Cornell Alumni Magazine

c1-c4CAMso13_c1-c1CAMMA05 8/15/13 11:02 AM Page c1 September | October 2013 $6.00 Alumni Magazine CorneOWNED AND PUBLISHED BY THE CORNELL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Overrated? Duncan Watts, PhD ’97, on why the Mona Lisa may not be all it’s cracked up to be Inside: Celebrating Reunion 2013 Dealing with deer cornellalumnimagazine.com c1-c4CAMso13_c1-c1CAMMA05 8/15/13 12:39 PM Page c2 01-01CAMso13toc_000-000CAMJF07currents 8/15/13 10:40 AM Page 1 September/October 2013 Volume 116 Number 2 In This Issue Corne Alumni Magazine 2 From David Skorton Going online 4 The Big Picture Holy cows! 6 Correspondence An activist reflects 10 Letter from Rwanda Art therapy 12 From the Hill State Street goes modern 44 16 Sports Hall of famers 20 Authors 2001: An NYC odyssey 42 Wines of the Finger Lakes Lakewood Vineyards 2012 Dry Riesling 56 Classifieds & Cornellians in Business 57 Alma Matters 50 22 60 Class Notes 95 Alumni Deaths 44 It’s Complicated 96 Cornelliana War and remembrance BETH SAULNIER As the saying goes: “It’s only common sense.” But for Duncan Watts, PhD ’97, common sense isn’t a dependable source of folksy wisdom—in fact, it can be reductive Currents and even dangerous. In Everything Is Obvious, Once You Know the Answer, the sociologist and network theorist explores “the wisdom and madness of crowds.” The newly minted A. D. White Professor-at-Large argues that complex problems 22 Let’s Get Together like financial crises require equally complex answers—and sophisticated analysis— More from Reunion 2013 and that the popularity of everything from the Mona Lisa to Harry Potter can essen- tially be termed a fluke. “Your intuition,” he says, “is always misleading you into Fit the Bill thinking you understand things that you don’t.” Tipping points The Talking Cure Fighter for the First Amendment 50 The Buck Stops Here Hospitality, Sweet SHARON TREGASKIS ’95 Classmates design luxe hotels It may be hard for modern suburbanites to believe that white-tailed deer were once Handle with Care so rare, their sightings merited newspaper headlines. These days, with developments Cornell’s scientific glassblower encroaching into what were once woodlands, humans and deer come into constant The Unkindest Cut conflict—leading to car accidents, enraged gardeners, and bitter disputes over how Battling a barbaric practice to deal with the ubiquitous herbivores. At Cornell, researchers are addressing this cloven-hooved conundrum, aiming to set standards for proper management—and Prepare for the Worst to broker peace between bipeds and their four-footed neighbors. Coping with disaster Plus | Speak! Website E. B. White on dogs cornellalumnimagazine.com The Mona Lisa / The Louvre Museum Cornell Alumni Magazine (ISSN 1548-8810; USPS 006-902) is published six times a year, in January, March, May, July, September, and November by the Cornell Alumni Association, 401 East State Street, Suite 301, Ithaca, NY 14850. Subscriptions cost $33 a year. Periodical postage paid at Ithaca, NY, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Cornell Alumni Magazine, c/o Public Affairs Records, 130 East Seneca St., Suite 400, Ithaca, NY 14850-4353. September | October 2013 1 02-03CAMso13skorton_000-000CAMJF07currents 8/15/13 10:42 AM Page 2 From David Skorton New Opportunities and Challenges in Online Education irtual learning communities, as Jim Roberts ’71 The Cornell–Queen’s Executive MBA program in the John- noted in the July/August 2013 issue, are as old son School and a distance-learning master’s degree in systems as the “University” of Bologna, which in the engineering in the College of Engineering are both designed for Veleventh century had no physical facilities, and as modern as professionals who do not want to interrupt their careers while the massive open online courses (MOOCs) that Cornell and pursuing an advanced degree. Johnson uses technology to deliver many other universities are developing to share knowledge the MBA program to small groups of students in twenty-seven with students around the world. cities in North and South America, interspersed with periods of Distance education, enabled by technology, can be offered on-campus work. The systems engineering master’s includes two entirely online or through a hybrid model that includes short but week-long, one-credit courses on campus, project work super- intense periods of learning on a college campus. Some courses vised by faculty, and online courses. The Division of Nutritional Sciences offers free online education to nutrition and health professionals worldwide via the Cornell NutritionWorks website (www.nutritionworks. cornell.edu). The offerings include a twelve-unit training course developed in collaboration with UNICEF. To date, more than 5,700 professionals from 158 countries have registered for the course, and 34 percent have received certificates of completion. Despite these activities, which are very much a part of the fabric of Cornell, until recently we have