CIT News

Oberlin adopts open access for faculty research

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:13:30 +0000

Faculty members at Oberlin College voted last week to create an online and free archive to which they will add all work they publish in peer reviewed journals.

Division of Financial Affairs web sites built in partnership with CIT

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:47:41 +0000

The Division of Financial Affairs and CIT's Integrated Web Services worked with a high level of collaboration to renew DFA's enormous web presence at a reasonable cost.

Business Software, Built by Colleges for Colleges, Challenges Commercial Giants

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:48:58 +0000

Though many are wary, the Kuali Foundation's free program for finance has been adopted by a few institutions

Fans and fears of 'lecture capture'

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:34:47 +0000

If professors record their lectures and put them online, will students still come to class? Or, does students’ likelihood of skipping class have no correlation with whether a professor decides to capture her lecture and post it the Web.

Bookless libraries?

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:31:10 +0000

What started as a debate over whether brick-and-mortar libraries would survive much further into the 21st century turned into an existential discussion on the definition of libraries at the 2009 Educause Conference.

Second Life duty now required for Penn State's online advisers

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:28:00 +0000

Academic advisers at the Pennsylvania State University’s online campus are now required to be available for meetings with students in the virtual world every week.

Tweeting in class

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:51:26 +0000

Microblogging in the classroom discussed at EDUCAUSE.

Hope or Hype on the Cloud

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:59:08 +0000

EDUCAUSE debates merits of cloud computing.

Texting while driving ban in New York started Sunday

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:34:57 +0000

On Sunday, November 1, New York became the 14th state to enforce a ban on texting while driving. A driver text messaging is 23 times more likely to get in a crash than a non-distracted driver.

Crash, bang, rumble! Bringing noise to virtual worlds

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:36:08 +0000

Cornell computer scientists have developed a practical method to synthesize the crashing and rumbling sounds of cymbals, falling garbage cans and lids, and plastic water-cooler bottles and recycling bins.

Cornell's VIVO concept will expand to connect researchers nationwide

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:31:04 +0000

Want to know who's doing what, where and how in some particular field of scientific research at Cornell? You'll probably find the answers in Cornell Library's VIVO at

Cornell and partners receive stimulus funds from NIH for 'Facebook for scientists'

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:36:36 +0000

Several universities, including Cornell University and the University of Florida, will develop a network over the next two years in the hopes of helping scientists find other academics to work with.

EDUCAUSE Cites Collaborative Annotation Software Used at Cornell

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:18:18 +0000

Cornell’s Faculty Innovation in Teaching Program is experimenting with A.nnotate as a way for students to add comments to and provide feedback on collaborative writing projects

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:29:05 +0000

As part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, Cornell welcomes other universities to use Cornell's computer security book as a resource for the development of campus awareness and educational materials.

Cornell Library forges landmark collaboration with Columbia's library

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:34:41 +0000

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded the libraries of Cornell and Columbia Universities $385,000 to explore collaboration opportunities.

Computer Security Alert: Email phish scams Cornellians

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:29:51 +0000

An email scam linking to a replica of the official Cornell CUWebLogin page is tricking unsuspecting Cornellians into giving away their Net-ID and password.

Why the FTC's new rules for bloggers could hurt publishers, too

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:04:59 +0000

At least one university press--Duke's--does not like the Federal Trade Commission's new guidelines governing "endorsements and testimonials."

ProfHacker Blog Highlights Interest in Teaching With Technology

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:23:48 +0000

Two English professors have created a new blog targeted at faculty that looks at the intersection of productivity, technology, and pedagogy in higher education.

College Bookstores Hope to Turn Their Web Sites Into E-Book Portals

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:38:28 +0000

The stores hope to stay relevant as publishers make a push to electronic textbooks.

Florida Lightens the Financial (and Physical) Burden of Textbooks

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:51:10 +0000

In an effort to bring down the cost of learning materials, a new project will allow Florida college students to get digital versions of some of their textbooks free, The St. Petersberg Times reported on Thursday.

Chronicle: Improved Wi-Fi and cellular signal on North Campus

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:54:17 +0000

The Cornell Chronicle summarizes the EzraNet Project's achievement of Wi-Fi signal throughout the North Campus Residence Halls, and also covers the addition of AT&T cellular antennas on Bradfield and Mary Donlon Halls.

CIT working on Microsoft student email option

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:44:01 +0000

Five months after the University converted more than 15,000 users to Cmail, a Google-based email system, CIT is working on a Microsoft-based equivalent, Umail. With an anticipated 2010 rollout, Umail would add another option for Cornell students.

