The Research Paper (TRP), Fall 2009 by The Research Paper

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contents

The Research Paper Magazine

Features 4

Keeping the beehive alive!

Zapping Zebrafish

By Tony Lin ‘13 CALS

By Revanth Baddam ‘12 ENG

Law Reform: The Logistics 12 Tort of Litigation

By Abubakar Jalloh ‘10 HumEc Graduate Student Feauture

Are Islamist Parties On The Rise?

By Shu Jian Choo ‘12 A&S

Lotus – Sustainable Urban 18 The Planning and Design

By Jennifer Sun ‘13 AAP

page | 1

9 Articles 5

Stressed? Grab A Snickers...

Reassessing Extended Deterrence: The Prospects for Japan

A Memory Game

The Perks of Bankruptcy

Why Can’t Phones Be Friends?

Alternative Medicine for Malarial Treatment

A Key Component 18 10 Empowerment: in The Customer Experience

A Quantum Leap in Archaeology!

Sparking Development in Rural Uganda

By Reeva Makhijani ‘10 A&S

By Anna Collins ‘12 A&S

By Carolyn Miller ‘13 ILR

The Great Recession: Did You See it Coming?

By Allen Wang ‘13 A&S

By Rakesh Biswas ‘12 CALS

By Diana Hong ‘13 CALS

By Allie Miller ‘12 A&S

By Qian Qian Liu ‘11 CALS

By Jimmy Wang ‘12 Hotel

By Sean Chen ‘11 Eng

check us out @: http://www.research.cornell.edu/TRP page | 2

The Research Paper Fall 2009

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The Research Paper Fall 2009

Keeping the beehive alive! By Tony Lin ‘13

Courtesy Asad Qadir

College of Agriculture & Life Sciences

uzzing bees are enough to make bears think twice about tasting morsels of sweet honey from a beehive. For Asad Qadir, a senior majoring in Biological Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, however, working with bees is just another day in the lab. Qadir is currently studying the pathogenicity of the fungal parasite Nosema apis and aims to develop a practical protocol that beekeepers can use to diagnose their hives.

Asad is interacting with honeybees at the Dyce Laboratory for Honey Bee Research.

within the abdomens of honeybees. He hypothesized that foragers, the oldest worker bees, would contain the most spores. However, preliminary results suggest that the amount of pollen varies from colony to colony, and even then, understanding how exactly the parasitic fungus spreads is an arduous task. “You don’t know if all spores are coming from one bee, if they’re evenly distributed, if [they are] just from bees that are foraging or [from] bees that are nursing,” Qadir explained. While bench work can be very tedious — counting spores can take up to eight hours — Qadir unyieldingly enjoys his research. His interest in honeybees started-off the moment he stepped on campus. “When I first got to Cornell, I was reading through the course packet and saw a practical beekeeping class and I thought that I want to take that class before I leave Cornell,” he recalled. But his freshman self forgot about ever reading such a page until it was time for course enrollment in the spring of his sophomore year. As if it was a lost jewel, Qadir jumped onto the opportunity the moment he noticed that his beekeeping professor had a vacant research assistant position. He never regretted it. Besides, “When else would I have a chance to work with honeybees?” He said. Qadir cherished every moment spent in the field, recalling the time when “there was 100 acres of sunflowers and we were just walking through with a net.” And unlike his microbiology laboratory, he contrasted, work at the Dyce Laboratory is much more balanced. “One day we would be out in the field, another day we would be in the lab doing microscopy,” he said. Better still, work at the Dyce Laboratory enabled Qadir to frequently communicate with his advisor. Outside of the bee laboratory, Qadir enjoys running and playing ultimate Frisbee and intramural sports. He is also involved in the Cornell Computer Reuse Association, the boxing club, and tutoring, and due to recent research experience he has also picked up beekeeping as a hobby. Although he is unsure about how much research he wants to get involved with, Qadir looks forward to medical school. Clearly, working with bees sounds fun, but what about

Bees pollinate much of the world’s fruit and vegetable crops, Qadir affirmed, but recently there has been a widespread collapse in beehives. While it is not clear what might have caused such a huge decline, Qadir believes it may be due to “And unlike his microbiology laboratory, he contrasted, work at the a multitude of reasons, Dyce Laboratory is much more balanced. One day we would be out including viruses, mites, and fungi — N. apis is a in the field, another day we would be in the lab doing microscopy.” prime candidate. To better understand the behavior of the fungal parasite and how it spreads within a given colony, Qadir all those bee stings? Qadir has been stung five or six times, worked tirelessly at the Dyce Laboratory for Honey Bee and on all occasions, he just smiled and reminded himself Research, a subset of the entomology department, under that “the bee is likely more scared of you than you are of the guidance of Professor Nicholas Calderone. Among his it.” Simply put: Stings or no stings, Qadir enjoys his work. research responsibilities were collecting honey from beehives and genetic-sampling and counting of pollen grains Tony Lin ’13 is a student in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He can be reached at trl44@cornell.edu

The Research Paper Fall 2009

Sparking Development in Rural Uganda By Reeva Makhijani ‘10

College of Arts & Sciences

Courtesy Luke Pryor

children. By his assessment, the village was also lagging n a campus as large and pristine as Cornell’s, and behind in K-12 education — most children completed priin a nation as developed as America, the reality of povmary school, but for financial reasons, they did not move erty abroad seems distant to the average Cornell student. on to secondary school. Although there was a hospital in Such was the lesson Luke Pryor, a junior Economics major the vicinity, it lacked basic medical infrastructure and, even and International Relations and Urban Regional Planning minor in the College of Arts and Sciences, learned. After completing an internship at the mayor’s office in Philadelphia the summer following his freshman year, Pryor began questioning why some African and South American nations were not as built-up as the United States, and sought to understand how developing countries could be helped in their journey towards development. In searching for research opportunities with overlapping interests, Pryor came across a woman based in the United Kingdom, who had tried to establish an international volunteer program in a small rural community in southwest Uganda. While on a safari a few years ago, the British woman spotted the impoverished Ugandan village and noticed how detached it was from the rest of Pryor seeks to improve the welfare of children in Uganda. the world. Feeling obligated to help, she proposed to build a community worse, the residents could not afford the cost of medical center to meet the needs of its residents. Unfortunately, services provided therein. Moreover, since lucrative jobs after four or five years of trying, the initiative never quite necessitated a higher education degree — an amenity the took off, Pryor said. poor could not afford — the residents of the impoverished Curious as to why the plan never progressed, Pryor village were, to say the least, locked in an inescapable travelled to Uganda last summer. There he investigated why cycle of poverty. the program had failed and ran the first needs-assessment More so, Pryor learned firsthand that the community of the residents since no one had previously done so and center, where he was housed, had been transformed into proper census information did not exist. Prior to his trip, a brothel stacked with alcohol and littered with drugs. “It Pryor imaginably preconceived what life would be in such was weird. One week before, I had been on my couch a community, but upon arriving, he discovered that his at home watching TV and the next I was in a village in Uganda living in a brothel!” He said, adding that religious “It was weird. One week before, I had adherents in the area refused to seek support at the community center-turned-brothel, disguising it as unsuitable been on my couch at home watchfor their children. By the end of his visit, Pryor had joined force with a ing TV and the next I was in a villocal school’s headmaster and had drawn up plans for a lage in Uganda living in a brothel!” new community center drafted with the villagers in mind. With still a lot of work left to be done, Pryor plans to return to the village to follow-up on his project. Now, with a lot more communities in developing countries in the same hosts were subsistent farmers i.e., they grew their own category, there is high demand for students interested in food. Though they did not cultivate a wide variety of crops, needs-assessment of long-neglected villages around the the villagers were never at the brink of hunger. “I was world, he said. expecting to see lots of starving children, but that wasn’t a problem,” he said. Nevertheless, Pryor found that most families made Reeva Makhijani ‘10 is a student in the College of Arts less than two dollars a day, and on average supported four and Sciences. She can be reached at rbm32@cornell.edu