been followers in the larger movement toward MOOCs. Cornell faculty, however, have been accelerating our entry into this growing and increasingly visible sphere of teaching. Now that we have joined edX, a non- profit consortium that provides a platform for MOOCs, distin- guished faculty will develop not-for-credit CornellX MOOCs on American Capitalism; Relativity and Astrophysics; Networks, Crowds, and Markets; and Wiretaps to Big Data: Privacy and Surveillance in the Age of Complete Interconnection. What can we predict from all this interest and activity? First, Cornell will not offer bachelor’s degrees online, at least for the foreseeable future. We believe that the invaluable experience of living and learning in a diverse academic community during the undergraduate years cannot be replicated online. What we will ROBERT BARKER / UP do is use technology—and what we learn from our online programs—to enhance on-campus education and broaden our carry college credit, while others lead to a professional certificate understanding of how students actually learn. or other credential. Some are for personal or professional enrich- At the professional master’s level, I see great potential for ment, without documentation of any kind other than a record increasing the number of programs we can offer online and the of participation. number of students we educate online. These programs can reach Cornell has been both a leader and a follower in the rapidly eager learners who want to pursue advanced degrees without changing universe of technology-enabled education. It has been interrupting their careers and can provide significant revenue to a leader through eCornell, which since 2000 has provided online the University. For example, a new ILR school master’s degree certificate programs to more than 70,000 students in more than in human resources that will combine online and on-campus edu- 200 countries around the world, in partnership with several of cation has been approved by the Board of Trustees and Faculty our colleges and schools. Last year, the Faculty Senate approved Senate and is awaiting approval at the state level. In addition, as the use of eCornell to produce for-credit courses—potentially funding permits, I see great potential to build on programs like expanding the reach of our online programs. NutritionWorks to share knowledge with those who can bene- The School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions has fit, including learners in the developing world. offered distance learning courses since 1998—when lectures for a An ad hoc faculty committee is guiding the expansion of our course in public relations and advertising were transferred to VHS online educational offerings and other possible applications of cassettes and sent to those enrolled. Acting Dean Charles Jermy technology-enabled learning to ensure that we derive maximum Jr., GR ’70–74, notes that because of the relatively asynchronous benefits from our efforts. I welcome your thoughts on distance nature of the instruction, participants can accept jobs and intern- learning and online offerings that would be of interest to you. ships while they are taking an online course, and the professor can — President David Skorton be conducting research at a distant location while teaching. [email protected] 2 Cornell Alumni Magazine | cornellalumnimagazine.com 02-03CAMso13skorton_000-000CAMJF07currents 8/15/13 10:42 AM Page 3 CRUISING THE DALMATIAN COAST BY ELMIRA MANGUM What a grand and exciting experience! Starting in Venice, Italy, with the Biennale in full swing, cruising the Dalmatian Coast cre- ated significant memories of destinations I had known so little about. I can only think in clichés to describe the unique cities, the rich- ness of the culture, the strong traditions, and the warmth of the people. Whether it was exploring the breathtaking Krka National Park, walking under a 13th-century castle, strolling the ruins of Pula coliseum, or cruising into a narrow harbor at sunrise with mountains on every side, there was one unforgettable experience after another. It was very exciting visiting certain regions as alumni traced their ancestry, hearing their stories, and gaining an understanding of the historical significance of each region while walking through the lavender fields of coastal Croatia. I also enjoyed hearing alumni talk about their experiences at Cornell and their lives since graduating. What an independent, free- thinking, and vibrant group. Getting to know them and getting a sense of their impact around the world speaks to the quality of a Cornell education. Imagine my astonishment meeting a young woman with her family in a small church in Dubrovnik, who shared that she, too, was a Cornell graduate. She was beaming with pride. Big Red is everywhere. There was plenty to do on board and on shore, either on your own or with a group. Some chose to swim in the waters of the Adriatic Sea at almost every port.

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