Cocoa Froths with Cancer-Preventing Compounds
Beyond the froth, cocoa teems with antioxidants that prevent cancer, say food scientists in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Comparing the chemical anti-cancer activity in beverages known to contain antioxidants, they have found that cocoa has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine and up to three times those found in green tea.
Scientists have long known that cocoa contains antioxidants, but no one knew just how plentiful they were compared with those in red wine and green tea.
The researchers, led by Chang Y. (Cy) Lee, chair of the Department of Food Science and Technology at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, say the reason that cocoa leads the other drinks is its high content of compounds called phenolic phytochemicals, or flavonoids, indicating the presence of known antioxidants that can stave off cancer, heart disease, and other ailments. They discovered 611 milligrams of the phenolic compound gallic acid equivalents (GAE) and 564 milligrams of the flavonoid epicatechin equivalents (ECE) in a single serving of cocoa. Examining a glass of red wine, the researchers found 340 milligrams of GAE and 163 milligrams of ECE. In a cup of green tea, they found 165 milligrams of GAE and 47 milligrams of ECE.
"If I had made a prediction before conducting the tests, I would have picked green tea as having the most antioxidant activity," said Lee. "When we compared one serving of each beverage, the cocoa turned out to be the highest in antioxidant activity, and that was surprising to me." Phenolic compounds protect plants against insects and pathogens, and they remain active even after food processing. A decade ago "food scientists did not know that phenolics had an important role in human health," says Lee.
Lee and his colleagues used two chemical tests that measured how well the cocoa compounds scavenge for free radicals-agents that cause cancer, heart disease, and other diseases.
The researchers discuss eating chocolate bars instead of drinking cocoa. "Although a bar of chocolate exhibits strong antioxidant activity, the health benefits are still controversial because of the saturated fats present," the researchers say. They explain that cocoa has about one-third of a gram of fat per one-cup serving, compared with eight grams of fat in a standard-size 40-gram chocolate bar.
Faced with the confusing prospect of drinking red wine or green tea or cocoa, Lee suggests enjoying all three in different parts of the day. "Personally, I would drink hot cocoa in the morning, green tea in the afternoon, and a glass of red wine in the evening. That's a good combination," he says.
Lee's collaborators are his former graduate student, Ki Won Lee; Hyong Joo Lee, a professor at Seoul National University, South Korea; and Young Jun Kim, a post-doctoral researcher at Cornell. The research was funded in part by the BioGreen 21 Program, Rural Development Administration, Republic of South Korea.
- Blaine P. Friedlander Jr.
New Web Site Celebrates Cornell Faculty
Do you have an interesting story about a member of the Cornell faculty? An amusing anecdote, a tribute, or a touching recollection about the impact a Cornell faculty member made on your life? Then you're invited to share that memory and to read other alumni stories at the Celebrate Cornell Faculty web site at celebrate.cornell.edu.
This site features information about Cornell professors, news about issues of importance to Cornell faculty, and insightful comments from alumni about the professors who made a lasting impression on their lives. Best of all, the site includes an interactive forum where you can share your faculty recollections with the rest of the Cornell community. You can even send your favorite professor an electronic greeting card.
Since its launch last summer, the Celebrate Cornell Faculty web site has conveyed the strength of the faculty/alumni bond that touches all Cornellians; and the students, staff, faculty, and alumni have found the site to be a wonderful source of inspiration. So log on to read faculty news, share a faculty story, or send a greeting card to a former professor. You'll be glad you did!
The New Life Sciences Initiative
Stay in touch with the latest developments of this exciting initiative with the comprehensive web site: lifesciences.cornell.edu. By signing up for the listserv, you'll receive updates on faculty research and discovery, student research and education, new technologies, facilities, and more: lifesciences.cornell.edu/ subscribe.php.
A New Professorship in AEM Business Program Named for John Dyson
Robert R. Dyson, MBA '74 has endowed the John S. Dyson Professorship in Marketing in the Undergraduate Business Program in honor of his brother, John, creator of the "I 'heart' NY" tourism campaign. The position, the program's first endowed faculty position since receiving accreditation in 2002, has been established with a gift of $3 million.
"This gift represents my personal appreciation to John for all he has done for Cornell University," said Rob Dyson. "In the nearly 40 years since John's graduation, he has worked tirelessly on behalf of programs across campus, offered his insightful advice as a member of the board of trustees and provided very generous financial support. John has given significantly to Cornell in each of the three w's-wisdom, work, and wealth."
