HIDDEN IN THE EARTH Some toxic chemicals buried in soil may become less hazardous over time, researcher says. IT STARTS WITH KIDS The Cornell Early Childhood Program has expanded to integrate many needs in the community. Harry Wu's talk focuses on abuses By Dennis Shin '96 Lee Teng-hui," Wu joked at a press conference before his Nov. 5 lecture. Lee's visit had heightened tensions between Harry Wu must have felt a sense ofirony comingto speak the United States and China, and Wu said his captors at Cornell this past weekend. Besides haring his personal referred to the impact that visit had on his situation. account of Chinese human rights abuses to an overflow Wu made international headlines when Chinese officials crowd in David L. Call Alumni Auditorium, the noted stopped him at a border crossing on June 19, charged him activist also pointed out the relationship between his recent with passing state secrets and placed him in a detention ordeal and a more controversial visit to Cornell this summer. facility for more than nine weeks. He had been attempting Wu was arrested in June while trying to enter the to the enter the country to secretly film, as he had in the past, People's Republic of China, three days after China's am­ human rights abuses. Finally sentenced to 15 years in bassador to Washington left the United States in protest prison, Wu instead was expelled from China on Aug. 24 Over Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui's visit to Cornell after much American diplomatic negotiation and pressure. for Reunion Weekend, June 8-10. Wu reminded his audience, however, that it wasn't his Franlc DiMeo/Umversity Photography Dur~ng his Nov. 5 press conference, HarryWu holds up "MaybeCornell has to invite me here because [I deserve] first experience as a prisoner in China. a picture of a Catholic priest he says was kept 'for to be paid back for the problem they caused me by inviting Continued on page 2 years in forced detention by the Chinese govemrnent. NASA to test survivability of apples in space By Roger Segelken NASA space shuttles have carried aloft all sorts of university memorabilia - from microchips and bumper tickers to Ezra Cornell's wedding socks- that were mean­ ingful mainly to astronaut-alumni and Cornellians on the ground. Sometime next year, if all goes well. a shuttle will transport items ofpotential value to space travelers who crave a crisp, juicy taste ofthe home planet: Cornell-grown apples. The experiment to test the survivability of apples in a space-travel environment came.about because a university scientist, who IS now the dean of freshmen in the College of Arts and Sciences, entered a contest 10 years ago in hope of winning "a really neat telescope." "I would have been happy with the sec­ ond prize," John J. Chiment said ofthe 1985 Popular Mechanics magazine conte t to design a NASA "Getaway Special" experi­ ment to fly, all expenses paid, aboard a Robert Barlcer/UnH'ersity Photography spaceshuttle. Chiment, a paleobiologist who Taking in the Ithaca Farmers' Market on Oct. 28 are, from left: Duncan Hilchey, agricultural development specialist with the Farming Altematives Program; Gilbert Gillespie Jr., senior research associate in rural worked as a high school science teacher and sociology; and Tom Lyson, professor of rural sociology and director of the Fanning Altematives Program. an editor in the Mathematical Sciences In­ stitute and Cornell Plantations before as­ suming his current post in the College of Arts and Sciences, wasa researcher at Boyce Farmers' markets help grow rural economic health Thompson Institute at the time. Most Get­ away Specials were being sold, for a fee, to By Blaine P. Friedlander Jr. dors reported an increased customerbase and direct feedback from customers. corporations for research-and-development Farmers' markets are serving as inex­ 'Though they are not a •.• About 64 percent said their volume of experiments in the shuttles' microgravity environment. The contest was a chance to pensive business incubators that hatch panacea, farmer's markets sales increased, while 65 percent said acquire several thousand dollars worth of home-grown jobs and breed significant, could be an important that the e markets provided a stable fa­ cility for product sales. Eighty-one per­ space in space, however briefly. new economic wealth in rural areas, component of comprehen. Cornell researchers have found. cent of the vendors reported that the Together with Scott H. Wetthaufer, an­ "Most research and popular press ar­ sive, local economic ability to test-market new products at otherenvironmental biology researcherat the ticlesabout farmers' markets have focused development strategy.' their farmers' markets was beneficial. on-campus institute, Chiment designed an experiment to measure levels of a stress­ on consumers' and communities' pointsof - Thomas Lyson "Our survey showed that 86 percent view," said Duncan Hilchey, agricultural ofthe vendors either did not have a busi­ indicatorchemical calledglutathione in plants development