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Welcome, CAU Summer 2024 participants!

Details about your course and the program will continue to be added to this page leading up to the start of your CAU Summer experience.
Please bookmark this page for future reference.

Platinum Sustainability Certification Badge

Finding the Info You Need

Plan Your Route To Class

Courses: Week One (July 7 - 13)

Courses: Week Two (July 14 - 20)

Weekly Schedule: Activities

  • CAU Summer
    Sunday Arrival + Check-In (Both Weeks)

    CAU Summer Headquarters
    Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG) Hall
    224 Cradit Farm Drive, Ithaca NY 14850

    Signs for CAU will be visible as you get closer to RBG Hall.
    Park your vehicle in the Appel Parking Lot. (You do not need a parking permit upon arrival since Cornell will not issue parking tickets on Sunday.)
    Then, follow the signs to CAU check-in.
    CAU staff will be available to help dorm residents carry luggage into RBG Hall to the Welcome Desk for check-in.

    Early arrivals? Unfortunately, early arrivals can’t be accommodated. Thanks in advance for arriving on time!

    Late arrivals?

    Arriving after 5:00 p.m. on Sunday?
    Late arrivals will be able to pick up a name badge and other information at the CAU Hospitality Desk at Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hall. Late arriving residential participants will need to pick up their hall/elevator, suite, and room keys on the first floor of Robert Purcell Community Center, a short distance from RBG Hall. The RPCC service desk’s phone number is 607.255.6214. The CAU Hospitality Desk phone is 607.255.6260.

      Arriving after 9:00 p.m. on Sunday?
    If you are planning to arrive after 9:00 p.m. on Sunday evening, plan ahead and let CAU know in advance so we can help. Contact cauinfo@cornell.edu ahead of time to make arrangements.

  • Sunday
    Sunday (Both Weeks)

    2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Check-in for participants staying at Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hall at CAU’s Hospitality Desk on the first floor of RBG Hall.

    4:00 - 5:00 p.m. Check-in for commuter participants at CAU’s Hospitality Desk on the first floor of Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hall.

    2:00 - 5:00 p.m. During check-in, the CAU Social Lounge located on the first floor of RBG Hall (room 125/127) will be open for light refreshments.

    4:30 - 5:30 p.m. Campus Tour starts from RBG Hall Hospitality Desk.

    5:30 - 6:00 p.m. Welcome Reception

    • Week One: Appel Commons Community Center, 3rd Floor, Multipurpose Room
    • Week Two: Toni Morrison Hall, 1st Floor, Multipurpose Room

    6:00 – 7:00 Welcome Dinner

    • Week One: Appel Commons Community Center, 3rd Floor, Multipurpose Room (Keynote Address to follow in same space)
    • Week Two: Toni Morrison Hall, 1st Floor, Multipurpose Room (Keynote Address to follow in same space)

    7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Keynote Address (same space as dinner)

    •   Week One Keynote Address
      An Exploration of the Soundscapes of the Polar Sea
      by Holger Klinck, Ph.D., the John W. Fitzpatrick Director of the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

     

    •   Week Two Keynote Address
      Anatomy of a Joke: Lessons from Cornell's Laughter Lab
      by Sara Warner, PhD., Associate Professor of Performing and Media Arts and Director of Cornell's LGBT Studies Program
      Laughter is a funny thing. Although it is one of the distinguishing features of human beings, with entire industries dedicated to its production and dissemination, precious little is known about laughter and the mechanisms behind it. In this presentation, Professor Warner will share some surprising facts about this curious phenomenon, including insights gleaned from co-teaching Cornell’s Laughter Lab (PMA 1700), a class that invites students to explore the art, craft, and skills associated with “making funny.”

    8:00 – 10:00 Ice Cream Social (optional), CAU Social Lounge, RBG Hall

  • Monday
    Monday (Both Weeks)

    7:00 - 7:30 a.m. Optional Morning Refresh in the CAU Social Lounge, RBG Hall
      Engage your breath and awareness through a series of simple physical exercises led by Julie Nathanielsz '93, MFA, Dance, Movement, and Contemplative Practice instructor, 2016-2017 Fulbright Scholar.