The Research Paper Fall 2009

Reassessing Extended Deterrence: The Prospects for Japan By Anna Collins ‘12

Courtesy Zain Pasha

College of Arts & Sciences

uclear proliferation has captured the public’s at“Both an exceptional student and entention as one of the most salient issues in contemporary geopolitics. Although political observers view North Korea’s gaged citizen of the Cornell commuaggressive showmanship from a U.S. security interest point of view, Zain Pasha, a junior majoring in Economics nity, Pasha has succeeded in doing what and Government focuses on the country most arguably most students are perpetually trying at physical risk: Japan. Japan is currently shielded from nuclear threats by a “nuclear umbrella” provided by the to achieve: a reasonable balance beUnited States as part of the latter’s extended deterrent posture. The “umbrella “is essentially a security agreement tween academics and extracurriculars.” by which nuclear weapons states are entrusted to defend scrutiny. Given Pasha’s sincere enjoyment of intellectual non-nuclear allied states. Pasha is intrigued by recent rigor, it is not surprising that he hopes to one day become developments in which the U.S. is considering reducing a professor or policy maker. the size of its nuclear arsenal. While some contend that Both an exceptional student and engaged citizen of the dissolution of U.S.-supplied preventive measures will the Cornell community, Pasha has succeeded in doing what bring Japan closer to the development of its own nuclear most students are perpetually trying to achieve: a reasondevices, others hold that Japan will never seek an indigable balance between academics and extracurriculars. A enous nuclear deterrent. Pasha, meanwhile, has a different Meinig Family Scholar and Irwin and Joan Jacobs Scholar outlook. for his outstanding leadership potential, Pasha has indeed Partial to security studies, Pasha analyzes Japanese demonstrated a talent for management. As Executive Dipolitical and public sentiments to determine whether exrector of E-Publishing for The Triple Helix—Cornell’s forum pansive cuts to the U.S. nuclear arsenal will propel Japan for the amalgamation of science, business and law—Pasha to establish its own mechanism by which to discourage is responsible for coordinating global e-publishing operanuclear threats or a regional peer competitor. Based on tions, an aspect of the club he himself implemented. His current evidence, he speculates that despite the arsenals combination of studies in economof nearby China and North Korea, ics, government, and information Japan will not make the dramatic science make him an ideal fit for policy shift to nuclearize. Applying an organization concentrated on his research of public opinion polls unifying the physical and social and the statements of Japanese sciences, and he has in turn asleaders, Pasha predicts that given sisted the group in advancing its the concrete American presence mission abroad. in the region, North Korea’s lack Though an eager participant of nuclear credibility, and external in several Cornell clubs and orgapressures in the face of Iran’s escanizations, Pasha is perhaps most lating instability, Japan will refrain well-known as an avid competitor from establishing its own collection for the Cornell Forensics Society. of nuclear weapons. He is aware, He specifically competes in the nonetheless, that the majority category of policy debate, a fastof his data is anecdotal and will paced form of research-based require further content analysis. speech competition in which teams Theoretically, Pasha’s research advocate for or against various could be used to motivate policy resolutions calling for changes by makers to revise their positions on Zain is a student in the College of Arts & Science and is the U.S. Federal Government. Bethe merits of horizontal prolifera- majoring in Economics & Government. ing a regular policy debate team tion. In the future, Pasha hopes to traveler means that Pasha can persuasively argue either give more attention to Chinese modernization. perspective in debates on such serious matters as agriWith a double major in two demanding subjects, cultural subsidies and nuclear proliferation. In service to Pasha has found research to be an invaluable exercise in the society, Pasha maintains the group website and is Vice developing his analytical and lateral thinking abilities. Under President of External Affairs. In addition to his ambitious the guidance of Cornell Professors Christopher Way and course schedule, research and multiple leadership obligaSarah Kreps, he has mastered approaching problems from tions, Pasha also makes time to read, play Frisbee, and creative levels and applying tools such as game theory and dance with the Cornell Society for India. hypothesis testing to the domain of political science. The most relevant skill he has mastered thus far, Pasha declares, Anna Collins ‘12 is a student in the College of Arts and is the ability to engineer arguments through careful data Sciences. She can be reached at aac58@cornell.edu

The Research Paper Fall 2009

zapping zebrafish By Revanth Baddam ‘12

College of Agriculture & Life Sciences

Courtesy Francesca Minale

he brain is one of the most intriguing organs in the for the loss of a dendrite. human body. Though not well understood, it is responsible To investigate further, a second assay was designed to for the countless connections in the body that control and detect this difference, where the fish were placed on top integrate our organs, actions, and biological processes. of a vibrating speaker that caused half of the control fish In order to help illuminate this mystery surrounding the to turn left and the other half to turn right. According to brain, Francesca Minale, a junior at Cornell University, has her hypothesis, since the ablated right side was reacting conducted research on Danio rerio (zebrafish) for the past faster, more fish would turn left. The initial testing seemed year and a half in an effort to better comprehend the true to indicate that the movement was biased towards the left nature of its neurons and the complicated neurocircuitry side, but further experimentation has now shown that the that govern it. ablated cell is acting like a dead cell. This caused the turn A student of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciratio for left turns to significantly lower, thus contradicting ences, Francesca is currently pursuing a Biological Engithe results of the first assay. neering major along with a Biomedical Engineering minor. Since it became clear that the amount of dendrite Prior to coming to Cornell she did not pursue research, remaining after ablation varied from fish to fish, Francesca but the idea of engineering is currently trying to deterscience proved far too capmine the ratio of left turns of tivating to push aside. Now an ablated fish as a function working under the tutelage of the amount of remaining of Dr. Chris Schaffer from dendrite. So far, initial results the Biomedical Engineering have shown that the more Department and in close assodendrite remaining, the closer ciation with Professor Joseph the behavior of the ablated fish Fetcho from the Department is to the control fish. Similarly, of Neurobiology and Behavior, the closer the right dendrite is she is conducting an individual cut to the cell body, the less research project that involves the fish seem to turn to the the study of zebrafish, an left. For future tests she plan ideal model organism for to do more electrophysiological neurological study due to its experimentation using whole transparent body, as well as cell patch clamping to measure its simple neural system. The voltages during the firing of the primary aim of her research Minale severs the dendrites of zebrafish Maurthner cells to Mauthner cells. elucidate neuronal funciton. is to associate behavior with A student from Syracuse, specific neural processes. Francesca never planned on She primarily works on a specific pair of neurons called becoming a bioengineer when she enrolled at Cornell, but the Mauthner cells. The zebrafish has one of these cells her fascination with the field led her to her present position. on each side of its body which crosses over the midline to She believes that her research has an importance from a cause contralateral responses to ipsilateral stimuli; in her biomedical standpoint as it focuses on “trying to just find experiment the stimuli are applied to the tail of the fish. basic understandings of how cells work in the brain, [and] The final effect is that upon stimulation of a particular side how the circuitry and connections between certain things of the tail, the Mauthner cell on that side reacts by causing in the brain cause certain reactions and behaviors”. Dethe fish to turn to the opposite side in an attempt to move spite the long hours she spends in the laboratory, she has away from the stimulus. never once regretted her decision to do research and feels In her experiments, Francesca ablates the dendrite of that her love of science and the excitement of witnessing one of the Mauthner cells using two photon microscopy, the amalgamation of her work with cutting edge scientific allowing for a more focused cut that leaves the cell body research is what ultimately motivates her. In addition, her intact and still functional. In theory, this procedure should experience has not only taught her many technical laboracause the ablated side to react slower to a stimulus, while tory skills but also has given her a sense of independence a stimulus on the other side would cause the fish to esand the ability to constantly utilize outside-the-box thinking. cape normally (which experimental data indicates takes Although she is still undecided about pursuing scientific around 7 milliseconds for a four day old larva). While research as a career, her undergraduate research has been previous behavioral showed no difference in the reaction an enjoyable experience and she will continue her work time between the control and ablated fish, through later during her remaining time at Cornell. electrophysiological examination it was observed that the ablated cell was firing faster as a means of compensating Revanth Baddam ‘12 is a student in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He can be reached at rrb84@cornell.edu