Where is NEH Money Going? New Web Site Has Answers

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:30:18 +0000

The National Endowment for the Humanities is going semi-transparent with its grants. Its new website allows people to search for recipients of NEH money by name, by field of inquiry, by date of award, or by institution.

New telecommuting guides describe "work-from-home" technologies

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:59:42 +0000

CIT has introduced a set of telecommuting guides for faculty, staff, IT professionals and Cornell leaders. Learn about ways you can use technology to be productive when you are away from your campus office.

Grants fund open-access journal publication

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:08:12 +0000

A new program seeks to give Cornell faculty, researchers, staff and students access to publish in scholarly online journals

Reminder to update emergency contact info

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:57:24 +0000

With a test of Cornell's emergency mass notification system planned for early October, the Office of Emergency Planning and Recovery is urging students, faculty and staff to register or update their emergency contact information.

Five major research univities endorse open-access journals

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:05:13 +0000

In an effort to support alternatives to traditional scholarly publishing, five major research universities, including Cornell, announced an agreement to the timely establishment of mechanisms for providing financial support for free open-access journals.

Improved cell phone coverage on campus

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:59:26 +0000

Two new AT&T cell sites have been installed on campus to improve 3G wireless coverage.

Student uses iPhone to help police catch robbers

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:23:31 +0000

An iPhone, Skype, and Google street view were all it took for one lucky Carnegie Mellon student to catch a group of armed robbers.

Security of .edu Internet domain to increase

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:44:12 +0000

On Sept. 3 EDUCAUSE and VeriSign announced the initiation of a project to enhance Internet reliability and stability by the end of March 2010.

N.Y. State bans driving under the influence of technology

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:19:45 +0000

Starting November 1 texting while driving will be illegal in New York State.

Browser compatibility guide for administrative applications available

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:50:02 +0000

University staff can use this guide to get an at-a-glance overview of which browsers work with which Cornell administrative applications.

José Martínez and Kevin Tang receive IBM Faculty Awards

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:57:16 +0000

José Martínez and Kevin Tang, both Cornell electrical and computer engineering faculty members, have each received a 2009 IBM Faculty Award, announced earlier this month.

New blog options for the Cornell community

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:58:20 +0000

A central blog service for campus, provided by CIT Faculty Support Services and CU Library, supports blogs for teaching, research, Library, and university communication activities.

Google Map of RedRover Wi-Fi Coverage

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:35:54 +0000

It is now possible to look up RedRover Wi-Fi coverage at Cornell on an interactive Google map.

Tech Therapy: How to be a leader, even if you're not the boss

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:01:59 +0000

In an audio segment from the Chronicle of Higher Education's Tech Therapy, Ann Kovalchick, the deputy chief information officer at Tulane University, describes the qualities that make a good leader in IT—and in higher education generally.

Boston U. student ordered to pay $675,000 for illegal downloads

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:04:04 +0000

A Boston University graduate student has been ordered by a federal jury to pay four music companies $675,000 for downloading and distributing more than two dozen copyrighted songs.

Cornell discontinuing DNS service for off-campus queries

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:43:59 +0000

Beginning August 5, 2009, Cornell DNS servers will no longer respond to off-campus queries. This may disrupt Internet services for off-campus computers that have been manually set up to use Cornell for DNS.

Lower rate for CIT’s Integrated Web Services

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:57:28 +0000

Web design and development at Cornell just got a bit more economical, thanks to the rate decrease for CIT’s Integrated Web Services. The new rate is $90 per hour.

New eCornell online certificate program teaches the systems approach to develop products and services

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:58:27 +0000

Cornell's distance-learning subsidiary eCornell will launch a new online certificate program in systems design called "A Systems Approach to Product and Service Design."

Library works with historically black colleges and universities to expand digital collections

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:50:00 +0000

A Mellon grant will enable the Cornell University Library and an alliance of historically black colleges and universities create and manage digital collections.

North Carolina students overestimate Microsoft Office skills

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:36:06 +0000

A study by North Carolina Central University found that most students overestimated their skill levels when they were asked how they perceived their ability to complete certain tasks and then tested on those tasks.

RedRover-Secure: Available for the iPhone

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:25:16 +0000

RedRover-Secure can now be used with the iPhone or iPod Touch.

Improved Wi-Fi options for campus visitors

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:55:22 +0000

CIT is introducing expanded Wi-Fi services for campus visitors. Beginning Saturday, July 25th, visitors may register and have full, temporary, network access through RedRover, Cornell's Wi-Fi network.