    9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Class in Session: See your Course Schedule for variations in timing, locations, and field trip details

    4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Social Lounge open with refreshments and munchies, RBG Hall

    6:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Social Lounge open with refreshments and munchies, RBG Hall

    7:00 - 8:00 p.m. Monday Evening Lecture, in the CAU Social Lounge, RBG Hall

    • Week One, Monday, July 8th Lecture
      How We Read the Constitution
      by David Green '62, PhD'67, Visiting Professor of History, Cornell Summer Session
      Join us for an overview and guided discussion which includes interpretations from many different political perspectives.

     

    •   Week Two, Monday, July 15th
      Poetry & Healing
      by Elisha Cohn, Associate Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Literatures in English
      Can art heal us? This lecture explores literary perspectives on illness, healing, and caretaking, demonstrating how poetry by Emily Dickinson, Thom Gunn, Alice Walker, and others offers distinctive ways of understanding illness as a physical condition and a social metaphor.

    8:30 - 9:30 p.m. Trivia Night in the CAU Social Lounge, RBG Hall led by Joe Lyons '98

  • Tuesday
    Tuesday (Both Weeks)

    7:00 - 7:30 a.m. Optional Morning Refresh in the CAU Social Lounge, RBG Hall
      Engage your breath and awareness through a series of simple physical exercises led by Julie Nathanielsz '93, MFA, Dance, Movement, and Contemplative Practice instructor, 2016-2017 Fulbright Scholar.

    9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Class in Session: See your Course Schedule for variations in timing, locations, and field trip details

    4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Social Lounge open with refreshments and munchies, RBG Hall

    4:30 - 5:30 p.m. Tuesday Lecture in the CAU Social Lounge, RBG Hall

    •   Week One, July 9th Lecture
      The State of Agriculture in America
      by Daniel Petticord, NSF-GRFP Fellow, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
      Join us for a one-hour lecture diving into the novelties and nuances of the modern grocery store. Discuss the changes to agriculture and the art of food making over the last century, with a particular focus on the development of industrial agriculture. We will close talking about the way food intersects with identity and health in the past and today.
    •   Week Two, July 16th Lecture:
      “What Do My Genes Say?”: Identity Making in the Age of Ancestral DNA Testing
      by Michell Chresfield, Assistant Professor, Africana Studies & Research Center
      In October 2018, Senator Elizabeth Warren released a PR-style video publicizing the results of her ancestry DNA test. Though Warren hoped to silence critics who questioned her Native American heritage, the results added scientific ammunition to those attacks while also reinvigorating highly charged debates about whether Native American identity is racial, political, or ethnic, and the proper role of genetic ancestry testing in making these determinations. In this lecture, Dr. Michell Chresfield, assistant professor and historian of science in Cornell’s Africana Studies and Research Center, will explore what race and identity mean in the genomic age. Drawing on case studies involving Afro-Native communities, Dr. Chresfield’s lecture will examine what these tests purport to reveal and what happens when these genetic revelations contradict community and self-developed notions of identity.

    5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Community Dinner, Appel Commons, 3rd Floor Multipurpose Room (Changed from outside due to heat advisory)

    6:15 - 6:30 p.m. An update on Sustainability at Cornell, Appel Commons, 3rd Floor Multipurpose Room (Changed from outside due to heat advisory)

    6:30 - 8:00 p.m. Entertainment, Appel Commons, 3rd Floor Multipurpose Room (Changed from outside due to heat advisory)

    • Week Two, July 16th:
       Live Music: After dinner, enjoy the musical stylings of Ithaca's own Bob Keefe Trio and maybe even hit the dance floor!

    6:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Social Lounge open with refreshments and munchies, RBG Hall

  • Wednesday
    Wednesday (Both Weeks)

    7:00 - 7:30 a.m. Optional Morning Refresh in the CAU Social Lounge, RBG Hall
    Engage your breath and awareness through a series of simple physical exercises led by Julie Nathanielsz '93, MFA, Dance, Movement, and Contemplative Practice instructor, 2016-2017 Fulbright Scholar.

    9:00 a.m. - Noon Class in Session: See your Course Schedule for variations in timing, locations, and field trip details

    12:00 p.m.: Spring Break: No Class Wednesday Afternoon: Many participants use this time to explore the surrounding Finger Lakes region.