The Research Paper Fall 2009

The Perks of Bankruptcy By Carolyn Miller ‘13

SChool of Industrial & Labor relations

Courtesy Chad Sandler

anks collapsing, businesses down-sizing, and firms consolidating: all of these are now familiar media motifs exposing the struggles of Wall Street. Legal and financial troubles have caused several bankrupt companies to file for a form of reorganization called Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Chad Sandler, a senior in Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, analyzes all this recent recession data to determine which factors affect the probability of business reorganization following a state of financial crisis. There are three ways for a business to file for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. First, the creditors and debtors meet before a scheduled court date and vote on a reorganization plan. This option is called “prepackaged” and generally creates the best outcome for businesses. According to Sandler, “All involved agree on the reorganization and get out quickly.” Everyone uses “proactive thinking and foresight.” Another way to file for bankruptcy occurs when the creditors and debtors meet before court but do not agree on any reorganization: this is called “prenegotiated.” Lastly, when there is no discussion beforehand, it is termed “neither” and is generally the worst option for firms because there is no planning for reorganizing the company. Sandler analyzed 131 companies between 1997 and 2002 by examining their financial performance five years before and after declaring bankruptcy. Sandler affirms that a firm is considered “active” if it is “still publicly traded as opposed to entering bankruptcy again or privatizing.” Sandler discovered that firms that voluntarily filed for bankruptcy were more active after they emerged from debt. He also noticed that larger firms with more assets were more active afterwards, as opposed to becoming liquidated or entering bankruptcy again. One explanation for this is that a longer bankruptcy period allows companies to organize their assets. Also, companies that filed earlier for bankruptcy were more likely to be active because they were able to preserve their asset values.

Sandler conducts research on Chapter 11 bankrupcy reorganization under the supervision of Dr. Vicki Bogan.

panies is to file for bankruptcy as early as possible. Filing earlier ensures the company assets are preserved and protects the business from further weakening. He also surmises that the business should use the bankruptcy period as a chance for “rehabilitation.” For example, President Obama has encouraged a “surgical bankruptcy” that would last only thirty days, but Sandler thinks this may not be the best solution for companies since it does not give them enough time to reorganize sufficiently. Sandler enjoys his research and relates that it is “eminently applicable to the business world.” Another angle that Sandler recently factored for is how manager or CEO turnovers affect business success during bankruptcy. Sandler has been conductresearch at Cornell University “Sandler argues that the best option for at-risk coming since his freshman year. He started panies is to file for bankruptcy as early as possible. Fil- working with his mentor Dr. Vicki Bogan when he began his undering earlier ensures the company assets are preserved graduate studies. Together, they not only study statistics, but also and protects the business from further weakening. examine financial decision making its impact on the economy. This He also surmises that the business should use the and research is especially crucial today many businesses, some of bankruptcy period as a chance for ‘rehabilitation.” when which may be our future employers, struggle to make ends meet during the current financial crisis. Another explanation is that compared to smaller firms, larger businesses with more assets have more flexibility when revising their operations procedures. Carolyn Miller ‘13 is a student in the School of Industrial and Sandler argues that the best option for at-risk com- Labor Relations. She can be reached at ccm78@cornell.edu

The Research Paper Fall 2009

The Great Recession: Did You See it Coming? By Allen Wang ‘13

College of Arts & Sciences

Courtesy Farhod Shahrezay

in the last seven.” Shahrezay wondered if there was a uring the latter part of 2008, the global economy way to create a filter to remove all those false predictions. was severely affected by a financial meltdown. This reHe decided to take the weighted average of the percent sulted from a recession that started at the end of 2007 and growth of a series of Index of Leading Indicators over a arguably still continues today. Farhod Shahrezay, a senior certain number of months. After playing around with these majoring in Economics in Arts and Sciences, conducted averages, he found that if he took the weighted average research during the past two semesters on predicting in real time over nine months, all the false predictions recessions. He wrote a paper entitled “Investigating Recessions: a Prediction Model and Theory” and was advised by Professor Karel Mertens. “Shahrezay’s tool predicts recessions Shahrezay was not always set on studying economics: he came to Cornell University on average eight months before they hapintending to major in physics and math. Howpen. Furthermore, his tool helps shed light ever, he was displeased with this original plan, so during his sophomore year he began taking o n t h e r e a s o n w h y r e c e s s i o n s o c c u r . ” some economics classes. Still dissatisfied with the unrealistically ideal models in economics, no longer appeared. This can be attributed to the fact he decided to start research in order to find answers to that taking an average balances the extreme peaks and what he perceived were fundamental questions about troughs. If this weighted average turns negative then the economy as it exists in real life. Given the economic a recession is bound to happen in the future. “It is as conditions at that time, he decided the recession was a simple as that,” Shahrezay stated at a lecture he gave perfect topic to study. about his research. Shahrezay’s research focused on refining existing Shahrezay’s tool predicts recessions on average eight methods of recession prediction to better fit real-life situamonths before they happen. Furthermore, his tool helps tions. One tool for predicting recession involves looking at shed light on the reason why recessions occur. Recessions the Index of Leading Indicators. The Index of Leading Inoccur when people stop spending their money, a phenomenon known to economists as aggregate demand shocks. Before the current recession, for example, many people spent a lot of money acquired through loans. When they realized they could not pay the loans back, they stopped spending and, thus, a recession occurred. He believes that the only way to prevent a recession is to control people’s spending habits. This is difficult to do, but he believes a combination of teaching responsible spending habits to today’s youth and offering finance management classes can help do so. “This way we don’t end up with an economy of people who, financially, are way in over their heads,” says Shahrezay. Though Shahrezay enjoys learning economics and doing economics research, his degree in economics is only a backup plan. His ultimate goal, and lifelong passion, is to be a professional tennis player. “If I end up using [my economics Shahrezay predicts recessions by studying the Index of Leading Indicators. degree,] I will probably go into some area of consulting,” he says. Until he graduates, though, he will continue to do research and work on his book dicators, created by The Conference Board, is determined entitled Recessions: How to Predict Them and Why They by a weighted average of ten factors in the economy, Happen. When the next recession hits he no longer wants such as the S&P 500 and the inflation-adjusted money to hear people say, “Why didn’t anyone see that coming?” supply. If this weighted average is negative, then the tool predicts that there will be a recession in the near future. However, the problem with this index is, as one famous Allen Wang ‘13 is a student in the College of Arts and economist put it, “[the tool] predicted twelve recessions Sciences. He can be reached at aw385@cornell.edu