specialist with Cornell's ness before they started selling at a farm­ - sprouting soybeans, in particular. The two Farming Alternatives Program and lead ers' market orthey had started on asmall­ proposed a self-contained growth chamber investigatorofthe project. "Littleattention tives Program. Hilchey's co-authors in­ scalebusine s at their residence," HiIchey about the size of a small garbage can with has been paid to the vendors themselves. clude Thomas A. Lyson, professor of said. "Likely, they did not have the capi­ soybean seeds in soil-filled pots. Computer­ Until now, we have known very little about rural sociology and director ofthe Farm­ tal to open a retail outlet or they per­ controlled timers were to tum on water and their background, enterprise strategies or ing Alternatives Program, and Gilbert ceived they had few other marketing op­ lights during the shuttle flight and landing, their plans for the future." W. Gillespie Jr., senior research associ­ tions available." and even "smother" certain sprouting plants The study, "Farmers' Markets and ate in rural sociology. Is the money made at farmers' market with a silica gel drying agent. Rural Economic Development: Entre­ Their data clearly show that farmers' significant? Yes, for most vendors. Al­ The contest judges loved the idea. So preneurship, Business Incubation andJob markets provide a rich entrepreneurial most 66 percent of the vendors' farmers' Chiment didn't get his telescope; he got a Creation in the Northeast," was pub­ environment for starting new busi nesses. market income made a moderate contribu- mission. lished in July by the Farming Alterna- Almost 70 percent of the surveyed ven- Continued on page 4 However, between the contest entry and the announcement ofthe contest winner, the Continued on page 4 2 November 9,1995 Cornell Chronicle BRIEFS Having a little talk • Leaming eb ne ds mentors: At­ tention all computer-friendly staff, faculty nd tudent . The Learning Web is looking for p ople ith a good knowledge of pro­ gramming, graphics, the Internet, network­ ing. repair or any other computer-related kill. to be mentors to area high school · tudents interested in these fields. If you have a few hours per week to spend with an eager. motivated young person wishing to learn more about computers, please call The Learning Web at 255-5206. The Learning Web provides hands-on. experiential edu­ cation through the age-old mentor-appren­ tice model. All young people, ages II to 21 in Tompkins County. are eligible for Learn­ ing Web programs. Certain programs, such as the Homeless Youth Outreach program and On Top. do have more specitic eligibil­ it) requirements. • Comell Press awards: The follow­ ing awards have been won by Cornell Uni­ verity Pres' over the past several months: • The ational Museum of Art, mith nian In titution.awardedtheCharles C. Idredge Prize for Distinguished Schol­ ar hip in American Art to Empire of the Eye: LandscapeRepresentation andAmeri­ Adriana Rovers/University Photography can Cultural Politics, 1825-1875, by An­ Elizabeth Rawlings joined husband President Hunter Rawlings in a visit to the University Cooperative Nursery gela Miller. School Nov. 2. Above, Mrs. Rawlings talks in French with Ehouarn Champenois. Ehouarn's father, Yann, isa visiting • The Modern Language Association scientist in the Department of Food Science at Geneva and Agricultural and Biological Engineering on campus. awarded the 1994ScagJionePrize for French and Francophone Studies to Janet Beizerfor Velllri/oquized Bodies: Narratives ofHys­ teria in Nineteelllh-Cefllury France. • The 1995 Book Award, sponsored by Harry Wu continued from page 1 the Pacific Coast Branch of the American Hi torical Association, was given to Yuri "This is the second time 1have regained "Some people ask me what am 1fighting dent Programming Board, Wu's visit at­ Iezkine for ArcticMirrors: Russia andthe my freedom. This time was after only 66 for," Wu said. "My answer is very simple. 1 tracted diverse questions and comments. mall Peoples ofthe North. days. The first time was after 19 years," he wish one day that laogai will appear in the One Chinesestudentspokeoutagainst Wu's • Portraits ill Steel, by Milton Rogovin said during an emotionally charged speech. English dictionary... 1hope that China will efforts to expose human-rights abuses, stat­ and Michael Frisch, was cho en as the re­ As a recently naturalized U.S. citizen, Wu some day have a laogai museum...We have ing that Wu's tactics employed the same cipient ofthe first Oral History A ociation said his American status restrained Chinese to remember these things and then China deception for which he criticized the Chi­ Book Award. police from physically abusing him after his can have a new future." nese government. • Alisa Klaus was awarded the 1994 Gil­ June arrest. He had no such protection as a In the middle of his presentation, he Wu responded by arguing that communist bert Chinard Prize, given by the Society for Chinese national in 1960, however, when he showed twodocumentary videos.