    1:30 - 3:30 p.m. Both weeks
    Cornell Fashion + Textile Collection Open House
    Human Ecology Building, 37 Forest Home Drive, Room T56
    See the current exhibit, "Harlem Noire," led by Catherine K. Blumenkamp, Lecturer in Human Centered Design (both weeks)

    4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Social Lounge open with refreshments and munchies, RBG Hall

    6:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Social Lounge open with refreshments and munchies, RBG Hall

    8:00 - 9:00 p.m. Spring Break Bingo in the CAU Social Lounge, RBG Hall

  • Thursday
    Thursday (Both Weeks)

    7:00 - 7:30 a.m. Optional Morning Refresh in the CAU Social Lounge, RBG Hall
      Engage your breath and awareness through a series of simple physical exercises led by Julie Nathanielsz '93, MFA, Dance, Movement, and Contemplative Practice instructor, 2016-2017 Fulbright Scholar.

    9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Class in Session: See your Course Schedule for variations in timing, locations, and field trip details

    4:30 - 5:30 p.m. CAU Faculty-Led Campus Tour

    • Week One, July 11th Campus Tour
      A More Human Place--Human Sustainability on the Cornell Campus  Tour begins on the front steps of Willard Straight Hall.
      by Roberta Moudry '81, M.A. '90, Ph.D. '95, Architectural Historian
      Willard Straight (1880-1918) requested in his will that funds be directed to make Cornell “a more human place.” In this era of sustainability awareness, we will turn to a broader view of that term and look at those spaces and programs that provide a healthy and rich experience for students. Since the university’s founding, there have been initiatives (many promoted by A.D. White) to create inspiration, uplift and respite as essential adjuncts to academic instruction. Our walk will focus on those central campus extracurricular spaces where the community – past and present – has found the intellectual and psychic tools for sustainable living. Tour will cover the Straight, Sage Chapel, Wee Stinky Glen, Olin and Uris Library and an overview of the Arts Quad.
    • Week Two, July 18th Campus Tour
      Sustainable Landscapes, Hidden Gardens Tour begins on Bailey Plaza.
      by Roberta Moudry '81, M.A. '90, Ph.D. '95, Architectural Historian
      Shaped by its founding principles of coeducation, nonsectarianism and diverse intellectual inquiry, Cornell has in recent decades made a substantial commitment to yet another principle – sustainability. Initiatives in teaching, research and design are shaping a sustainable, beautiful and healthy campus. Additionally, the land-grant mandate of teaching, research and extension provides information and models for replication regionally and beyond. Walk the east campus and experience a selection of on-campus projects that advance research and sustainable practices while prioritizing healthy and inspiring spaces for students and staff. We will also discuss the invisible infrastructure that serves over 300 major buildings on central campus, including water filtration, lake source cooling and pioneering efforts in power generation, from nineteenth-century electrification and hydropower generation, to our current exploration of deep geothermal heat capture. Tour will move through the A.D. White Gardens, Ag Quad, walk around the back of Mann Library and end on Tower Road. There are ample seating opportunities.

    4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Social Lounge open with refreshments and munchies, RBG Hall

    6:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Social Lounge open with refreshments and munchies, RBG Hall

    7:00 - 8:00 p.m. Thursday Evening Lecture in the CAU Social Lounge, RBG Hall

    •   Week One, July 11th Lecture
      The Science and the Story of Sled Dogs
      by Heather Huson, Associate Professor of Animal Science
      Accompanied by one of her favorite dogs, Professor Huson will draw from both her deep personal background and her field research in Alaska to share the cultural, economic, and societal impacts of dog sledding.  Learn about the multifaceted relationship between humans and sled dogs, the intricate science of sled dog genetics, and the broader implications of sled dog research on understanding canine genetics and health. Plus learn how to conduct DNA testing on your own furry friend!
    •   Week Two, July 18th Lecture
      Co-creating inclusive research to support Borneo's human and more-than-human communities
      by Wendy Erb, Postdoctoral Fellow at the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics
      Despite housing some of the richest biocultural hotspots on Earth, the tropical forests of Indonesia are experiencing rapid degradation, threatening wide-ranging changes for ecosystems, communities, and biodiversity across the region. Learning with and from local communities, we will explore how adopting inclusive research values and practices can lead to improved understandings of complex social-ecological challenges and identify more effective strategies for preserving and restoring sustainable relationships among people, nature, and place.  Learn about Wendy's recent research on orangutans