The Research Paper Fall 2009

Empowerment: A Key Component in The Customer Experience By Jimmy Wang ‘12

Courtesy Christina Heggie

School of Hotel Administration

hat do maids, bellhops, and receptionists have more in-depth examination of a series of hotels in the in common? They are all part of a category of workers international Mövenpick chain, further analyzing correlacalled front-line employees, and also the subject of intions among guest satisfaction, employee satisfaction, tense research for Christina Heggie. Heggie, an exemplary and finances. “The exciting thing about this research is senior in the School of Hotel Administration and the that [it] can be extrapolated to countless other indusPresident of Ye Hosts – the Hotelie honor society – is tries,” explains Heggie, pointing out the benefits that researching the link auto companies or between top-level retail stores – or es“[Research in this area] is needed,” says Heggie. “I sentially any busimanagement and everyday employees in that markets a think the higher up in corporation you move, the more ness the hospitality indusservice – can glean. try. She hypothesizes Mövenpick holds you forget the little and the customer experience-- and that the ability of special significance that’s what actually makes the multi-billions of revenue.” for Heggie. For six CEOs to communicate their vision all months in 2008, the way down to the Heggie worked at service staff may be integral to their hotel chain’s success. Mövenpick’s corporate office in Switzerland, taking a leave “[Research in this area] is needed,” says Heggie. “I think of absence from her regular undergraduate education the higher up in the corporation you move, the more you to pursue the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There, she forget the little people and the customer experience – and observed some of the best employee-oriented approaches that’s what actually makes the multi-billions of revenue.” to business, which prodded her to research other hotels’ If her work reveals a strong correlation, hotel companies attitudes toward front-line workers. So far, Heggie has around the world might take notice and make significant discovered that even the most reputable hotel chains, changes to how they run such as the Ritz-Carlton their businesses. and the Four Seasons, can Heggie started her rehave relatively weak mission search by analyzing fifty of statements. She has not yet the biggest names in hotels, completed her analysis on including Hilton, Hyatt, and employee awareness corMandarin Oriental. After relations, but will make a locating each hotel’s misfinal conclusion by the time sion statement, which is she graduates in May. a document defining the Once her time at Cornell distinct identity and purpose is over, the Dallas-born, Seof the hotel, she evaluated attle-raised Heggie intends their effectiveness based on to enter a career in general several professional criteria management consulting. developed by the Harvard Ever since her stint in a Business Review. An ideal coffee stand at age sixteen, mission statement would she has discovered an inChristina Heggie researches the link between top-level management clearly convey a company’s and everyday employees. nate affinity and passion for unique message to its em“delivering […] perfect cusployees, and would be genutomer service.” Her passion inely institutionalized. will surely be contagious to all sorts of businesspeople in After this preliminary snapshot, Heggie plans to surthe international arena where Heggie hopes to establish vey front-line staff’s awareness by calling up a receptionherself. Taking a deeper gaze into her crystal ball, Heggie ist to ask for the hotel’s mission statement. In addition sees herself potentially doing non-profit or governmental to scaring the daylights out of an unprepared recipient, work in the more distant future, and periodically returning Heggie will record the accuracy and promptness of an to Ithaca to inspire, and be inspired by, a new generation answer. She is also interested in finding which hotels will of Cornellians. Undoubtedly, we will see great things from “simply hang up” and disregard the academic survey as Heggie in years to come as she carries on Cornell’s legacy a prank, an action that would reflect poorly on the hotels’ of outstanding graduates. quality of service. Jimmy Wang ‘12 is a student in the College of Arts and The final part of Heggie’s study involves a similar, but Sciences. He can be reached at xw225@cornell.edu

The Research Paper Fall 2009

Stressed? Grab A Snickers... By Rakesh Biswas ‘12

College of Agriculture & lifee Sciences

Courtesyf Prena Saini

ver wonder how stress affects the way you eat? As Cornell students, what “As Cornell students, what we eat often gets we eat often gets put on the back burner put on the back burner when exam time when exam time comes around. Food choices have a large impact on student’s comes around. Good choices have a large imperformance and well-being. Prerna Saini, a senior majoring in Food Science, studpact on student’s performance and well-being.” ies how stress influences students’ food choices. candy bars, sold at various cafes on campus. Based on Saini first became interested in the the research so far, “It seems that Cornell students make Food and Brand Lab when she heard of Professor Brian good choices.” Saini indicated that by obtaining additional Wansink’s work on food psychology. Interested in consumer data on foods such as candy bars and chips, she can more research and marketing, Saini decided to pursue this accurately predict students’ food choices during periods of topic because of the integration of multiple subjects. “It stress. She expects to find the consumption of unhealthy involves so many different aspects of consumers and how foods, such as fattening sandwiches, spiked during exam they deal with food so it’s not just dealing with nutrition,” periods. she declares. Saini also indicated a desire to educate conOne of the goals sumers on their food of this study is to choices. She stated educate consumers, that working with and in this case Corthe media is one of nell students about the most important their food choices. aspects of the Food Often, people do not and Brand Lab. Unrealize the amount of like in many of the food they eat or that hard science majors, addition of fattening communication skills dressings on healthy are an integral part foods like salads can of what the Food and increase the caloric Brand Lab does to content significantly. influence consumer Saini believes that c h o i c e . S a i n i a fsmall changes such firms, “Communicatas choosing to skip ing with the media the dressing on salis just as important ads and being more to Dr. Wansink as aware of what we finding conclusions eat can have a big and drawing corimpact on people’s relations between lives. “There was this external factors and Firecracker Chicken your eating behavior; Salad that was a big he is also concerned seller. It used to be about getting the fried chicken and message across to Prerna Saini standing in front of diagrams indicating food sales of ‘grab and go’ products over time. now it’s grilled, so the consumers.” subtle changes like Saini’s project that can make a difference.” focuses primarily on the food choices made by Cornell After graduating from Cornell, Saini plans to work in students around exam time. Working with Cornell Dinthe food industry. “I think the skills that I have learned ing, Saini compiles data every week on the types of food in the Food and Brand Lab will definitely help me in the students buy. By correlating these data with exam weeks industry, [since] it is so important to understand what the she hopes to find varying food choices among exam weeks consumer wants and be able to relate it back to influencing compared to weeks without exams. Currently, the study is their food choices.” tracking only “grab and go” products such as the popular FreshTake sandwiches and salads made by Cornell dining. In the future Saini hopes to track more products such as Rakesh Biswas ‘12 is a student in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He can be reached at rb485@cornell.edu

