Change your computer backup and help save $1.5 million

If you have ever lost a computer file, you know backup systems are crucial. But usually they come at a price: Either they slow down the system during the day, or they waste energy by requiring that computers be left on. Staff members in the Division of Facilities Services solved both problems, and if other departments follow their example, Cornell could save some $1.5 million a year in energy costs. (December 14, 2005)

Taking a new chip from invention to start-up takes teamwork

It's so common that it's almost a cliché: To start a high-tech company, you need to team a scientist with a business person. Associate Professor Rajit Manohar has found a way to increase the speed of computer chips. When he described his idea to business consultant and neighbor John Lofton Holt, Achronix Semiconductor was born. (December 14, 2005)

In 'Six Degrees of Reputation' Cornell authors track plagiarism and abuse of online reviewing systems

Positive bias in online consumer reviews has become almost standard industry practice, but plagiarizing user reviews and passing them off as authentic is another animal altogether, says a new Cornell study that has been tracking that other animal. (December 12, 2005)

Einstein posts to the physics arXiv

An obscure paper on superconductivity was recently rediscovered by a Cornell University professor and has been posted on the Internet on Cornell's e-print service arXiv. (November 29, 2005)

Cornell's Department of Statistical Science moves to CIS

The Cornell University Department of Statistical Science has become a department of the Faculty of Computing and Information Science. (November 29, 2005)

Hopcroft receives Harry M. Goode award

John Hopcroft, the IBM Professor of Engineering and Applied Mathematics, has been awarded the Harry M. Goode award of the IEEE Computer Society in recognition of his fundamental contributions to the study of algorithms and their applications in information processing. (November 29, 2005)

As Cornell Theory Center winds up Microsoft pact, it seeks faculty advice on future, direction

Cornell Theory Center has announced new, faster computing facilities and is inviting members of the Cornell research community to a "town hall meeting" to discuss new directions. (November 15, 2005)

Jon Kleinberg receives 2005 MacArthur 'Genius Award'

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation today (Sept. 20) named Jon Kleinberg, Cornell professor of computer science, among the 25 new MacArthur Fellows - the so-called "Genius Awards" - for 2005. He will receive $500,000 in no-strings-attached support over the next five years.

Mental processing is continuous, not like a computer

The theory that the mind works like a computer, in a series of distinct stages, was an important steppingstone in cognitive science, but it has outlived its usefulness, concludes a new Cornell University study. (June 27, 2005)