Standing Committee Nominations

I use comparative anatomical and paleontological approaches to explore vertebrate evolution. I graduated from Cornell in 1976 and completed my MS and PhD at Michigan and Berkeley, respectively. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Chicago, I joined the biology faculty at UMass Amherst, where I taught many courses and lead the development of a new graduate program in organismal biology. In 2005, I came to Cornell to serve as director of the Shoals Marine Lab; for the last ten years, I have been a regular member of the faculty in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. I teach courses in vertebrate biology, ichthyology, digital morphology, and vertebrate paleontology. My current research focuses on the anatomy of fossil and living fishes, although I have studied other groups of vertebrates and coauthored two textbooks on vertebrate anatomy and biology. I am faculty curator of ichthyology in the Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates and have close ties to the Museum of the Earth, where we teach vertebrate paleontology. As an entering member of the CALS Nominating Committee, I look forward to learning more about CALS faculty and helping to engage members in service to the college. 

• Willy Bemis's Bio

I would be happy to help with the nominations committee.  I have been serving as an active emeritus professor of Plant Breeding & Genetics since August of 2022.  I have had fairly broad exposure to the College over the past 40 years or so.  Previous positions include International Professor of Plant Breeding & Genetics (1981-2022); Director of International Programs in CALS (2001-2022); Associate Dean for Research in CALS, and Director, Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station (1993-2001); Chair of the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics (1987-1993 and 2001-2006).

• Ronnie Coffman's Bio

I joined Cornell 10 years ago, with a research and teaching appointment.  Working in the food science department means I am exposed to basic and applied work, to research, teaching and extension, and to an active faculty including emeriti and RTE colleagues.  My own research spans basic biology and applied, agriculturally focused work on the sensory properties of food, and uses both human subjects and animal models to understand food perception.  I am the former chair of the Mann Library Committee, a current Faculty Senator, and would be delighted to represent our diverse and committed faculty on the nominating committee, maintaining Cornell’s role as a leader in higher education, and a place that students remain proud to list as their alma mater.

• Robin Dando's Bio

• Sara Pryor's Bio

I have joined Cornell in August 2015 and currently I am an associate professor at the department of food science. My area of research spans food chemistry and ingredient technology and using microfluidics as a platform to solve problems in life sciences. Over the past 8 years we have developed and cultivated relationships with stakeholders and industries to understand their needs and find solutions through fundamental and applied research in the lab. I also had the pleasure of representing CALS at the Pollution Prevention Institute (P2I) in Rochester Institute of Technology for 3 years. I am glad and honored to serve as CFEC member, represent our diverse faculty, listen, and learn from other colleagues and contribute to address our shared challenges.

• Alireza Abbaspourrad's Bio

• Taryn Bauerle's Bio

Alejandra Gandolfo Nixon (SIPS)

I have been at Cornell-CALS for almost 30 years and have served as a member of several committees, including the Plant Sciences and Biology Curriculum Committees. I strongly believe that students' academic achievements should be evaluated on a case by case basis when there are circumstances present that significantly affect their studies and thus recognize the critical work that the Academic Achievement and Petitions Committee does. As a teacher, the wellbeing of my students is one of my highest priorities, all while maintaining the excellence of our program and emphasizing academic rigor. It is an honor to be nominated for the Academic Achievement and Petitions Committee, and I would be very happy to serve if elected.

• Alejandra Gandolfo Nixon's Bio

I am a lecturer of Management Communication at Dyson and am honored to be nominated to serve on the Academic Achievement and Petitions Committee. I have been fortunate to serve in many “student-facing” capacities during my time at Cornell, including as a Dyson Faculty Fellow for Inclusive Excellence for the past two years and as a faculty advisor for two student clubs. Equipping students for success has always been my guiding principle as a professor and I welcome the opportunity to serve on a committee that not only reflects that principle but incorporates service and collaboration across CALS.

• James Stapp's Bio

I am a hydrologist working in Africa on integrated watershed development with graduate students at the University of Bahir Dar in Ethiopia and investigating groundwater contamination in New York. I joined the Cornell faculty some time ago and have benefited from working with students and faculty during the last forty years. I have appreciated the freedom at Cornell to pursue research interests internationally and in the US and to teach courses that connect the theoretical aspects of water movement and transport of agrichemicals to our daily life experiences. If elected, I would enjoy closing out my career at Cornell by contributing to the Academic Achievement and Petitions Committee by finding solutions for the many students that have difficulty fulfilling the CALS requirements while maintaining the rigor that a Cornell degree stands for.

• Tammo Steenhuis's Bio

I joined the Department of Global Development in 2022 as a senior research associate and lecturer. I am teaching undergraduate and graduate courses on the social and economic implications of development with a specific focus on emerging powers and their contradictory activities and impacts in the so-called “Global South.” I also teach qualitative methods courses in which students develop their own individual qualitative projects and practice research and writing skills. I look forward to learning more about the policies and resources about academic integrity at Cornell through this position, and serving the Board to foster a more equitable and respectful teaching and learning environment for faculty and students.

• Ding Fei's Bio

I have been a faculty member in the Department of Food Science at Cornell for 26 years, with a research and teaching appointment. Since 1997, I have served as a member of many different committees at the College and University levels, respectively. I recognize the importance and value of the Academic Achievement and Petitions Committee and take its calling and commitment seriously. I am devoted to the wellbeing of our students, as well as to upholding the high level of academic rigor and excellence that is the hallmark of Cornell University. It is my honor to be nominated to run for Academic Achievement and Petitions Committee.  I will be happy to serve and contribute constructively if elected.