The Research Paper Fall 2009

Tort Law Reform: Logistics of Litigation By Abubakar Jalloh ‘10

College of Human Ecology

Courtesy Danial Asmat

n the realm of contentious political issues, tort in charge were passed in the 80’s. With such an amendreform is usually not on top of the public’s list. However, ment, customers could not only sue their insurers for efforts to modify the civil justice system to reduce tort delaying damages, but could also claim suffering less litigation or damages in various ways has attracted the tangible harms such as mental anguish. If successful in attention of academics and consulting firms alike. Yearnthe lawsuit, the consumer could be repaid with a larger ing for a sip of real world policy research landed Danial sum of money than was originally due. Asmat ’09 MPS ’10 a rare opportunity — the completion In determining which factors directly implicated of a senior thesis in the Departmarket behavior, Asmat created ment of Policy Analysis and Mana model that controlled for conagement and co-authorship in a founding variables such as the journal. Asmat’s thesis Bad Faith make and brand a customer drove Litigation in First Party Automobile and the presence, or lack thereof, Insurance asked a difficult quesof demographic changes among tion: Did tort law reform have any various states. He also assumed lasting effect on the attitudes of that the true cost of damage ininsurance companies, such that the curred on a property is known. companies avoided tort lawsuits by With this model, Asmat compared promptly paying damages to their insurance companies’ reactions in customers? states whose tort law had changed Asmat’s research question over time to those with a stagnant was inspired by his internship at law. In addition, he determined CRA International, a Boston-based whether or not the insurers’ refinancial and law consulting firm. payments exceeded the true cost. He recounted working alongside Asmat discovered that “as soon the individuals who provided economic law changed, [insurance compaarguments for firms facing antitrust nies] started paying more, but over problems, shadowing senior executime their behavior [relapsed].” tives as they simulated prices and After finishing his undergraduate studies, Asmat Upon completion of his thesis, market conditions for the near enrolled to get a masters in order to learn more about Asmat realized that he needed future, and chatting with expert quatitative analysis. more quantitative analyses in order witnesses on a regular basis. On to come up with a final conclusion. returning to Cornell in his senior year, Asmat had already As a result, he enrolled as a Master of Professional Studgarnered seven months of economic consulting experiies student in the statistics department, and he is still ence and had determined that his ideal research topic actively involved with data analysis. would lie at the intersection of economics and policy. “You get to think about economic problems but [apAccordingly, he came across Professor Sharon Tennyson proach them] in a very quantitative way,” he said, highof the PAM department, under whose mentorship he lighting the interrelatedness between statistics and his studied the effect of tort law reform on market behavior. research. For the record, “everything has to be justified with statistics — confidence intervals [and] p-values.” “Asmat claims that bad faith occurs when Balancing a full undergraduate program of study with research is anything but a simple chore, even more an insurer dodges its responsibility to the inso when other extracurricular activities factor in. During his tenure as an undergraduate, Asmat tallied about 50 sured by failing and/or delaying due custombylines for the Cornell Daily Sun’s sports department, covering women’s soccer, tennis, and squash for two er compensation for property damage.” and a half years. Naturally, the art of writing, coupled with the need to back up every claim with factual quotes, Asmat claims that bad faith occurs when an insurer groomed the policy-oriented undergraduate into becomdodges its responsibility to the insured by failing and/ ing a better writer. Furthermore, he served as treasurer or delaying due customer compensation for property for the Islamic Alliance for Justice, wherein he presided damage. He went on to explain that 40 years ago, insurover the organization’s budget and made possible former ance companies were notorious for deferring payments Army Chaplain James Yee’s first visit to Cornell. for between nine months and two years. However, the Abubakar Jalloh ’10 is in the College of Agriculture and loopholes closed once tort law reforms putting consumers Life Sciences. He can be reached at aj245@cornell.edu

The Research Paper Fall 2009

A memory game

Courtesy Emily Taub

here did you leave your keys this morning? Even if you were rushed, most of the time you can find your keys after a couple minutes of fumbling though purses and pockets. Fast forward a couple decades. What do you think will happen to your ability to recall where you last left your keys? Unfortunately, cognitive impairment and memory loss often comes with increasing age. For Emily Taub, a senior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, majoring in Biological Sciences, this relationship is at the center of her research project at Cornell’s Laboratory of Rational Decision Making. Taub’s goal to become involved in undergraduate research became a reality at the end of her freshman year when she spotted an advertisement for the Laboratory for

Emily Taub has conducted research under Dr. Valarie Reyna’s supervision for the last three years.

Rational Decision Making. Since then, Taub has conducted research for credit under Dr. Valerie Reyna, Professor of Human Development and Psychology and co-director of the Center for Behavioral Economics and Decision Research. What started out as a means of familiarizing herself with the medical field and its jargon, turned into a three year stay at the Laboratory for Rational Decision Making. Taub’s first project, titled “Medical Decision Making,” focused on the risks for angina, or chest pains, which are often caused by a lack of blood flow to the heart muscles. Currently, Taub is working on a project regarding the relationship between aging and cognitive impairment in hopes of helping the elderly improve their ability to remember, a part of a larger effort to find a noninvasive way to test for Alzheimer’s. This project is based on the Fuzzy Trace Theory, which was co-developed by Dr. Valerie Reyna and Dr. Charles Brainerd, both professors of Human Development at Cornell. According to the Fuzzy Trace Theory, there are two parallel memory processes: gist and verbatim. The gist memory process is a more global process, the “big picture.” On the other hand, the verbatim memory process is specific, “like a flashcard in your mind” as Taub

described, and is more vulnerable to interference. This can lead to forgetfulness and false memories. In healthy aging, the verbatim memory process may weaken, but the gist memory process remains strong. However, in those who may have Alzheimer’s or other degenerative brain disorders, both the verbatim and gist memory processes will weaken. To test verbatim and gist memory processes, Taub runs memory tests on the elderly from Kendal at Ithaca and Longview, two retirement communities, and on Cornell students, who act as controls for the experiment. Researchers, like Taub, perform memory tests on the participants every six to eight months. These memory tests use an associative recall task. During an associative recall task, subjects are given pairs of words during a study trial and then are asked to recall one of the words when only one of the pair is presented. Afterwards, Taub looks at the number of errors and whether the errors were intra-list errors or extra-list errors. Whereas intra-list errors occur when the subject pairs a word incorrectly with a word from the original list, an extra-list error occurs when the subject pairs a word incorrectly with a word that was not given in the original list. For the older participants an intra-list error shows more promise on a cognitive developmental level, than an extra-list error. This is because intra-list errors would suggest that while the verbatim memory process is declining, the gist memory process is still strong. Taub finds the best aspect of her research to be the opportunity to interact with her older subjects. She explained how exciting it was when her older subjects showed a genuine interest in the results, especially when many of the Kendal residents are retired Cornell professors who, as Taub put it, “truly understand the importance of undergraduate research.” This research project is a longitudinal study, and will continue after Taub has graduated. For Taub, however, being part of a research team is never just about the results, but also about personal growth. Over the years, with Dr. Reyna’s support, Taub has learned about the many facets of research. Taub explained, “because it is extremely important for Dr. Reyna to have her undergraduates involved in research, and not just peripherally, she gives them re-

“For Taub, however, being part of a research team is never just about the results, but also about personal growth.” sponsibility.” It is from this sense of responsibility that Taub has learned how to set up a study and analyze data, as well as learn how to be a leader. In the future, Taub hopes to carry the skills she has developed to medical school.