In appreciation of the gift, Susan A. Henry, the Ronald P. Lynch Dean of Agriculture and Life Sciences, said, "Rob Dyson's wonderful gift acknowledges his brother John's selfless generosity and dedicated leadership on behalf of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Cornell. Endowing a professorship provides critical support for our Undergraduate Business Program and its outstanding faculty. We are deeply grateful to Rob and The Dyson Foundation for their marvelous support."
Edward McLaughlin, the Robert G. Tobin Professor of Marketing and director of the Undergraduate Business Program, pointed out, "This endowment really builds momentum and enhances our undergraduate program. Endowments attract elite, leading scholars who, in turn, attract top students. It really helps to underscore the national stature of our business program."
William Lesser, chairman of the Department of Applied Economics and Management (AEM), which is the largest department in the entire university, and home to the Undergraduate Business Program, said the endowment will help the department become even more competitive as it seeks to endow four additional professorships over the next several years. "We would not be able to recruit top faculty without endowments like this," Lesser said.
John Dyson '65 is chairman and chief executive officer of Pebble Ridge Vineyards & Wine Estates, an international wine group operating wineries and commercial vineyards in New York, California, and Italy. Much of his career has also been spent in public service. He created the well-known tourism campaign in the 1970s when he was commissioner of commerce for New York State. In 1994, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani appointed him New York City deputy mayor for finance and economic development where he worked to rebuild New York in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, disaster. He served as chair of the New York State Power Authority, chair of the Urban Development Corporation and state commissioner of agriculture, where he was responsible for developing the "Grown in New York" program.
John Dyson was the governor-appointed trustee to Cornell's board of trustees from 1981 to 2001 and was elected emeritus trustee in 2001. In 2001, he was also named a Presidential Councilor. He has also served on four advisory councils at Cornell. He received the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' Outstanding Alumni Award in 1984 and, in 1992, established the Kenneth L. Robinson Professorship in Agricultural Economics and Public Policy in CALS.
Rob Dyson is chairman of The Dyson-Kissner-Moran Corp., a privately owned, international holding company based in New York City. He is chairman of the board of Marist College, and is a trustee of Vassar Brothers Hospital and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Rob is president of The Dyson Foundation, which was established in 1957 by John and Rob's late parents.
Rob Dyson served Cornell as a trustee from 1995 to 2001 and was elected emeritus trustee in 2001. He serves on the advisory council for the Johnson Graduate School of Management. Via The Dyson Foundation, in 1995, Dyson made a gift to the Johnson School to renovate the Sage Hall atrium and, in 1989, to the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center to establish the Margaret M. Dyson Vision Research Institute.
AEM has 42 faculty members, about 700 undergraduates, and more than 70 graduate students. The department, which is nearly a century old, maintains its historical roots in the farm economy but has expanded into areas focused broadly on finance, marketing, strategy, and applied economics.
Cornell's Undergraduate Business Program offers the university's only undergraduate business degree to be accredited by AACSB International-the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The program has added 12 faculty members since 2000. Since 1999, the department has seen a 52 percent increase in first-year undergraduate applications.
- Blaine P. Friedlander, Jr.
Just 'Click' to the Department's Alumni Newsletter
AG ECON, ARME, AEM-no matter what you call your undergraduate major at Cornell, the department's first-ever online newsletter is here for you: aem.cornell.edu/undergrad_news
The newsletter provides updates on AEM's curriculum, student activities, faculty, and alumni as well as admissions and career-related news.
Stephen B. Ashley '62, MBA '64 and Peter J. Nolan '80, MBA '82, campaign co-chairs, report that the Undergraduate Business Program Campaign has raised $7.3 million. Several gift discussions are in process, and all size gifts are welcome and will be used to support one of the general teaching programs or faculty endowment funds.
The campaign committee is reaching out to alumni and friends of the program to talk about this exciting endeavor. The goal is $20 million: $15 million to endow faculty positions, $4 million to support the undergraduate teaching program, and $1 million to modernize classrooms in Warren Hall.
For more information, contact Mike Riley at 274 Roberts Hall, mpr2@cornell.edu, 607-255-7635.
"Barbecue Chicken" Bob Baker Inducted into Poultry Hall of Fame
Robert C. Baker '43 was inducted into the American Poultry Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia, at an International Poultry Exposition this past January. His picture and details of his accomplishments in the field of poultry science will be placed in the Hall of Fame building at the University of Maryland.