• Rui Hai Liu's Bio

Angela Poole (DNS)

I am an assistant professor in the Division of Nutritional Sciences. My lab does research in the field of precision nutrition, and I teach a course on diet and the microbiome. I want to serve on this board because I am interested in learning about the procedures used to handle these cases and contributing a new perspective. In addition, I am curious to see the impact of the recent emergence of ChatGPT.

• Angela Poole's Bio

I am a Stephen H. Weiss Provost Teaching Fellow in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. My research centers on the use of orbiting satellites to study how variability in ocean dynamics impacts marine ecosystems at ocean basin and global scales.  I teach an introductory oceanography class with an enrollment of more than 1000 students, and a couple of upper-level oceanography classes that have an enrolment between 10 and 25 students.  I am running for one of the open seats on the CALS Support of Teaching and Learning Committee because I feel that I have a lot of insight to offer the committee about the challenges of teaching large classes. I think I can also offer insight into teaching scientific concepts to non-science majors. And I can offer my thoughts about inspiring students by asking them to take what they have learned in class and use it to make a better world.  Just as importantly, I think I will gain a lot of new insights from my discussion with others on the committee that I can then use in my own classes.

• Bruce Monger's Bio

I joined Cornell in 2021, as a Professor of Practice and executive director for the student multidisciplinary applied research teams (SMART) program. I am extremely impressed by the deep hunger and academic rigor our students crave and can think of no greater honor than having the opportunity to serve in a capacity that contributes towards their development. I am currently serving on the Dyson Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, as well as the Business School’s Engaged College Advisory Council - both roles that would be complementary to the CALS teaching and learning committee. I am excited to have earned this nomination and look forward to the opportunity to serve in a capacity I am most excited about.  

• Fridah Mubichi-Kut's Bio

I am an Associate Professor of Horticulture in the School of Integrative Plant Science. My teaching responsibilities include an introductory-level course on hard cider that enrolls over 100 students in the spring semester, a mid-level course on orchard management, and an upper-division/graduate course on perennial fruit crop physiology. I advise students from the Plant Science and Ag Science majors and support the Plant Science major by coordinating a peer-mentoring program and serving on the curriculum committee. I strongly believe that learning is best accomplished when theory is put into practice. During the summer, I am the faculty director for the Cornell Orchards Internship, which provides undergraduate students hands-on experience with field research and fruit production. Currently, I support undergraduate research through an Einhorn Center for Community Engagement grant. Additionally, my teaching activities include graduate student and post-doc training. In 2018, I was awarded the “Teaching, Advising, & Mentoring Award” by the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly. I want to join the CALS Support of Teaching and Learning Committee to share both my passion for teaching and my experience in using active learning and student engagement with fellow colleagues throughout the College.

• Greg Peck's Bio

Through both my position as a lecturer in Microbiology and student advisor, I have observed many successes and challenges faced by students and faculty alike. As a member of the support of teaching and learning committee, I will work hard to advance policies that address these challenges most effectively.

I look forward to learning from the other committee members and contributing my ideas and perspective in support of our educators and students. 

• Brian Wendel's Bio

No open seats for 2023

No open seats for 2023

I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology with broad interests in applied microbiology. I am a firm believer in shared governance. I have previously served in Cornell's Faculty Senate as both a senator and member of the University Faculty Committee (the senate's executive committee).  I have previously served as CALS' representative (both alternate and senator) to the SUNY Faculty Senate and would be happy to do so again. I think the connection to SUNY is an important one that is not always obvious at Cornell's contract colleges (CALS, ILR, HumEc, and Vet). If elected I look forward to working with the CALS executive committee, and other Cornell Senators to ensure that the voices of CALS and Cornell faculty are heard at the SUNY system level.  

• Anthony Hay's Bio

David Brown (GDEV)

After serving on the CALS faculty for 30 years, I am currently International Professor of Development Sociology, emeritus in the Department of Global Development. My research and teaching focused on social demography with a particular focus on the interrelationships between population dynamics and local social and economic structure. I am author of over 60 refereed articles, and author or editor of 12 books. I maintain an active research program. The University Appeals Panel Committee considers appeals of negative decisions on faculty regarding appointments and promotions. This critical committee helps to insure that all candidates receive due process. I am well suited for this assignment in that I served as department chair twice, associate director for research in CALS, and on the University Tenure and Promotion

• David Brown's Bio

I received my B.S degree in Chemistry from Fairfield University, and my Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Brandeis University. My postdoctoral work at Stanford University focused on molecular genetics and was supported by a Helen Hay Whitney Foundation Fellowship. I joined the faculty at Cornell in 1978 and served as Chairman of the Section of Biochemistry, Molecular & Cell Biology in the 1990s. I am now the Barbara McClintock Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and National Academy of Sciences. My group develops new approaches to study the molecular mechanisms of transcription regulation, and we use these newly developed and existing technologies in both focused studies of highly-regulated genes and in comprehensive analyses of gene regulation of Drosophila and human genomes. I would be honored to exercise my responsibility to the university as a senior faculty member to resolve appeal cases in a rigorous but fair manner if chosen for this committee.

• John Lis's Bio

Gerry Rehkugler (BEE)

It has been my pleasure to be associated with Cornell since 1953 when I entered as a transfer student from Syracuse University.  I progressed from an undergraduate to graduate student to faculty member and to my present status as professor emeritus.   Although I have been retired since 1996 I have maintained a close relationship with the university.  Only during the recent Covid epidemic did I cease advising students.  During my tenure at Cornell I had administrative duties including a time as Department chair and a stint as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs in the College of Engineering.  I have encountered many issues involving tenure as well as other elements of selecting and advancing faculty.  I would hope I could bring valuable institutional background to items that may appear before the University Appeals Committee.  It would be a privilege to serve.  

• Gerry Rehkugler's Bio

• Janice Thies's Bio

• Maren Vitousek's Bio