Microsoft-supported research could secure online voting and auctions

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:35:26 +0000

Rafael Pass, assistant professor of computer science, has been selected as one of five 2009 Microsoft Research New Faculty Fellows. His fellowship will support research into new ways to conduct transactions safely and reliably online.

Tracking the life and death of news online

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:51:20 +0000

Using online versions of the news, Cornell computer scientists have managed to track and analyze the way stories rise and fall in popularity.

The evidence on online education

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:45:08 +0000

Online learning has definite advantages over face-to-face instruction when it comes to teaching and learning, according to a new meta-analysis released Friday by the U.S. Department of Education.

Cornell issues alert about theft of computer containing personal data

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:32:48 +0000

Cornell University has learned that a university-owned computer that was stolen in early June contained the names and Social Security numbers of approximately 45,000 current and former staff and students and some dependents.

Preparing for Exchange: Updating email client settings

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:55:36 +0000

To get ready for the campus-wide transition to Exchange-based email this fall, a couple of settings will need to be updated in the email clients of all faculty and staff who access their email through a CIT postoffice account.

Instructors pair up with librarians to ramp up student research skills

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:01:32 +0000

Cornell Library's Information Competency Initiative aims to improve student research skills by helping faculty redesign their courses' research components.

Blackboard 7.3 now available

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:24:15 +0000

Blackboard Support is happy to announce that blackboard.cornell.edu has been upgraded to version 7.3, and the new system is now online and available.

Cornell Makes List of Best Places to Work in IT in 2009

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:41:42 +0000

Five colleges and a research organization have been named to Computerworld's list of the 100 Best Places to Work in IT in 2009.

New Microsoft licensing agreement lowers costs for Cornell departments

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:24:16 +0000

The licensing agreement covers Microsoft Office, Windows operating system upgrades and CORE Client Access Licenses.

Interdisciplinary computer scientist Daniel Huttenlocher named new dean of CIS

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:11:55 +0000

Daniel P. Huttenlocher, Cornell's John P. and Rilla Neafsey Professor of Computing, Information Science and Business, has been named the university's dean of the Faculty of Computing and Information Science (CIS).

2009 IT Forum attracts Cornell’s technology community to Duffield Atrium

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:22:23 +0000

More than 250 registered attendees visited with technology vendors and service providers, attended seminars and browsed a display of antique computer gear.

Cornell expert tells Congress that more basic research in cybersecurity is critical

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:30:09 +0000

Fred B. Schneider, the Samuel B. Eckert Professor of Computer Science, explains the value of expanding academic cybersecurity research in technology, policy and human behavior.

Attend the Cornell IT Forum - June 10

Thu, 28 May 2009 17:03:49 +0000

In the Duffield Atrium, browse Cornell IT services, chat with outside vendors, attend a free IT seminar, watch computer history movie shorts, and enjoy complimentary snacks and ice cream.

First 'computational sustainability' conference to draw an unexpected crowd

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:24:01 +0000

Nearly 200 researchers from universities, private laboratories and
government agencies will converge on Cornell June 8-11 for the first
conference on computational sustainability.

CU Library allows free usage of digitized public domain items

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:17:42 +0000

Cornell University Library no longer requires users to secure permission or pay any accompanying permissions fees to reproduce or publish public domain material from its digital collections.

Computer graphics researchers simulate the sounds of water and other liquids

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:55:39 +0000

Researchers in Cornell's Department of Computer Science have come up with new algorithms to simulate sounds generated by computer graphic objects.

School of Continuing Education slashes its paper use

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:11:53 +0000

The Summer College's recruitment, admissions and registration have gone "paperless" whenever possible. Formal decision letters, tuition statements, welcome letters, and other documents are now e-mailed or posted online rather than printed and mailed.

Syracuse U. and IBM collaborate to build energy-efficient data center

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:26:24 +0000

Syracuse University and IBM are teaming up to build a computer center that officials hope will be a model for green computing and green building.

Online students at Bryant & Stratton College to graduate in Second Life

Fri, 29 May 2009 20:08:32 +0000

On June 10, about 40 students in Bryant & Stratton College's online-degree program will go to Second Life to watch computer simulations of their college graduation.

Blackboard 7.3 upgrade will take place 5/27-6/18

Wed, 20 May 2009 16:30:33 +0000

A Blackboard 7.3 upgrade will take place between May 27 and June 18, 2009. Blackboard.cornell.edu will be unavailable during that time.