College of Agriculture & Life Sciences

By Diana Hong ‘13

Diana Hong ‘13 is a student in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at dnh33@cornell.edu

The Research Paper Fall 2009

Are Islamist Parties On The Rise? By Shu Jian Choo ‘12

College of Arts & Sciences

Courtesy Kathryn Morisy

Tanner Dean’s Scholar, she intends to use her grant for he recent electoral successes of Hamas in the Palthis fieldwork. She further hopes to undertake graduate estinian territories and Hezbollah in Lebanon seemed to work in Lebanon and to work for the U.S. government affirm the hypothesis that Islamist parties were reaching afterwards. the cusp of their influence in contemporary Middle Eastern While most of her research merely revolves around politics. At Cornell’s Department of Government, Kathryn names and numbers, Morisy enjoys her experiences with Morisy, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, is Cornell Mock Trial as a witness. She served as the Director working under Professor David Patel to analyze election data from over twenty countries. The conclusion: Islamist parties have not expanded their political clout over the past few decades. Islamist parties today are part of the political fabric in almost every Muslim-majority country. Some of the more commonly known parties include the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Hezbollah in Lebanon. However, the extent to which Islamist parties are involved in the electoral process differs across countries. For example, all parties are banned in Kuwait - including both Islamist and secular political groups. A further complication arises because some candidates that stand for election are not directly members of Islamist parties, but members of parties affiliated to Islamist parties. Morisy’s primary research objective aims to answer if there been a real increase in vote shares and parliamentary seats for Islamist parties in the past 30 years? Proficient in Arabic, she gathers data from parliamentary databases like the PARLINE database and Arabic political websites. Employing a laborious process of identifying candidates as either belonging to an Islamist party or to a party affiliated to one, she calculates the percentage of votes gathered by these parties and plots the subsequent changes. Her central finding pointed to no statistically significant increase in the vote share of Islamist parties in the past thirty years. Morisy believes that the initial findings of her research Kathryn Morisy works with Professor David Patel in Cornell’s confirm her idea that there are currently “a lot of opinions Department of Government to analyze election data from and not a lot of facts” about Islamist politics generally over twenty countries. and Middle Eastern politics specifically. She argues that of the Iraq 2003 Committee in the Cornell Mock United positive engagement with the Middle East was not a Nations Conference, teaching high school students about priority during the Cold War for United States foreign international relations and U.S. involvement in the Iraq policy. Consequently, a lack of accurate information led War. In her free time Morisy enjoys reading fashion blogs to a “black and white” understanding of the Middle East. and mentoring her friends. This incomplete view of the Middle East has greatly handiMorisy summarizes the capped U.S. foreign policy, research philosophy that in her view. Her involvement in Mid- “Islamist parties today are part of the political she learned from Professor dle Eastern research began fabric in almost every Muslim-majority country.” Patel: “…look at the facts and analyze them qualitain high school when she tively.” The next step for wrote about Wahhabism Morisy is to investigate the role of Islamist parties that do in Saudi Arabia and women under Islamic law in North not participate in elections, in order to better understand Africa. Morisy credits her research advisor, Professor how they impact Middle Eastern politics. Patel, as a formative influence on her work and research philosophy. Under his encouragement to continue this research, Morisy will spend this spring semester in Jor- Shu Jian Choo ‘12 is a student in the College of Arts and dan conducting extensive fieldwork. A Pauline and Irving Sciences. He can be reached aat sc529@cornell.edu

The Research Paper Fall 2009

Why Can’t Phones Be Friends?

By Allie Miller ‘12

Courtesy of Alex Ainslie

Alex Ainslie is a Computing, Cognition and Aesthetics major with a concentration in French.

College of Arts & Sciences

very day, whether walking to class or waiting in line train network. He found that there was a whole group for coffee, you see the same people. You may not speak of devices, or at least stationary devices, with the same to them, but you recognize the familiar faces. The same daily patterns. This is what Ainslie describes as being concept applies for social networks: recognizing familiar “Familiar Strangers,” a term first used in a Stanley Mildevices and names on a shared Wi-Fi network. Alex Aigram experiment now popular among social networking nslie, a senior in Arts & Sciences, hopes to start making experiments. He would infer a “social network structure these connections, just not with the people themselves. from our invisible Bluetooth networks, comparing social Ainslie is working on what he describes as a mobile sensgraphs to the real ones.” Building this tool would help him ing project to create an understanding of the structure “understand the relationship between the networks [he] of social networks. As a Computing, Cog“He would infer a “social network structure from our invisible nition and Aesthetics major (with a concentration Bluetooth networks, comparing social graphs to the real ones.” in French) and with an early admittance into the Building this tool would help him “understand the relationComputer Science Masters program, Ainslie is uniquely ship between the networks [he] can infer and those that are qualified for the project. He has interned at Google for actually real.” This would be valuable for not only companies the last three summers, working on Google maps like Google: the technology could eventually reach other busifor mobile devices, search quality, and, most recently, nesses and tell them more about their potential customers.” mobile local search. Ainslie began his research as a student at Ithaca High School under the tutelage of Dr. can infer and those that are actually real.” This would be Geri Gay for the Intel Science Talent Search. He has also valuable for not only companies like Google: the technolcontributed to a Human-Computer Interaction project and ogy could eventually reach other businesses and tell them the Culturally Embedded Computing Group. more about their potential customers. Ainslie’s current research began to take shape when Ainslie has relied on the feedback of his three faculty he traveled to Paris while studying abroad for a semester advisers for his honors thesis and independent research last year. On his daily subway rides, he would record all study. “The feedback has helped me interpret the findings of the Bluetooth-enabled devices represented on the local and pointed me in the right direction,” he said. When not working tirelessly on his research, Ainslie, a Presidential Research Scholar, is involved with the FreeRice.com initiative, for which he created an iPhone application. He is also the editor for the photography journal “Untitled” and designed the Cornell Book Review’s webpage. In addition, Ainslie is a peer advisor, plays the piano, and runs in his spare time. The personal benefits from his research have been tremendous. Not only has Ainslie’s curiosity been satisfied, but he has seen quite “an improvement in [his] technical skills.” His findings will be highly valuable not only to the research community, but also personally. He currently has a job offer from Google and has applied to other companies, such as Yahoo and Twitter, where he hopes his research will make him a compelling job candidate. “I have really enjoyed defining my own program of study. Writing the proposal and building the software has helped me think more critically.”

