong forcing overtime bouts and taking numerous ties of 44. This year, the Red hopes to focusing on fine-tuning their indidefeat its rival and has worked vidual strategies and honing their very hard to realize this goal. skills to prepare for Brandeis.

“I think what will be most “Each tournament of our seachallenging during this upcoming son gets progressively more diffitournament is definitely the com- cult. After reflecting on our perpetition,” sophomore Taylor formance at Vassar, practice has Wong said. “These schools are a become more focused on perfectbit more challenging than the ing our individual strengths and teams we went up against for our working on areas that need last tournament. They train hard improvement,” sophomore and are very good, so I think we Angelica Gangemi said. “I hope to will have to work harder than last apply the strategies and techtournament to match that level of niques I’ve worked on in training competition. Still, we’ve been to bring a high level of intensity working very hard as well, and I’m and competition to every bout at confident in our chances going Brandeis.” into this competition.”

Cornell has been focusing on mental preparation and consisten- Sydney Altschuler can be reached cy to cope with the high-pressure at saltschuler@cornellsun.com.

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

Sports

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 4, 2013

16

TRACK AND FIELD

Runners Look for Strong Start

By JOHN McGRORTY Sun Staff Writer

CONNOR ARCHARD / SUN SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Pedal to the metal | The men’s and women’s track and field teams are hoping for a successful season opener.

This Friday and Saturday, the Cornell men’s and women’s track and field teams will compete in the Greg Page Relays in Barton Hall. Both the men’s and women’s teams are looking forward to opening up their 2013-14 season.

On the men’s side, the Red looks to begin its competitive season after an extensive period of training.

“I think, like most track teams, the kids have been training very hard for [the] last three months and have a little bit of cabin fever so they are pretty excited to begin their season,” head coach Nathan Taylor said. “We have what we think might be a very good track team. Last year we finished 13 in the country and we have almost all our starts from last year back. When you add that together with one of the best recruiting class in the country, including the high school national track and field athlete of the year, we are looking for big things this year.”

The Red hopes to continue to develop and is excited to begin the competitive portion of the season.

On the women’s side, the Red hopes to gain understanding of where the team is going this season.

“The team feels good. The Greg Page Relays is a starting point; no one knows quite where we are. We have had a great fall, but we haven’t competed yet. This is a good jumping off point. It provides a beginning and lets us see where

C.U. Swimmers To Challenge Upstate Rivals Red hopes to beat Bombers

By JOSHUA BEHLER

The Cornell swimming and diving team had mixed results last tournament as the women (4-1) trounced both Penn and Princeton for historic program wins while the men’s team (1-4) fell to its Ivy League rivals at the end of the competition. Going forward, the Red will look to improve for Friday’s the Ithaca Invite, where it will face off against a host of N.Y. schools.

“Ithaca is a different game for us.”

Phillip Truong The Ithaca College Invitational is a yearly meet in which Ithaca College hosts a variety of colleges and universities in a weekend long swimming and diving competition. In the past, N.Y. schools such as Cornell, Colgate, Hartwick and Nazareth, have dominated the event. The Red will travel to Ithaca

College’s A&E Center Aquatics Pavilion and compete throughout the weekend as it seeks to conclude its 2013 campaign on a strong note.

The Red has traditionally done very well at the Bomber Invitational. Two seasons ago, both teams won the entire meet overall, as both the men and women dominated their instate competition. This year provides a unique narrative for both teams heading into the competition, as the women seek to continue their hot streak while the men look to correct their form midseason.

“Ithaca is a different game for us,” senior diver Phillip Truong said.

“Instead of six dives, we will be competing 11 dives — the additional five are what we call voluntary dives, typically drills.

We don't compete [in voluntary dives] in the Ivy League, so it'll be fun revisiting these in competition.”

When asked about the team’s performance, Truong noted that the Red is hoping to improve its

John McGrorty can be reached at jmcgrorty@cornellsun.com.

Just Behave, Kidd T

SWIMMING AND DIVING

Sun Staff Writer

we are at and go from there,” head coach Rich Bowman said.

“We have had a fantastic fall, we’ve worked hard, we came back and have worked since the end of August. Everyone has been getting after it. We haven’t competed yet, training is great, but what we really want is great competitors and to get back into competition mood. We want to see where we are at from a competitive standpoint.” This weekend presents the team with the opportunity to focus more on competitions. The Red is determined to concentrate on its success without comparing itself to past teams, according to Bowman.

“We plan on having a great year, and we have an extremely competitive schedule, this is the 2014 team, not last year’s team or a team from years before. They determine their own identity,” he said.

Both teams look to start their season off with a successful outing, however they also want to understand where they are at and create a base in order to develop as the season continues.

“I think everyone’s fitness and strength levels are very high; their technical level of competence is no where near where it will be 3-6 months from now. We will see very good performances this weekend and some that need improvement,” Taylor said.

XIAOYUE GUO / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Rolling in the deep | The men’s team hopes to improve

he 2013-14 season was supposed to be a breakout party for the new-look Brooklyn Nets.

Brooklyn acquired the dangerous Boston duo of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, and with a cast already including stars like Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, the Nets looked like they were in position to be one of the NBA’s elite teams. All they needed was a coach to bring it all together. So they turned to Jason Kidd, a terrific point guard with 19 years of playing experience.

Just one week after he officially retired from the NBA following his 2012-13 season with the Knicks, Kidd was hired as head coach of the Nets.

It was an attractive move for many reasons. Kidd played for the Nets, then in New Jersey, for seven of the prime seasons in his career. In his first season, he led the Nets to their first 50 win season in franchise history, a 26 win improvement over the previous year. That stellar first year culminated in a trip to the NBA finals, the first in Nets history. Though they didn’t win the title, Kidd had taken the Nets from mediocrity to excellence.

its 1-4 record at the Ithaca Invite this weekend.

consistency as the season freshman free swimmer progresses.

Anna Elling said.

“I think we can definite“Every girl raced to the ly improve during meets,” last lap, yard, or inch [and] he said. “I know what my showed what the Red can teammates and I are capa- really do. When the team ble of doing — I see it succeeds, it only encourages everyday during practice. me as an individual to train We have to work towards harder and race faster. I controlling the adrenaline think we can really carry that builds up during meets this momentum to Ithaca and delivering. As the sea- and swim even better than son goes on, I think we can we already have.” expect to see greater consisWith winter break tency from everyone.” looming, the Red looks to On the women’s side, enter the vacation with the Red is looking to con- improvement across the tinue its dominance as it board and add another vicenters the invitational fresh tory to the tally as it takes off a historic win against on its cross-town rivals in Princeton, the team’s first addition to other N.Y. against the Tigers in 32 schools this Friday. appearances.

“The team as a whole Joshua Behler can be reached really stood out that night,” at jbehler@cornellsun.com.

Ben Horowitz The Next Big Thing They again reached the finals the following season, the highest scoring season of Kidd’s career.

Kidd was the outright team leader, the face of the franchise. He was a duel threat on the court, able to score from anywhere and able to set up any of his teammates. He wasn’t the fastest or tallest, but he was a uniquely smart player with great vision and a great sense for the game. He is one of the best players who has ever played for the Nets, without question. Kidd moved on from the Nets in the latter part of his career, and finally won a championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. The Nets recently retired his number, saluting him as one of the best players in Nets history.

The Nets think that Kidd’s fantastic playing career See HOROWITZ page 14