Events
Seminar title: Accelerating methane growth rates in recent years.
Hosted by Xiangtao Xu
Vladimir Nabokov's legacy at Cornell is not limited to the world-famous literary works he produced here. The university's natural and built environments also provided powerful material for his lifelong pursuit of butterflies within their geo- and biodiverse ecosystems.
Our one-day event will offer hands-on ways to discover Nabokov through his butterfly collection, his writing and other relics of his time at Cornell contained in the university’s Rare and Manuscript Collection and the Cornell University Insect Collection. We’ll discuss his scientific, literary and artistic pursuits.
This event is a collaboration between the College of Arts & Sciences (A&S), the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Mann Library and is part of the A&S Arts Unplugged series, which brings research and creative works into the public sphere for discussion and inspiration.
During the event, you can:
- Take a close look at Nabokov’s butterfly collection;
- Watch a video exploring the many ways that Nabokov’s legacy is alive today, both on campus and throughout the country, through such policies as the Endangered Species Act;
- Visit a new Mann Library exhibit on Nabokov;
- Discover new information about Nabokov the professor, uncovered by Cornell students involved in the “Nabokov, Naturally” class;
- See Nabokov manuscripts and poems;
- Talk with faculty, students and Nabokov experts from across the country;
- Stretch your creative wings by contributing to a giant multimedia art piece. Create your own butterfly with the help of entomologist/artist Annika Salzberg using both traditional and non-traditional materials.
- Visit a new exhibit in the Mann Lobby, No Mere Curios, featuring images from historical butterfly books from Mann Library’s special collections, which were also part of Nabokov's childhood library.
Schedule:
1-2 p.m.: Student project exhibit and bio-art workshop in CALS Zone next to Mann Library entrance
2-3:30 p.m.: Panel, discussion, and public dialogue in Mann 102, "The Butterfly Effect: Vladimir Nabokov as Scientist and Artist," featuring
Anindita Banerjee, Associate Professor of Comparative Literature and the Environment and Sustainability Program
Corrie Moreau, Martha N. & John C. Moser Professor of Arthropod Biosystematics and Biodiversity and Director & Curator of the Cornell University Insect Collection
Jose Manuel Prieto, Novelist and Associate Professor of Spanish, Seton Hall University
Katherine Reagan, Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts, Cornell Libraries
Jenny Leijonhufvud, Exhibits Curator, Albert R. Mann Library
Anurag Agrawal, James A. Perkins Professor of Environmental Studies, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Jenifer Presto, Associate Professor of Comparative Literature, University of Oregon
With introductory remarks by Rachel Bean, interim dean of The College of Arts & Sciences
1-4 p.m.: Book sale and signing in Mann Lobby/ CALS Zone
All day: Mann Library 2nd floor exhibit, “From Nabokov’s Net,” open for viewing
All day: eCornell film "Nabokov, Naturally" showing in CALS Zone
Vladimir Nabokov was not only a celebrated novelist but also an impassioned and dedicated lepidopterist. His scientific contributions were not always recognized during his lifetime, but recent efforts have proven many of his classifications and insights to be valid. In particular, Nabokov's theory of the evolution and movements of Polyommatus Blue butterflies illustrates his true scientific prowess.
In conjunction with the opening celebration of our new exhibit, From Nabokov's Net, please join us for a special talk with guest speaker Naomi E Pierce, Hessel Professor of Biology & Curator of Lepidoptera in the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University, as she discusses the exciting decade-long effort she and her team engaged in to ultimately prove the validity of Nabokov's scientific theories of the migration and evolution of the Blues
Their analysis of the evolutionary history, biogeography and paleoecology of the Blues shows that climatic conditions across the Bering Straits served as a filter that determined which taxa were able to migrate to the New World from Asia, with cooling conditions during the mid-Miocene leading to only increasingly cold-adapted species being able to migrate across. Remarkably the findings were completely in-line with Nabokov's theories, which he had developed without access to high-tech scientific tools some sixty years earlier.
Naomi E. Pierce studies species interactions, particularly symbioses between ants and other organisms. The author of almost 200 papers and an edited book, Pierce is a member the National Academy of Sciences and has received honors such as a MacArthur Fellowship and the International Prize for Biology. Since 1991, she has been Hessel Professor of Biology and Curator of Lepidoptera at the Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ) at Harvard, the very place where Vladimir Nabokov was Assistant Curator of Lepidoptera during the 1940’s.
Dr. Pierce's talk is being presented in conjunction with two new exhibits at Mann Library: From Nabokov's Net: Nabokov's Contributions to Butterfly Science & the Cornell University Insection Collection (Mann Gallery) and No Mere Curios: Finding Nabokov's Lepidopterist Inspiration in the Rare Books of Entomology (Mann Lobby).
Immediately following the presentation, an exhibit opening reception will take place in the Mann Gallery from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. All are welcome.
This program is co-hosted by Mann Library and the Cornell University Insect Collection with the support of the Elizabeth (Betty) E. Rowley Fund for Mann Library.
Seminar title: The 'Deep Time' Fossil Fish Record Helps Predict Future Impacts of Climate Change.
Hosted by Irby Lovette
Seminar title: Green infrastructure solutions for stormwater management: insights into biogeochemical function and other ecosystem services.
The Amit Bhatia ’01 Global PhD Research Awards fund international fieldwork to help Cornell students complete their dissertations. Through a generous gift from Amit Bhatia, this funding opportunity annually supports at least six PhD students who have passed the A exam. Recipients hold the title of Amit Bhatia ’01 Global PhD Research Scholars. All disciplines and research topics are welcome. The award provides $10,000 to be used by the end of the sixth PhD year for international travel, living expenses, and research expenses.
Register for the information session. Can’t attend? Contact programs@einaudi.cornell.edu.
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The Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies hosts info sessions for graduate and for undergraduate students. To learn more about funding opportunities, international travel, research, and internships, view the full calendar for spring semester sessions.
Seminar title: Ecological and Evolutionary Insights into the Assembly of the Gut Microbiome.
Hosted by Moeller/Xu
Seminar title: Looking through animal senses to reveal evolutionary patterns, understand species interactions, and solve conservation problems.
Hosted by Maren Vitousek
Abstract: Wetlands, ponds, and lakes play an important role in global carbon cycling by sequestering carbon in their sediments and emitting greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Yet, there is a lot of uncertainty in the extent to which wetlands and waterbodies are carbon sinks or carbon sources, and inventorying emissions. In this talk, we will discuss the role of wetlands and waterbodies in the global carbon budget and provide an overview of our lab’s research studying the carbon cycle in ponds, lakes, and wetlands.
Bio: Meredith Holgerson is a freshwater ecologist studying how ponds and lakes function and respond to environmental change. Her research program focuses on community and ecosystem ecology, and she is interested in how organisms and ecosystem processes interact. She asks questions about freshwater food webs, community composition, greenhouse gas production, and ecosystem metabolism. Her research relies on field studies, small-scale and whole-ecosystem experiments, and collaborations to scale local observations to global patterns.
This event is presented as part of the 2024 Perspectives on the Climate Change Challenge Seminar Series:
- Most Mondays, Spring Semester 2024, 2:55-4:10pm
- Via Zoom
This university-wide seminar series is open to the public (via Zoom), and provides important views on the critical issue of climate change, drawing from many perspectives and disciplines. Experts from Cornell University and beyond present an overview of the science of climate change and climate change models, the implications for agriculture, ecosystems, and food systems, and provide important economic, ethical, and policy insights on the issue. The seminar is being organized and sponsored by the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering and Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability.