Allie Miller ‘12 is a student in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She can be reached at abm67@cornell.edu

The Research Paper Fall 2009

Alternative Medicine for Malarial Treatment By Qian Qian Liu ‘11

Courtesy Sharona Avgush

College of Agriculture & Life Sciences

to contain many pharmacological attributes. Specifically, rom the enormous amount of media attention in Avgush was looking for compounds in C. speciosa that health reform to the huge percentage of GDP spent in could be used to combat malaria. health care, the growing importance placed on better Initially, Avgush and Dr. Aregullin took bark and health must be noted. For centuries, through oral tradileaf samples of C. speciosa and performed a bioassay to tion, medicine men of indigenous cultures passed down screen for biologically active chemicals. After extracting knowledge of natural remedies and cures provided by compounds from the samples, Avgush performed a Brine native plants. This knowledge is invaluable in today’s Shrimp bioactivity assay, which screens for compound society where there is an avid pursuit of health and activity manifested in the lethality of each compound to longevity. The understanding of the healing powers of the brine shrimp, in vivo. She found that chemicals from these natural remedies provides the foundation upon the bark of the plant had the highest lethal dose, which which researchers and pharmaceutical companies study tells us that the bark has the chemical and biological basis the highest cytotoxity and for these plants’ medicinal powantitumor agents. ers. The research in alternative Subsequently, Avgush medicine and natural remedies performed mass spectromis of particular interest to Shaetry on the samples and rona Avgush, a senior majoring discovered a novel iridoid in Biology and Society, who glycoside in C. speciosa—a studied the medicinal effects significant contribution to of the plant species Catalpa chemotaxonomy. speciosa, which could contain From this point the next compounds for the treatment steps of the research would of malaria. involve more advanced bioAvgush became involved in assays on yeast. Only after natural remedies and alternative all these preliminary analymedicine in high school. She sis will the bioassays of the interned at the Institute for Agcompounds be performed ing Research at Albert Einstein on the malarial bacterium— and from her research, became the specific target that Dr. interested in people’s fascinaAregullin and Avgush aim tion in longevity by searching for Sharona is a student in the College of Agriculture 78 Life Sciences. for the compounds in C. the “fountain of youth.” To gain She is majoring in Biologiacl sciences. speciosa to attack. Howmore insight into this field, she ever, much more experiments are necessary before the read many books on alternative medicine. research could reach animal or clinical trials. At Cornell, Avgush took a course called Strategies and Avgush described her research as an “evaluation of Methods in Drug Discovery, (BIOPL 3800), in which she the C. speciosa through the scientific method.” Unfortulearned about chemical ecology—the chemistry of plants— nately, since Avgush is graduating this semester, she will and finding natural products in plants used in Western not be able to continue with this research. medicine. She joined the Natural Products and Medicine Nevertheless, Avgush wishes to continue working in lab of Dr. Manuel A. Aregullin, a Senior Research Associnatural product elucidation and integrative medicine. She ate in Plant Biology and Molecular Biology and Genetics, is interested in the chemistry of the plants and is also who was also the professor of the course. Dr. Aregullin’s inspired by ethno-botany. Her preferences range from research focuses on prospecting the chemistry and biology pharmacology—chemical and bio prospecting for drugs, of plants, especially those that have been used by the which emphasizes the chemistry background of natural indigenous cultures for generations as herbal remedies, products—to perfumes, which emphasize the synthetic but have not yet been studied using the scientific method. industry of plants. Avgush’s research was sparked by Native American Avgush is not only interested in natural products, but folk medicine—a short reference passed down from also enjoys pop culture and urban fashion. When she is oral tradition about the health effects of the plant spenot delving into the molecular levels of particular plants, cies Catalpa speciosa, part of the Bignoniaceae family. she likes to explore the greater Ithaca area and going to Plants in the Bignoniaceae family are known to contain the Farmer’s Market. compounds, particularly, iridoid glycosides, which are secondary metabolites specialized to defend the plants Qian Qian Liu ‘11 is a student in the College of Arts and against insect herbivores and parasites, and are known Sciences. She can be reached at xl226@cornell.edu

The Research Paper Fall 2009

A quantum Leap in archaeology! By Sean Chen ‘11

College of Engineering

Courtesy Peter Melick and Adam Putzer

famous explorer and relic hunter once said, “Evidence doesn’t lie. History may be accurate, but archaeology is “Melick enthusiastically explained, ‘With conprecise.” Undergraduate students Peter vincing data that our technique [will work] Melick ’11 and Adam Putzer ’11 embody such precision. Working at the G-Line in October, the chances of getting this doculaboratory of the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS), the duo has ment to Cornell in the next year are promising.” been on a quest to develop novel methand his colleagues. ods to recover damaged documents datSubsequently, Melick and Putzer traveled to Brookhaven ing as far back as two thousand years ago when Euclid and National Laboratory in Upton, NY to execute a trial run of Archimedes braced the world with their scientific genius. their innovative imaging system. They took a sheet containAccording to the researchers, major historical docuing a paragraph printed in ink, painted all over it, and used ments that have been coveted by archaeologists contain their device to successfully recover the obscured characters scratches and, in some cases, paint all over the pages. underneath — a proof-of-concept that demonstrated the However, to the researchers’ advantage, ink seeps through efficacy of their technique. the parchments and reside in a thin layer well below the Ultimately, Melick surface. To detect the and Putzer’s aim is to ink, Melick, an Apcreate an image of the plied & Engineering Archimedes PalimpPhysics (A&EP) major, sest, a manuscript in and Putzer, an A&EP which the eponymous and Computer Science Greek mathematician double major, used is rumored to have high-powered X-rays furnished evidence of from CHESS to penhis progress towards etrate many layers of discovering integral scrapes, stains, and calculus more than blemishes that chara millennium before acterize ancient texts. the works of NewLast summer, unton and Leibniz surder the direction of faced. Though they Senior Researcher Dr. have more trials to Arthur Woll, Melick overcome before their and Putzer developed system is ready for its a feedback control greatest challenge, system — a design Melick and Putzer are technique that feeds optimistic that they in data into a computer highlighting the dif- Peter and Adam posing in front of their lab equipment in the G-Line Lab of the Cornell will soon get a crack at it. Melick enthusiastiferences between one High Energy Synchotron Source (CHESS). cally explained, “With layer and another, thus convincing data that our technique [will work] in October, consecutively adjusting for the discrepancies. By slewing the chances of getting this document to Cornell in the next the document under a given dose of X-rays, the system can year are promising.” not only find the depth at which the ink resides, but also Having enjoyed their research experiences and sucquickly scan and track the residues to produce a coherent cesses so far, both Melick and Putzer plan on pursuing picture of the shape and distribution of ink; effectively graduate studies and someday directing laboratories of exposing the hidden letters underneath. their own. It is unique, though not surprising, that the Strategically dividing the workload, Melick drafted the two have chosen to combine a serving of applied physics hardware and put together a sensor network, while Putzer, with a splash of archaeological flair — both realms involve taking advantage of his computer science background, a painstaking process to solve the great mysteries that lie tackled the role of developing interactive software essenbefore us. tial for intuitive manipulation of the device by a human operator. At the end of the summer, the two-man team finished and presented a functional prototype to Dr. Woll Sean Chen ‘11 is a student in the College of Engineering. He can be reached at ssc88@cornell.edu

