Spotlight

What is Spotlight?

Spotlight is cornell.edu's showcase of people, projects, places, and traditions that give Cornell its unique place among American research universities in the Ivy League -- a list that has continued to grow since 1865 when Cornell University was founded.

Spotlight Submissions

Spotlight represents the voice of Cornell students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the University, and you are encouraged to submit your ideas for new content. Include the URL of the Cornell-related feature, and a brief description. Any person may submit.

Marks of Distinction

Don't miss Cornell University's historical "firsts" and current achievements.

Recent Spotlights

2009 Solar house Follow Big Red as it goes green at the 2009 Solar Decathlon in D.C.
'SciFri' logo NPR's Science Friday broadcasts live from Cornell, Oct. 9. Get your tickets!
Reimagining Cornell Strategic Planning Open Forum: Watch the session with President Skorton and Provost Fuchs CornellCast video
Construction at Milstein Hall Transforming AAP: The Paul Milstein Hall website has plans, galleries and an interactive webcam
Grapes of Wrath Watch the webcast of the New Student Reading Project panel discussion CornellCast video
Philosopher Kings Documentary follows Cornell custodians Jim Evener and Gary Napieracz. See it at Bailey Hall on Aug. 26
Your Impact site Your impact: Learn how gifts to Cornell have made a difference
New Students site CU New Students: Ensuring a smooth transition for first-year, transfer, graduate and professional students
2009 Solar Decathlon house What are you interested in? Explore your choices for a major in the College of Arts and Sciences
Eat3 logo Eat3: Choose, prepare and enjoy healthy family meals using locally grown produce
2009 Solar Decathlon house The Silo House blog: Follow the progress of Cornell's 2009 Solar Decathlon team
Cornell profile picture Social networking, Big Red style: Join the 9,800+ fan base of Cornell University on Facebook
crows Why do crows heckle Cornell researcher Kevin McGowan? The crow paradox explained on NPR's Morning Edition
David Skorton The bus stops here: Skorton rides the bus to cut costs, leads the way among university presidents
Harry Potter wearing the Sorting Hat If the Sorting Hat fits... How Cornell campus life embodies the Hogwarts Experience
'electric' fish Watch as Carl Hopkins introduces freshman biology students to his research on 'electric fish' CornellCast video
Brad Wendel Cornell's Brad Wendel on NPR: Did Justice Department lawyers violate ethics?
'Oscar' the bobcat on the operating table Injured bobcat treated by surgeons at the Cornell University Hospital for Animals
photo of price signage at Wal-Mart Your brain at Wal-Mart: Manoj Thomas studies how people respond to prices and decide to buy
Looking up at the columns outside the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. Cornell's Legal Information Institute is your source for recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions
cover photo from Ezra Ezra Magazine: Cornell's global citizens roll up their sleeves and tackle real-world problems
bird illustration All About Birds: New design, new features and new resources from the Lab of Ornithology
David Skorton Watch President Skorton's State of the University Address on CornellCast
Cornell's Caring Community Cornell's Caring Community: Committed to the well being of faculty and staff, both at work and at home
Graduates of the Class of 2009 Complete coverage of 2009 Commencement weekend from the Chronicle
Woman washing hands Flu precautions - Emergency website for H1N1 influenza updates and resources
alternative energy Power down, Cornell! Pledge to save electricity through power-efficient computing
Cornell in the Capital Once upon a runway: Cornell Design League celebrates 25 years of fashion CornellCast video
Cornell in the Capital President Skorton and prominent Cornell professors on today's most significant policy issues
Fresh produce for sale Find support and advice at the NY Beginning Farmer Project, "Voices of Experience"
dandelion seed CUbiquitous: Cornell in pictures, video and blogs from all over the Web
handwritten envelope addressed to Barack Obama Advice for Obama: Cornell economists discuss the financial crisis and other challenges facing the U.S.
section of CIT home page Find IT services, news and security info easier with redesigned Computing at Cornell website
Library launches new site New library site offers easier searching, a worldwide catalog in beta, course and research help
lit 'On Air' sign Tommy Bruce and guests discuss higher education and the recession on WVBR's Sunday Forum
illustration of how the power plant works Cornell's Combined Heat and Power Project puts coal on the back burner
ladybug on orange fabric Seeing spots: John Losey aims to conserve dwindling ladybug populations -- with your help
Human Ecology student Scott Brenner Alan Hedge and students discuss classroom research and careers in ergonomics
job section of the newspaper classified ads Your future starts here: Cornell Career Services provides assistance for students and alums