No more dialup: EZ-Remote service ending

Tue, 26 May 2009 19:58:48 +0000

Cornell’s Express Lane and EZ-Remote dial-up Internet services will end June 30 and August 31, respectively. Both services are no longer offering new registration. Alternative service providers are listed at the EZ-Remote web site.

Undergrads taking hands-on learning to Africa by distributing free laptops

Wed, 13 May 2009 15:03:31 +0000

This summer, James Elkins '11 and Eli Luxenberg '11 will hand out
free laptops to 100 elementary schoolchildren in the rural city of
Tidjikja, Mauritania, in northwest Africa, thanks to a $30,000 grant.

May 17, 6-7 AM, CU computing services brief downtime

Thu, 14 May 2009 12:00:01 +0000

On Sunday, May 17, there will be network maintenance occurring between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. For about 5 minutes, beginning at 6:00 a.m., many central computing services will be unavailable.

Shrinking 'ridiculous' data sets to manageable size

Thu, 14 May 2009 14:31:01 +0000

With a half-million dollar Office of Naval Research grant, a Cornell statistician will shrink massive data sets into manageable approximations to detect Internet glitches and support machine learning.

Backing up EZ-Backup to keep campus data secure

Thu, 14 May 2009 14:59:50 +0000

EZ-Backup data is now copied to a secure off-campus location, helping departments meet high standards for data protection but at no additional cost.

Introducing Cmail for students: Email, calendar, collaboration, and more

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:34:07 +0000

Cornell students now have a new service for their email: Cmail. Along with email, Cmail includes calendar, collaboration, and other tools.

Kleinberg wins $150,000 computer science prize

Wed, 06 May 2009 12:47:17 +0000

Professor Jon Kleinberg is the recipient of the 2008 ACM-Infosys Foundation Award in the Computing Sciences for his contributions to improving Web search techniques that allow Web users worldwide to find relevant, credible information on the Internet.

Amazon Web Services launches education program

Wed, 06 May 2009 12:42:56 +0000

Amazon Web Services' new education programs allow educators, academic researchers, and students to apply for free usage credits for cloud computing.

Summer Blackboard will go live May 6

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:18:01 +0000

All summer courses will be transferred from the current production Blackboard system to the Summer Blackboard system between 6:00 P.M. May 5 and 6:00 A.M. May 6. Instructors should not
make changes to summer courses during this time.

CU analysis of Flickr photos could lead to online travel books

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:03:33 +0000

Cornell scientists have downloaded and analyzed nearly 35 million Flickr photos taken by more than 300,000 photographers from around the globe, using a supercomputer at the Cornell Center for Advanced Computing (CAC).

Cornell’s network billing approach compared to emerging Time Warner billing strategies

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:24:39 +0000

CIT compares Cornell’s approach to billing for network usage to still-developing Time Warner billing strategies in a new paper: “Comparison of Cornell network billing model vs. emerging Time Warner model.”

Retirements at Cornell result in changes for CIT

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:29:01 +0000

CIT VP Polley McClure and two directors are taking the staff retirement incentive. This, along with 19 other CIT retirees, will result in changes for CIT.

United Nations Opens World Digital Library

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:29:59 +0000

To provide instant access to scholarly resources, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization this week inaugurated its World Digital Library, a web site dedicated to artifacts spanning the history of civilization.

University upgrades student email

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:12:30 +0000

As part of a transition to third-party email vendors, the University is slated to announce later this week that starting on Thursday students will be able to access their Cornell email through a Google-based server, like Gmail, called “Cmail.”

E-learning and its challenges increase at community colleges

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:15:46 +0000

There are many challenges of providing students with good online learning instruction and providing faculty members with the tools to deliver it. That’s the message in the results of a new survey of community colleges.

Conficker infects more than 700 computers at U. of Utah

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:31:03 +0000

The latest variant of the Conficker worm—sophisticated computer malware that uses the Internet to invade and extract data from computers running Windows operating systems—infected between 700 and 800 computers at the University of Utah.

Microsoft's Encarta, rendered obsolete by Wikipedia, will shut down

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:25:39 +0000

Microsoft has announced that it will soon euthanize Encarta, the onetime encyclopedia-of-the-future that has lost much of its luster in the last decade.

Does Facebook lower academic performance? It's still too soon to say

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:37:31 +0000

A researcher at Ohio State University found that students who use Facebook reported earning lower grade-point averages than nonusers of the social-networking service.

