NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg (right) shakes hands with Technion President Peretz Lavie (left) as President Skorton observes.

The following is a sneak peak of an article of mine that will appear in this week’s issue of The Cornell Review. It goes into detail regarding the exact nature of Technion’s alleged connections to military arms creation and what it may mean for the Cornell community going forward:

“Our entire community has come together, in a way that happens only so often in an institution’s history.” President David J. Skorton

One could picture the grin on the face of President as he wrote these words for his press release following the December 16, 2011 announcement that Cornell University had won Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s contest to lead New York City into the next era of technological innovation. The ensuing boost in both publicity and morale around Cornell was unparalleled, with many believing that everyone in the Cornell community was pleased with the announcement.

This umbrella of optimism, however, has been concealing the unanswered questions of those around campus calling for specifics surrounding the University’s partner in victory. Cornell commitment to the Cornell NYC will connect the University to the Israel Institute of Technology, also known as “The Technion” – a global force in engineering and technological innovation.

Despite Provost Kent Fuchs’ claims that Technion would make no financial contribution to the campus, the mere fact that their name appears first in the most significant part of CornellNYC Tech – The Technion-Cornell Innovation Institute (TCII) – suggests that Technion will have a large role in the management and operations of the school.

“The Technion is the driving force behind the miracle of Israel’s technology economy,” expressed President Skorton in a statement at the time of the announced collaboration.

Founded in 1912 – 36 years before Israel declared independence – Technion was one of the first symbols of nationalism in the developing country. The school educated the nation’s first leading engineers, mathematicians, and scientists. As a result, it played a leading role in securing the nation’s staying power by producing both the individuals and technology that fabricated Israel’s infrastructure and national defense.

“The key to the development of a country is to train leaders in science,” remarked Technion professor Ian Marek in a June 2011 interview.

Technion students truly are leaders in science. The Technion satellite, for example, was launched in 1998 and was constructed entirely by Technion students. The idea was proposed by a Technion physics professor, in partnership with the space program for the Israel Ministry of Defense.

In this sense, Technion has done more than educate the future leaders of Israel. As the nation’s leading research Institution, it has had a long history of partnering with a variety of organizations to help develop the technology they seek. It has played a major role in preserving the longevity of the nation state.

Two of these particular involvements, however, are raising concerns within Cornell’s Palestinian community and beyond, as Technion’s research in the field of arms creation is causing some to question the Institution’s role in ongoing violence in the Middle East.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ten months ago, former Bush political strategist and perennial GOP superstar Karl Rove came to speak at Cornell. He will be returning to upstate New York next week, this time to Syracuse University, where he will again be speaking on pressing political issues.

At Cornell, the detail-oriented Rove shared his thoughts on the Republican presidential race, and on his opposition to the Obama administration. Here is an excerpt from the Insider’s coverage of Rove last year:

“This is the first election in modern times in which there is no clear frontrunner for the Republicans,” Rove pointed out. “They all have the same three challenges. What’s their narrative? Why shouldn’t it be Obama? Why should it be them?” People want to know, he said, “are you going to be able to bring us together at the end of this? They’re going to have to do something to convince people they’re up to the job.”

Since then, we have seen the rise and fall of Donald Trump, Michelle Bachmann, Herman Cain, John Huntsman, and Rick Perry. Given the results of the most recent round of primaries, the race remains far from decided. Last year, Rove had a message for potential nominees – “People want to know: Are you going to be able to bring us together at the end of this?” Rove will surely have much more to say about the lack of a clear and convincing front-runner now that Super Tuesday is just around the corner.

While the security at last year’s Rove speech was extra-tight due to protesters and a history of threats against him, the rise of Occupy might mean his Syracuse speech is even more heavily picketed. Perhaps that explains why Occupy Syracuse is busing in protesters from NYC…

- Cornell won the NYC tech campus contest, but the other proposals are still moving forward. 

- Obama criticized the rising cost of tuition in his SOTU – but his policies are making it worse.

- Risk and Reward: exploring the teenage mind.

- City of Ithaca goes “100% renewable” by buying carbon indulgences.

- Cornell astronomers study Earth’s other moons.

- Africana professor Robert Harris Jr. on black education.

- Comparing Ivy League meal plans – Cornell’s are most expensive.

- Cornell alum wins $200,000 on nine-day Jeopardy! streak.

- The ten biggest college high-tech stories of 2011.

- A portrait of the fracking boomtown of Williamsport, PA.

With a new year underway, stay with the Cornell Insider for all of your breaking news and analysis, around our campus and our country.

Cornell Review columnist Raj Kannappan’s recent article for The College Conservative: Obama the Narcissist.

Ron Paul is dominating the youth vote. Youth for Ron Paul has grown to over 14,000 student participants.

The secret is out: Philanthropist Charles Feeney’s dedication to giving is making national news.

With the NYC Tech campus announcement, one Hawkeye remarks on how greatly the University of Iowa misses ex-President Skorton.

Cornell scientists are discovering ways to hide a moment in time, 15 picoseconds to be exact.

Don’t quit! Cornell researchers are creating healthier cigarettes.

Men’s basketball kicks off Ivy League play this week. Wroblewski scores 1,000 point.

Halfway through season, Big Red Hockey ranked #13 in national poll, second among ECAC schools.

Lightning strikes twice: Nearly a year after SAE’s exit, TKE is kicked off campus. Appeal process is underway.