Briefs: News around Cornell, new bakery, art show

Veterans succeed at Cornell academic prep camp

Sixteen military veterans participated in the virtual academic boot camp at Cornell University from July 26 to Aug. 6. The university partnered with the Warrior-Scholar Project for the seventh consecutive year to help recent or soon-to-be military veterans transition into higher education. Since 2015 when the partnership began, 95 veterans have attended the Cornell academic boot camp. As in years past, the veterans were immersed in academic exploration, critical thinking and writing workshops that focused on the humanities. This summer, a second week was added to focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). In the first cohort of STEM projects, the students demonstrated exoplanet movement and presented the science to an audience — in just a week’s time. David Kelly, Mackenzie Williams (Marines), Corey Ford (Marines) and Ken Bingham (Navy) showed light curves and validated the complex nature of four exoplanets, much like astronomy professionals do at conferences. Scott Clemens (Navy, pictured), Dakota Betts (Marines), Dick Cochea (Army) and Frank Torres (Marines) presented on numerical simulation data sets. Clemens, who served seven years as a Navy diver at the Undersea Rescue Command in San Diego and the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, examined launch-angle data sets created by his kitten Micki — a 4-month-old Cornish Rex — who leaps onto kitchen counters. At the end of two weeks, the group met at a virtual reception and the Cornell and Warrior-Scholar Project partnership graduated the students.

 

New Cornell sugarhouse sweetens state’s maple industry

The Cornell Maple Program has opened an advanced, New York state-funded maple research laboratory, an upgrade that will enable research on how to produce the highest-quality syrup, develop new maple products and improve existing ones — all at commercial scales. The research, educational materials and expertise that the facility will generate will inform New York state maple producers and help ensure that the industry continues to grow. The U.S. Department of Agriculture valued the state’s 2020 syrup sales at $30 million. On July 29, a ribbon-cutting ceremony commemorated the opening of the new facility at the Arnot Teaching and Research Forest in Van Etten, New York. “This state-of-the-art facility positions New York’s already thriving maple industry for new successes and that’s a win for maple researchers, producers and consumers alike,” said Benjamin Houlton, the Ronald P. Lynch dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Houlton attended the ceremony along with Richard Ball, commissioner at NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets, and Lupardo, New York State Assembly member (D-123rd Dist.). Pictured (from left to right): Aaron Wightman, Cornell Maple Program co-director; Tony van Glad, NY Maple Producers Association board president; Ball; Houlton; Helen Thomas, NY Maple Producers Association executive director; Kevin King, NY Department of Agriculture and Markets deputy commissioner; and Adam Wild, Henry Uihlien II and Mildred A. Uihlein director of the Uihlein Maple Research Forest.

 

Ithaca welcomes new bakery to downtown

The City of Ithaca and Downtown Ithaca Alliance (DIA) representatives hosted a welcoming ceremony at 11:30 a.m. Aug. 9 to celebrate Rashida Sawyer Bakery’s grand opening of its first storefront at 110 W. Green St. in downtown Ithaca. Rashida Sawyer Bakery is known locally for its selection of delicious, homemade cheesecakes. The bakery’s signature sweet dessert was a huge hit when it was featured during Bite of Ithaca in 2019. Now that it has its storefront, it plans to expand its offerings to include more cheesecake varieties, homemade artisan bread, cupcakes, pound cakes, layer, sheet and wedding cakes, gluten-free blackout bars and other gourmet baked goods. Executive Chef Loraine Rashida Sawyer is the local legend behind crafting cakes partly from the skills she obtained from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, her Southern soul-food upbringing and just plain old meticulous tinkering. For years, she made cakes for local caterers, restaurants and a Ben & Jerry’s storefront formerly on Cayuga Street in Ithaca. She and her husband, Csiko Sawyer, also operated a booth at the Ithaca Farmers Market under the name “Rashida’s Deluxe Baked Goods.” Some time ago, Rashida stepped away from the baking business to raise her children, but she never stopped her passion for developing and improving time-tested recipes. In 2018, her oldest son, Kibwe (KC) Sawyer, revisited the idea of starting a small bakery with Rashida’s recipes at the core. Teaming with his wife, Shaina Sawyer, and his cousin Jennifer Phelps and her husband Jon, his father, Csiko Sawyer, and of course, the legend herself, Loraine Rashida Sawyer, the family moved forward with the launch of “Rashida Sawyer.” DIA Executive Director Gary Ferguson said, “We’ve had Rashida Sawyer Bakery in our sights for a while. We’re thrilled it now has its brick-and-mortar location in our community where everyone can enjoy its fresh-baked treats.” Rashida Sawyer Bakery is currently open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, visit rashidasawyer.com/shop.

 

Cornell professor gets new kidney from his colleague

On June 29, after approximately five years of waiting and of fading hopes, long-time ILR School professor Ron Ehrenberg (right) received a kidney transplant. Wonderful news, yes, but that’s only half the story. The kidney came not from a stranger but from his friend and colleague at the ILR School, associate professor Adam Seth Litwin (left), who spent more than two years secretly improving his health so he could make the donation that changed Ehrenberg’s life. “In my mind,” Litwin said, “Ron personifies the best of the ILR School and of the university. I would give my heart to this enterprise if I could, so this is about as close as I could get.” Two years earlier, Litwin found out that he was a match and could conceivably donate a kidney to his colleague, mentor and friend. But he wanted to improve his overall health before committing to the donation, so he kept his plan a secret. “Ron knew nothing about this, absolutely nothing,” Litwin said. “I didn’t want to disappoint him if it didn’t work out. And, I needed to make sure that even if I were medically cleared, my family was onboard, too. ” On April 20 — coincidentally, Ehrenberg’s 75th birthday —­ Litwin was given the OK to become a donor. Shortly thereafter, Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York, called Ehrenberg to tell him they’d found a living donor. “We got the call saying they had a live donor, and we’re scheduling [transplant surgery] for June,” Ehrenberg said. “And my wife and I basically broke down in tears. We’d been waiting so long.” For more information, visit tinyurl.com/yg6tqmq5.

 

Community Arts Partnership holds Ithaca Artist Market

On Aug. 13, from noon to 7:30 p.m., the annual Ithaca Artist Market, a program of the Community Arts Partnership and the Ithaca Farmers Market, filled all 88 booths at the Farmers Market with a juried show and sale of work by local and regional fine and functional artists (and two authors). Over 75 artists sold paintings, prints, sculpture, collage, photographs, jewelry, fine furniture, paper cuttings, ceramics, fiber art, altered books, shadow boxes, woodcarvings, letterpress, blown glass and more. Visitors also had the unique opportunity to meet and talk with all of the artists in one place. In addition to the artists, local organizations showcased their missions and upcoming events, performing arts organizations and artists performed on the hour, Discover Cayuga Lake ran boat tours at the dock, and there were plenty of food, wine and beer vendors. The East Hill Jazz Group played throughout the day. “We are so happy to be able to see a return of the Artist Market [after having to cancel 2020’s event due to the pandemic]. The artists are so excited to be able to come together once again to show visitors what they’ve been working on this past year,” said Robin Schwartz, program and grant director of the Community Arts Partnership. “I am constantly blown away by the quality and variety of work by the exceptionally talented artists in our area.” The Market is held rain or shine. Find the Farmers Market off Route 13 at Third Street (turn at the corner of Aldi and B&W Supply). If using GPS, it is 545 Third St., Ithaca, NY 14850. Visit the Community Arts Partnership’s website at ArtsPartner.org for more information. In this photo: Angela Niforatos (left) talks with a customer at her booth, Achille’s Wheel Studio, at the Ithaca Artist Market.