CU People service ending: Other services abound

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:49:23 +0000

CU People, Cornell's personal web page service, will be decommissioned on June 30, 2009. Other on-campus options include Confluence, VIVO, and Faculty Support Services
for people with pages related to teaching, research, or academics.

How traditional computing labs can become tech-enhanced learning spaces

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:24:43 +0000

Traditional computing labs can become flexible, tech-enhanced learning spaces through research, stakeholder involvement, and small, high-impact changes, writes Clare van den Blink, CIT's Assistant Director of Academic Technology Services & User Support.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology streamlines portal programming

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 03:57:09 +0000

Cornell's Lab of Ornithology has moved from manual Java coding processes to Spring to develop applications on one of its flagship Web sites, eBird. The Spring programming platform is based on open-source products.

Cornell researchers to have access to Yahoo! cloud computing cluster

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:22:22 +0000

Cornell researchers will have access to Yahoo!'s cloud computing cluster, known as M45, to conduct large-scale systems software research and explore new applications that analyze Internet-scale data sets.

New AT&T cellular antennas to improve coverage on campus as Cornell opens to all carriers

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 22:06:41 +0000

Cellular coverage will improve with the addition of new AT&T antennas, perhaps as soon as late summer, according to Tom Ball, voice engineering manager at CIT. Sprint and T-mobile have been held back due to funding, but are interested and welcome.

Cornell team to compete in world programming finals in Stockholm

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 21:59:49 +0000

A team of three Cornell undergraduates will be among 100 teams competing in the world finals of the Association of Computing Machinery International Collegiate Programming Contest. The contest pits teams against complex, real-world problems.

Cornell will provide student email and collaboration services through Google Apps and Microsoft Live@edu

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:08:33 +0000

More than 20,000 Cornell University students will be provided with new services for email, calendar, and collaboration through arrangements the university has made with Google and with Microsoft.

CU Power Down for the Planet Day is April 8

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:06:32 +0000

A highlight of Cornell Sustainability Month is Power Down for the Planet Day, April 8. Cornellians will be building awareness of how small changes in computer power settings can reduce by tons the amount of CO2 entering the atmosphere every year.

CIT announces new departmental VPN option

Sat, 04 Apr 2009 21:00:55 +0000

CIT has announced the availability of Departmental Virtual Private Networks (VPN). Departmental VPN allows units to provide individuals identified by and working within the unit with secure, authenticated remote access to campus networks and services.

Blackboard Support will delete unused old courses on April 15

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:44:03 +0000

All Blackboard courses that have not been used since August 1, 2006, will be deleted on April 15. Instructors must submit a request to keep courses they do not want deleted.

Cornellians being asked to power down computers to save a million a year

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:42:49 +0000

With just a few mouse clicks, computer users on campus could save
Cornell about $1 million a year, according to Cornell Information
Technologies (CIT).

Arecibo pulsar survey uses 50,000 PCs worldwide to generate supercomputing power

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:42:17 +0000

In the search for yet-undiscovered pulsars or ultra-fast spinning neutron stars, a grand-scale sky survey at the Cornell-managed Arecibo Observatory is using the processing power of personal computers around the world.

Skorton holds his first virtual meeting with alumni via video and voice links

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:46:09 +0000

President David Skorton spends a considerable amount of his time meeting with alumni. But if a recent webcast "town hall meeting" was any indication, in the coming months he will be "meeting" with a lot more alumni a lot more often.

Conficker worm unlikely to cause damage on April 1

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:14:10 +0000

The Conficker worm is programmed to update itself on April 1. Security experts anticipate that the update will improve Conficker's ability to protect itself, but not cause other damage. Find out how to protect your computer against Conficker.

Google announces 'Summer of Code' to encourage students to join open-source projects

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:36:00 +0000

Google is handing out $4,500 stipends to a select group of college students who will spend this summer contributing to open-source projects, including ones that compete with Google’s own software.

Securely erase data using Cornell Recycling's new disk/tape degausser

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 21:28:54 +0000

Getting rid of hard disks, cartridges, floppies, and certain types of video and audio tape formats? Want to be sure the data is gone for good? Send them for a spin through Cornell Recycling's new degausser.

Library starts undergrad information project to get students beyond Google

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 20:54:04 +0000

The Cornell University Library has launched the Cornell Undergraduate Information Competency Initiative to help faculty members help students to become better researchers in the digital age.

Why computer security at CU is everyone's responsibility

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:02:55 +0000

The Cornell IT Security Office has just published a new e-book, “Computer Security at Cornell: Secure Your
Computer On and Off Campus.”

