2007 CUHWC Cornell Tours
We've listed below some tours for the more serious minded. These tours offer a variety of glimpses inside the world-class research and facilities of Cornell University. For more information on fun activities for you and your families while you enjoy the Fingerlakes Region visit the Social Events page.
As an aside we would like to mention that there will be a trolley bus running for your convenience on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday eveinings, from 8PM to 2AM. A schedule will be posted, and will include two loops to accomodate your evening travel between hotel and hot-spot.
Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source - Jeff Leavey
Tour Wilson Laboratory, the home of the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source. It is one of ten major accelerator facilities in the world involved in the study of subatomic particles. The lab is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and comprises several operational units: the Cornell Electron Storage Ring (CESR); the detector (CLEO); and the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS). The x-rays produced at CESR allow scientists to probe the structure of matter at atomic and molecular levels.
Tuesday, August 14th, 90 minutes
11:45 pm-1:15 pm
30 people max
Tour capacity: 30
Box lunches provided
Cornell Nanoscale Facility (NSF) Clean Room
Duffield Hall, is one of the country's most sophisticated research and teaching facilities for nanoscale science and engineering. It supports research and instruction in electronic and photonic devices, microelectromechanical devices, advanced materials processing, and biotechnology devices. The facility allows the university to bring together many of the various nanotechnology and materials-development groups that previously did their work independently in various parts of the campus. Duffield Hall includes a large atrium that provides a space where faculty and students can interact in a relaxed, attractive environment, particularly during the winter months.
The facility also provides a new home to the Cornell Nanoscale Science and Technology Facility (CNF) in Knight Laboratory, as well as Cornell's Nanobiotechnology Center and portions of the Cornell Center for Materials Research.
Other aspects include research centers, multidisciplinary faculty and graduate student labs, the clean-room, instructional labs, offices and public areas. Tour aspects will include: building features that support the special materials and equipment that are used in nanotechnology fabrication and research and the unique features that promotes an open collaborative atmosphere while maintaining the necessary controls for areas where hazards exist. This includes special hazardous material storage areas and pathways. We will see several types of engineered safety and environmental controls as well as special implementations to minimize energy use.
Monday, August 13th
12:00 pm-12:45 pm
Tour capacity: 30
Tuesday, August 14th
12:45 pm-1:30 pm
Tour capacity: 30
Radioactive Waste Storage Area Tour - Bill Leonard This tour will guide you through Cornell's 2908 square foot radioactive waste storage building. The building is the center for all radioactive waste decay and disposal for the Cornell campus. We will discuss the processes involved with waste removal and packaging, as well as the operations of our off-site waste shipments. It will also cover building design including burmed floors and 3-1000 gallon storage tanks. The tour will be given by the hands-on operators of the radioactive waste program and open to all discussions regarding radioactive waste.
Monday, August 13th
12:00 noon-12:45 pm
Tour capacity: 15
Tuesday, August 14th
12:45 pm-1:30 pm
Tour capacity: 15
Cornell University Environmental Health & Safety 90-Day Waste Disposal Storage Facility - Ed Kowalski
This tour will introduce participants to the basic layout of the facility, including air handling, fire alarm, sprinkler, security systems and will familiarize participants with the storage of waste handling equipment including drums, pails, waste packing media and storage of waste chemicals in bins utilizing DOT shipping. Problematic wastes, such as dry picric acids, dinitrophenyl hydrazines and peroxide forming compounds will be discussed as well as bulking for compatible wastes. Tour will conclude with a demonstration of State vehicle 2421, emergency response / chemical waste hauling vehicle and the types of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) utilized on hazardous materials response calls.
Monday, August 13th
11:45am-12:15 pm
Tour capacity: 15
Tuesday, August 14th
12:45pm- 1:15 pm
Tour capacity: 15
Cornell Plantations - Brenda Coolbaugh
The Cornell Plantations, a museum of living plants, is set in 200 park-like acres adjacent to Cornell's central campus. The botanical garden features herbs, cutting flowers, garden perennials, heritage and modern vegetables, international crops and weeds, rock garden plants, peonies, flowering ground covers, rhododendrons and companion plants, and plants native to the Cayuga Lake Basin. The F.R. Newman Arboretum specializes in trees and shrubs native to New York State. Campus gardens exhibit azaleas, unusual plants for horticultural study, poisonous plants, and orchids. The Plantations also manages nearly 2,000 acres of land in and around Tompkins County as nature preserves that provide quality examples of native vegetation and protect rare species and communities.
Monday, August 13th
12:00 noon-1:30 pm
Tour capacity: 30
Tuesday, August 14th
12:00 noon-1:30 pm
Tour capacity: 30
Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates -
The Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates (CUMV) is an internationally recognized institution dedicated to the study of vertebrates (fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals). It is one of several natural history collections affiliated with Cornell University. The CUMV collections contain over 1.5 million specimens and serve as the primary repositories for vertebrates collected by past and present Cornellians doing research around the world.
Tuesday, August 14th
3:30-4:30 pm
Tour capacity: 15
Lab of Ornithology: Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds, Observatory, Bio Acoustics Research Project and the Genetics Facility - Dustin O'Hara
The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology is an archive dedicated to the collection, preservation, and distribution of natural sound recordings and corresponding documentation. It is committed to providing information, support, and training in the specialized techniques of natural sound recording. The Library of Natural Sounds contains 130,000 recordings covering over 5,600 species of birds as well as a representative sample of insects, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals.
Monday, August 13th
12:00 noon-1:30 pm
Tour capacity: 15
Johnson Art Museum
The Johnson Museum has one of the finest collections of art in New York State and is recognized as one of the most important university museums in the country. Spanning the history of art, the Museum's collections are especially strong in Asian art, nineteenth and twentieth-century American art, and the graphic arts.
Tuesday, August 14th
12:00 noon-1:30 pm
Tour capacity: 30
Spacecraft Planetary Imaging Facility (SPIF)
The Spacecraft Planetary Imaging Facility (SPIF) is sponsored jointly by NASA's Planetary Geology and Geophysics Program and Cornell University. SPIF is one member of the international system of Regional Planetary Image Facilities (RPIFs) which function as libraries for planetary image data and maintain ancillary and associated information about the data, including geologic maps and mission documentation.
Mars Rover Presentation - Greg Smith
Monday, August 13th
11:45am-12:15 pm
Tour capacity: 25
Solar System Presentation
Tuesday, August 14th
12:45pm- 1:15 pm
Tour capacity: 25