The Research Paper Fall 2009

The Lotus – Sustainable Urban Planning and Design By Jennifer Sun ‘13

Courtesy Dan Selden

College of Architecture, Art & Planning

functional modern day “green” city seems like a paradox: how can densely populated urban areas with high energy use, polluting cars, and little green space coincide with renewable energy sources, mass transportation, and environmental protection? The key lies in multi-functionality: the development of areas that creates

Dan Selden worked to focus on developing areas of green spaces as well as facilitating the needs of busy city-dwellers.

states ready and eager to apply what he learned to his own project. Though he utilized some design elements from previous projects and classes, much of the work still involved learning 3D Studio Max, a three-dimensional modeling program, and researching the mechanics behind various design ideas he wanted to incorporate. Besides standard research sources such as books and magazines, Selden expanded into more modern forms of communication and information science. He perused online forums such as Twitter, where he could join groups focused on specific topics – for example, sustainability in the landscape, sensors or technology – and find discussions and links provided by a specialized community. According to Selden, one of the major goals of the project was to provide open space, which overcrowded cities often lack. The Lotus is essentially a raised structure that sits over city intersections, transforming an unutilized space into an area for community interaction and beautification. The created space accomplishes three functions: (1) facilitates social activity, (2) provides sensory data for open source projects, ranging from such areas as interactive media to anthropological studies, and (3) offers green space using sustainable technology. “‘The Lotus was conceived of as a product, a tool branded as a symbol of growth and regeneration,” remarks Selden. To better convey the functions of the structure, Selden uses an analogy of three biological systems: the circulatory system, the nervous system and the respiratory system, which corresponds to the three functions of the Lotus. Fundamentally, the Lotus acts as an additional urban pathway that allows more fluid movement of people. Above complicated intersections, the Lotus helps ease traffic flow by offering pedestrians another route across the streets. The structure is more than a pedestrian bridge, though – a large amount of space becomes available for general use, such as a community center where activities and events can be held. In particular, Selden intended the Lotus to be used in mid-use neighborhoods in the periphery of cities, like the Bronx,

green spaces as well as facilitates the needs of busy citydwellers. As a senior dual-degree major in Landscape Architecture and Urban and Regional Planning with a concentration in Information Science, Daniel Selden has been applying the interdisciplinary nature of his work to accomplish such goals. In his latest landscape design project, “The Lotus,” Selden has combined elements of communications, technology and sustainability to create a self-sufficient structure that provides additional city space “A summer project that focused on city and green defor these green community sign, “The Lotus” aimed to facilitate human interareas. A summer project a c t i o n , w h i l e m a x i m i z i n g e n v i r o n m e n t a l h e a l t h . ” that focused on city and green design, “The Lotus” aimed to New York where city planners often do not allocate many facilitate human interaction, while maximizing environresources in favor of beautifying and revitalizing the core mental health. Selden spent the spring semester of his of the city. Additional space created by the Lotus allows junior year in Denmark traveling to cities such as Copensuch neighborhoods to draw upon community resources hagen, Stockholm and Berlin to learn about sustainability to create event centers and green areas specifically for and architectural design. He recalls experiencing firsttheir area, rather than relying on the city center to provide hand how design elements had already been implemented such resources. In this way, the structure both facilitates in these thriving centers of sustainable design, “It’s like movement and interaction, resulting in a system that helps the city is your classroom.” Selden then returned to the

The Research Paper Fall 2009

The Lotus – Sustainable Urban Planning and Design

By Jennifer Sun ‘13

“Growing up in a family highly involved in the social service sector, Selden always first approaches his work by addressing the needs of people and communities.” sensors is programmed to record data on the movement and interaction of people who use the space, which then becomes available for the public. Data collected could then be made available to the public for various projects, or used to determine how to best modify the space to meet community needs. Though Selden’s primary focus in his designs is the human aspect – how to solve problems or meet new needs through design – his work also incorporates sustainable structures. Selden designed the Lotus to be self-sufficient in energy production through what he calls “gills” on

College of Architecture, Art & Planning

Courtesy Dan Selden

the side of the structure – its “respiratory system.” As cars pass underneath the structure, air currents are produced, which pass through these slits on the side of the structure and turn turbines that generate energy, similar to a form of wind power. The structure as a whole is inherently “green” as well: with the extra space provided, less expansion into green areas on the ground is needed. And because the structure simply sits on top of existing construction, fewer resources are needed and fewer existing areas are destroyed in order to implement it. This makes it easier for communities to adopt and lessens environmental harm. With his unique combination of interests – information science and communications, urban planning, and landscape architecture and sustainability – Selden’s designs are uniquely interdisciplinary and multi-functional. Growing up in a family Selden’s design focus on city and green design, which he calls “The Lotus.” highly involved in the social service sector, Selden always first approaches his work by to better “circulate” people within their community. addressing the needs of people and comThe Lotus is also designed to be a “self-aware” space munities. He continues to use the particularly effective – one that records the way it is used and is then able tools he has researched and developed – such as the use to respond by providing data for planners to modify the of sensors or projection to understand the use of a space space. A network of sensors is programmed to record – in new design projects. In the future, Selden wants data on the movement and interaction of people who use to continue his work in graduate school by approaching the space, which then becomes available for the public. urban planning and architecture from a research standData collected could then be made available to the public point – delving deeper into design and technology tools for various projects, or used to determine how to best that can be used to achieve the end results he desires. modify the space to meet community needs. A network of

Jennifer Sun ‘13 is a student in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She can be reached at jms675@cornell.edu

The Research Paper Fall 2009

Online Resources

for Undergraduate Researchers

Undergraduate Research Advisors (CURA) <www.research.cornell.edu/undergrad/ CURA.html> General Undergraduate Research at Cornell <www.research.cornell.edu/undergrad>

Other Opportunities: NIH Research Experience for Undergraduates <www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_ id=5517&from=fund> Council on Undergraduate Research <www.cur.org>

Undergraduate Research in Biology <www.bio.cornell.edu/research> Undergraduate Research in Engineering <www.engineering.cornell.edu/partners/ connect-with-research/index.cfm> Biomedical Engineering Research <www.bme.cornell.edu/research>

Other Research-Related Student Groups: Cornell Undergraduate Research Board (CURB): <www.rso.cornell.edu/curb>

Materials Science and Engineering Research <mse.cornell.edu/mse/undergrad/re search/index.cfm>

Cornell Journal of Undergraduate Research (CJUR): <www.rso.cornell.edu/cjur>

Research in Applied and Engineering Physics <www.aep.cornell.edu/eng10_page.cfm?pg=6>

Ivy Journal Of Ethics (IJE) <www.rso.cornell.edu/bsc>

Arts & Sciences Research <as.cornell.edu/academics/opportunities/ undergraduate-research/index.cfm>

The Triple Helix (TTH): <cornell.thetriplehelix.org>

Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society <www.sigmaxi.org>

CALS Applied Social Sciences Research <research.cals.cornell.edu/appsoc/index.jsp> Human Development Research <www.human.cornell.edu/che/HD/ Research/Undergrad-Research-Opportuni ties/index.cfm> Hughes Scholars Program <hhmi.bio.cornell.edu/hschol>

Cornell Presidential Research Scholars (CPRS) <www.commitment.cornell.edu/cprs/default. php>

Cornell Undergraduate Society for Neuroscience (CUSN) Student Organization for the Advancement of Research (SOAR)