Eric Alani was promoted to professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Alani, who joined the faculty in 1995, uses the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model system for genetic and biochemical studies of how mismatch repair proteins interact to prevent replication errors and to modulate genetic recombination.
Peter Jentsch was appointed extension associate in the Department of Entomology at the Hudson Valley Laboratory in Highland, NY, earlier this summer. His responsibilities are to facilitate and lead regional extension activities and associated applied research in tree fruits and vegetables and to address the pest-related concerns of grape growers in the area. Jentsch has worked at Hudson Valley since 1989, when he joined the laboratory of entomology professor Richard Straub as a research support specialist. http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/pubs/press/current/060905Jentsch.html
Xingen Lei was promoted to professor of animal science. Lei's research program is focused on the molecular regulation of trace element metabolism in domestic animals and on applying molecular approaches to the improvement of mineral bioavailability in animals and humans. He teaches an undergraduate course on swine nutrition and management and a graduate course on mineral nutrition and metabolism.
Helen Nivison was promoted in July to senior lecturer in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics.
Janice Thies was recently awarded indefinite tenure as an associate professor of soil microbial ecology in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. Her research and teaching programs focus on the influence of soil management practices and transgenic crops on soil microbial activity, abundance, and community structure; the development of biofertilizers and biopesticides for use in low-input agricultural systems; and bacterial source tracking to improve water quality assessment and management. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in soil ecology and applied plant/microbe interactions.
Cornell's Undergraduate Business Program moved up a peg — from 12th to 11th place — in the 2007 U.S. News & World Report rankings. The program, which ranked 14th two years ago, also got another nudge upward in the peer assessment ranking, which increased to 4.0 from last year's 3.9 — a significant tenth-of-a-point gain.