tickets to the 1940 game vs. Dartmouth Relive the infamous 1940 'fifth down' game vs. Dartmouth, when Cornell traded the title for integrity
section of a kinematic model KMODDL, Cornell's digital library of kinematic models, helps teach the geometry of pure motion
rendering of Milstein Hall interior Open, flexible Koolhaas design for Paul Milstein Hall will inspire innovation
Weill Hall Fulfilling the promise of life sciences: Bright, open and built green, Weill Hall is on the cutting edge
Cornell researcher with kids CU social scientists break down barriers to answer the world's toughest questions
Wall Street sign How do we save Wall Street and Main Street? Cornell's Robert Hockett has a plan
overpopulated city The Institute for the Social Sciences helps scholars tackle global issues together
cornellboration logo Connect, share, collaborate: Cornellboration is a social network for science-minded Cornellians
'life on the hill' sticker on a brick wall Read along as our student bloggers share the story of their lives on the hill
hand holding a skull bone CU alum David Campbell '77 teaches evolution to kids raised on intelligent design
brain scan Even so-called "mild" head injuries can be anything but, says Cornell neurosurgeon Jam Ghajar
CUAUV's Triton goes for a test run in the water Cornell student engineers make a splash in international competition with their vehicle "Triton"
man eating a burger and chips Want to save the economy? Go on a diet. More veggies, fewer calories cuts energy use, says David Pimentel
keel-billed toucan In a Guatemalan rainforest, Lab of Ornithology biologist Greg Budney hears the call of the wild
Abe Lincoln New Cornell students share a summer read: 'Lincoln at Gettysburg' by Garry Wills
cash and credit card Cornell's Robert Frank tells NPR why we spend more with credit than with cash
A new synthesis guides platinum nanoparticles to form ordered materials with 1020-nm-sized pores Metals with nano-sized pores may have a future in fuel cells thanks to team led by Ulrich Wiesner
student typing on a laptop New initiative encourages faculty to teach research methods 'beyond Google'
farmer holds rice plant Cornell's Norman Uphoff is leading a food revolution that starts with rice
close-up of a basketball NBA players make winning coaches, say researchers at Cornell's ILR School
airmail envelope with colorful stamps Like a postcard, only better. CU students blog from Berlin, Buenos Aires, Budapest and Jerusalem.
students prepare in the kitchen Hotelies roll out the red carpet for industry experts at Hotel Ezra Cornell
Cornell student bloggers Life on the Hill: Spring break adventures, tasty group projects and... oh yeah, studying
plants under blue light Boyce Thompson Institute: Plant research with real benefits for people
Cornell Athletics logo Big Red men and women cap off their Ivy championship seasons with NCAA bids
Sam Bacharach, Cornell's McKelvey-Grant Professor of Labor Management ILR Oral History Project documents struggle against alcoholism in the workplace
view through columns on a sunny day in Doha The latest from Quad Blogger in Doha: Eastern cultures, Western expectations
close-up of a cow See how Agriculture and Life Sciences research and outreach impacts New York State
Graeme Bailey in class CornellCast in the classroom: Watch Graeme Bailey's CS 211 class
portrait of Sarah E. Thomas Early black women at Cornell: Part and apart, 1890s-1930s
Marquise McGraw Research in progress: Bats, birds, dragonflies and other curiosities
Marquise McGraw Marquise McGraw believes education is the key to erasing poverty
Susan Murphy Susan Murphy: West Campus is transforming the residential experience
Susan McCouch examines a plant Cornell's Susan McCouch enlists students in the quest to alleviate malnutrition
CU 100+ MPG: Striving to win the Automotive X-Prize with a new breed of automobile
Think Shakespeare is vanishing? He's alive and well at Cornell
Rebuilding the 9th Ward: Portraits and interviews of Hurricane Katrina survivors
photo of screens in video art exhibit Stop. Look. Listen. Inside an exhibition of video art at the Johnson Museum
girl looks at exhibits in the insect zoo Roach races, cricket cookies and a handful of maggots: Insectapalooza!
drop of blue liquid on cloth Show us what you're made of: Cutting-edge Materials Science research at Cornell
gloved hands transplant a bunch of purple flowers Cornell students go 'Into the Streets' for a day of community service in Ithaca
Alaskan muskoxen The Macaulay Library's 'Big Year': Rare sound and video recordings from distant lands
Robert Frank Close-up on Robert Frank: Keypads and wedding gowns—it's all economics
Ithaca girl shows off one of her creations 4-H sewing program developed by Denise Green '07 fosters creativity, independent thinking
aerial view of the NYS Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva Accomplishments with impact since 1882: NYS Ag Experiment Station turns 125
close-up of a horsefly Don't bug out! CU's Rayor and Losey explain the value of insects on CBS Sunday Morning