Baker was on the faculty in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences for 40 years. He taught seven courses and published 290 scientific papers. He developed 47 new poultry meat and egg products, including chicken and turkey hot dogs, cold cuts of various kinds, and chicken nuggets. All of these products are on the market today. During his career, Baker traveled to 24 countries to work with food companies in developing new poultry meat and egg products.
Baker may be best known, though, for the Cornell Barbecue Sauce he developed for chicken.
Steven Tanksley Receives Wolf Foundation Prize in Agriculture
Steven D. Tanksley, the Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor of Plant Breeding in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and chair of the Genomics Initiative Task Force at Cornell, is one of two scientists to share the prestigious 2004 Wolf Foundation Prize in Agriculture for his "innovative development of hybrid rice and discovery of the genetic basis of heterosis in this important food staple."
Each year since 1978, the Wolf Foundation, which is based in Israel, has awarded five Wolf Prizes to outstanding living scientists in agriculture, chemistry, mathematics, medicine, and physics as well as one to a person in the arts. The prizes are intended to promote science and art for the benefit of mankind, and prize winners are selected by international committees of three renowned experts in each field. The Wolf Prizes are among the most prestigious scientific awards in the world.
Tanksley, who is sharing the honor and its $100,000 prize with Yuan Longping of the China National Hybrid Rice Research and Development Center, was cited by the Wolf Prize Committee as "one of the world leaders in plant genomic research. He has contributed to the understanding of heterosis in rice by identifying genes in a wild ancestor that significantly increased yields. . . . Tanksley's research has led to the discovery of the genetic basis of hybrid vigor in this important food staple-a discovery with profound implications for promoting the science of plant breeding for the benefit of humankind."
The award is being presented by Moshe Katsav, president of the State of Israel, at the Knesset (parliament) in Jerusalem, May 9.
In addition to developing the first molecular map of rice, Tanksley also developed the first molecular map of tomatoes. He was the first plant geneticist to use map-based cloning of a pest-resistance gene in a crop plant. He also developed computer programs and databases for the management and analysis of molecular genetic data. As the chair of the Genomics Initiative Task Force at Cornell, Tanksley leads 75 faculty members from 25 departments and six colleges in a coordinated web of research and learning focused on genomics.
- Susan Lang
Hunter Leaves Geneva Agricultural Experiment Station
After 13 years as director of the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, James E. Hunter is taking a leave from CALS before his planned retirement this June.
During his leave, Hunter is traveling in the United States and abroad to study relationships between universities and businesses that relate to economic development and increased support for bio-based research focusing on food and agriculture.
"I intend to examine alternative sources of support for land-grant colleges, in general, and experiment stations, in particular," Hunter said.
One alternative Hunter will be studying is research parks that are affiliated with universities and other public institutions. Hunter has served as a member of the Cornell Agriculture and Food Technology Park Corp. at Geneva, since its founding.
"I intend to stay affiliated with the park and the Geneva Experiment Station and to help in the park's continued development, but not as a member of the park board of directors at this time," he said.
Hunter came to Geneva as chairman of the plant pathology department in 1972 and served in that capacity until 1982. He was associate director from 1987 to 1990. Robert C. Seem is serving as interim director.
McCandless Named Communications Director for Agriculture and Life Sciences
Linda McCandless is the new director of communications for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She directs the strategic planning, execution, and maintenance of communication efforts for CALS on both the Ithaca and Geneva campuses.
"As we embark on our centennial year, CALS is making it a top priority to design and implement strategies that communicate the mission, goals, priorities, and accomplishments of the college to internal and external audiences and a wide variety of stakeholder groups," said Susan A. Henry, the Ronald P. Lynch Dean of Agriculture and Life Sciences. "Linda brings to this position a strong background in strategic communications, as well as a thorough knowledge of the college and its key programs and priorities. We are happy to have her aboard."
To help with the initiative, Henry has established a collegewide committee on strategic communication that will develop a blueprint for the approach CALS needs to take to achieve effective, informative communication to support the strategic goals and mission of the college. McCandless will be a member of the college's Public Affairs office, which is being renamed Alumni Affairs, Development, and Communications to better reflect its work for the college.
McCandless has been director of communications at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva since 1994 and is a current member of the LEAD New York program. She graduated from Cornell with a B.A. in 1974 and lives in Spencer, N.Y.