     

  • Friday
    Friday (Both Weeks)

    9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Class in Session: See your Course Schedule for variations in timing, locations, and field trip details

    4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Social Lounge open with refreshments and munchies, RBG Hall

    Week Two new addition:
    4:00 - 5:00 p.m. Frank Lloyd Wright Presentation, RBG Social Lounge by Kim Bixler '91

    • Kim Bixler ’91 is the author of Growing Up in a Frank Lloyd Wright House and can be seen in the PBS documentary Frank Lloyd Wright’s Boynton House: The Next Hundred Years. Kim Bixler’s family owned Wright’s prairie-style Edward E. Boynton house (1908) from 1977 to 1994. She started giving tours when she was eight years old – sharing Wright’s architectural design details, revealing her favorite hiding spots and dodging the habitually leaky roof. A graduate of Cornell University and NYU, Bixler has traveled the country giving lectures at numerous Wright sites including Taliesin West, Unity Temple, the Darwin Martin House, Wright’s Mason City Iowa sites, the Marin County Civic Center and the Hollyhock House.

    Both Weeks:
    5:30 - 6:30 Reception, Moakley House, Robert Trent Jones Golf Course

    6:30 - 8:30 Farewell Banquet, Moakley House, Robert Trent Jones Golf Course

      The Week One Banquet will be extra special as we recognize five members of the CAU Advisory Board who have recently completed their terms! Join us as we celebrate Elisabeth Boas '71, Carole Leister '84, David Levine '78, Nancy Sverdlik '79, and Donna Tobin '82. 

    8:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. Social Lounge open with refreshments and munchies, RBG Hall

    9:00 p.m. Optional/on your own Stargazing at Fuertes Observatory

    • The observatory is right across the street from Appel Parking Lot
  • Saturday
    Saturday (Both Weeks)

    8:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Assistance with luggage will be available to those in need.

    10:00 a.m. CAU Summer concludes. Check-out time for residents of Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hall.

Logistics

  • Required Liability Waiver, Week One

     Read, print, sign in advance, and bring along to check-in.
    Copies will also be available at check-in.

  • Required Liability Waiver, Week Two

    Read, print, sign in advance, and bring along to check-in.
    Copies will also be available at check-in.

  • Miscellaneous

      Laundry + linens: For RBG residents, the housing staff on campus furnishes linens and towels weekly. Self-service laundry facilities are available in Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hall.

      Mail: Unfortunately, RBG Hall cannot accept mail during the summer. DO NOT have mail or packages sent to the RBG residence hall. Please contact cauinfo@cornell.edu to arrange for mail delivery if necessary.

      Pets: Cornell University housing regulations do not allow pets in any residence unless they are registered Emotional Support Animals or registered Service Animals.

  • Recreation & Resources

      Cornell offers a free daily fitness pass to use the on-campus recreational facilities. This pass includes access to fitness centers, the pool, and gymnasiums at Helen Newman Hall and Noyes Fitness Center. To request a daily pass, please see the CAU Hospitality Desk. Users will need to carry their fitness pass and a photo ID to access a fitness facility.

  • CAU Social Lounge

      The CAU Social Lounge will be located on the first floor of RBG in rooms 125/127.
    Soft drinks, wine, beer, mocktails (non-alcoholic beverages), and light snacks will be available each day after class, starting at 4:00 p.m., and again after dinner until 10:00 p.m.

    Adults only in this lounge, please.

Parking and Getting Around

  • Parking on campus

    CAU provides parking passes for North Campus, where CAU has its headquarters, dormitory, and social lounge. Many classes are held on Central Campus. Gauging the distance in advance will ensure getting to class on time is an enjoyable experience.

    Parking on Sunday/Check-in Day: The Appel parking lot is the designated move-in lot only. Parking is free on Sundays though so you will not be issued a ticket upon arrival on Sunday afternoon or evening at check-in if you do not have a permit.

    Parking Monday - Friday: Parking lot A is the designated parking lot for CAU participants. One entrance to Parking Lot A is located off Pleasant Grove Road, across from the Robert Trent Jones golf course. The other entrance is located off Jessup Road across from Toni Morrison Hall, turning south on Northcross Road.

    Park Mobile: You can drive your vehicle to class and pay to park at various Park Mobile locations around campus. Check out the Park Mobile Campus Map for locations where you can use the app.

  • Getting Around Campus, Disability/Accessibility

    Do you need an accessible parking space on Central Campus? Please contact

    • Cornell Transportation
      Phone: 607-255-4600
      Email: transportation@cornell.edu

    Cornell University is committed to providing universal access to all university programs. Contact cauinfo@cornell.edu to request any needed disability accommodations. Advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility needs.

      Do you need a ride to class?

    Please schedule rides to class using Ithaca’s reliable local providers. You can schedule rides online with both of these providers. (Red Runner is no longer an available option.)

  • TCAT Bus

    You will receive a free TCAT bus pass. Check out the bus schedule and routes.

Health Services + Emergencies

  • Health Services
    Emergency medical care is available at the Cayuga Medical Center (607-274-4011) on Route 96 and at its Convenient Care (607-274-4150) extension at 10 Arrowwood Drive off Warren Road. Convenient Care is open 7:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. daily. Registrants are responsible for their own emergency, surgical, medical, and hospital care fees.

    Emergencies
    In the case of a true emergency, you can reach the campus police at 607-255-1111 or dial 911. Be sure to tell them where you are staying or located at the time of the emergency.

Eating on Campus

  • Cornell Dining

    For meals on your own, check out this list of on-campus eateries. You can sort the list by checking the boxes "open today" and "nearest first." You can pay by credit card at all Cornell eateries.

  • Community Meals + On Your Own Meals

    Your program/course fee includes 3 community dinners/events (Sunday, Tuesday, Friday) + daily coffee breaks and happy hours.

    All other meals are on your own. (The optional CAU section of Toni Morrison Dining Hall is a great place to gather for meals on your own.)

    This ensures you have maximum freedom to experience Cornell's vast selection of on campus eateries (pay by credit card as you go) and to try Ithaca's fun and delicious options, too!

    NOTE: If you are in the Wine & Food Pairing course, you will have one additional included dinner.

  • CAU Reserved Section at Toni Morrison Dining

    As always, there will be an optional CAU Summer seating section reserved in Toni Morrison Dining Hall. This is a great place to meet others in the program and to chance upon faculty guests who will be popping in occasionally throughout your week.

Your Experience and Cornell's Sustainability Mission

  • CAU Summer 2024 is a Platinum Level Sustainable Event

    Platinum Sustainability Certification Badge

  • Sustainability at Cornell

    Sustainability at CAU Summer

    Here's what you can count on:

    Recycling and composting: there will be clearly marked bins in the CAU Social Lounge

    Water filling stations + reusable bottles (Bottled water will not be provided.)

    Digital/online materials (Print outs will not be provided except for the required weekly waiver.)

    Re-usable dishware at Community Dinners and in the CAU Social Lounge

  • Water

    Use the Cornell Campus Sustainability Map to locate the water bottle filling station nearest you.

    Bottled water will not be provided. 

    Be sure to pack your favorite reusable bottles and coffee cups!

    You can use the kitchen in the CAU Social Lounge in RBG Hall to wash your reusable bottles and cups.

  • Travel with Cornell
    Paper

      Everything you need can be found online.

      You may choose to print information prior to arrival for your personal use.

      Unfortunately, CAU is unable to print for you once you arrive.

      There will also be a digital screen displaying each day's optional activities in the CAU Social Lounge in RBG Hall.

  • Travel with Cornell
    Coffee/Tea

    Coffee and tea are always available in the CAU Social Lounge at RBG Hall. Be sure to pack your reusable coffee mug to make it easy to bring take your hot beverage of choice to class. Some classes will have provided coffee breaks. Take your reusable mug to class so that you can easily enjoy these offerings.

  • Course Roster

    Refer back to the CAU Summer 2024 Course Roster to get excited about what you want to take at CAU Summer 2025.

Learn More About CAU Study Tours

  • Learn more about traveling with Cornell faculty

    From a Broadway-filled weekend in NYC, to an Antarctica cruise with Cornell scientists, CAU keeps learning with you. In addition to CAU Summer, CAU offers domestic and international study tours and subject-specific seminars.

Contact Us

  • CAU Summer 2023

    Cornell’s Adult University
    Cornell University Alumni Affairs and Development
    607-255-6260
    cauinfo@cornell.edu