CIT's new status of services page simplifies learning about IT outages

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:54:56 +0000

Check out the new “Current Status of CIT
Services” callout on the right side of the Computing
at Cornell home page .

C.U. Library set to digitize more content

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:47:44 +0000

From the works of James Joyce to a copyrighted periodical of a chemist, thousands of books and manuscripts from the Cornell Library will be digitized and made available to the world through an expanded partnership between the University and Amazon.com.

Computer games (and pizza) help build K-12 computer skills

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:33:02 +0000

Cornell computer science students are using games to attract public school students to computer science.

Cornell Police cars go high tech with data terminals

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 02:38:56 +0000

Cornell University Police officers will soon have new communications tools at hand through mobile data terminals in their patrol cars.

Viewing taped lectures online boosts grades, raises questions

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 02:46:28 +0000

Videotaping lectures and making them available on the Web in an interactive, searchable format seems to help students get better exam scores. But the idea raises questions.

CIT efforts protect C.U. from computer viruses

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:20:41 +0000

Computers around the world are threatened by a new, rapidly spreading worm. While information technology specialists are working to control the worm’s spread, Cornell has not been impacted by the most recent outbreak.

New Academic Technology Center opens on the Arts Quad

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:47:23 +0000

A new Academic Technology Center (ATC) opened in Stimson Hall on February 4. The center provides faculty, instructors, and graduate TAs a second campus location where they find help and training in the use of computer technologies for instruction.

CIT leads campus in supporting flexible work arrangements

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:35:11 +0000

Flex work arrangements meet many needs for both supervisors and employees. CIT tells how its arrangements are developed and for what reasons.

New computer security e-book available

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:50:28 +0000

A new e-book, Computer Security at Cornell, provides information about how to recognize and respond to security problems, how to protect your identity and university data, and how to secure the computer you use at Cornell.

Free Cornell podcasts offer career advice

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 23:04:09 +0000

The job market may look increasingly bleak for graduating seniors and young alumni, but "10GoodMinutes," a free weekly podcast of interviews with experts can help. The 10-minute recordings offer career advice to help allay fears over the sinking economy.

February 15 computing services brief downtime

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 21:20:52 +0000

On Sunday, February 15, there will be network maintenance occurring between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. that will affect many central computing services.

Student receives outstanding undergraduate award in computing

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 23:00:31 +0000

Tal Rusak, a senior majoring in computer science, is the 2009 winner of the Computing Research Association's (CRA) Outstanding Undergraduate Award.

Priceline.com founder Jay Walker named 2009 Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:50:37 +0000

Jay Walker '77, chairman of Walker Digital and founder of Priceline.com, has been named the 2009 Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year. He will be honored on campus during the Entrepreneurship@Cornell Celebration April 16-17.

Technology can help us weather the recession

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:48:51 +0000

Diana Oblinger, president of Educause, said: "The most immediate challenges for IT in 2009 will be to show how IT can help address the financial challenges our institutions are experiencing."

Learn more about CIT's web hosting services Jan. 22

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 21:29:08 +0000

Quarterly meetings to keep everyone up to date on the current status and future plans for CIT's web hosting services are open to all interested faculty and staff. Our next meeting is January 22, 10:30 am to 12 noon, in 525 ILR Conference Center.

Weill Hall provides unsurpassed videoconferencing facilities

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:44:07 +0000

The H. Laurance and Nancy Fuller Learning Center provides unsurpassed videoconferencing and presentation capabilities on campus and "the most advanced capabilities to connect with the medical college."

EZ-Backup gets easier on the budget and adds new service

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 20:22:12 +0000

EZ-Backup, the service Cornell trusts to back up all its data, has just become cheaper. Rates were lowered 30 percent for service over the base amount, which increased from 6 GB to 8.5 GB of compressed data per month.

The emails, they are a-changin' (University converting to new mail system)

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 20:09:41 +0000

The coming year will bring changes in Cornell's email system. Faculty and staff email will move to the Microsoft Exchange system, and student email is expected to be managed through Google and Microsoft. CIT calls the project "Ensemble."

Malware strikes campus computers

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 20:04:22 +0000

Over the last couple of weeks, more than 100 Windows computers on campus were infected with a dangerous computer worm because people were taken in by e-mails claiming to offer a Hallmark e-card from a friend or promotions from McDonald's or Coca-Cola.

Technology ambassadors send Cornell library computers, software to Iraqi schools

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 20:00:57 +0000

A student group collects computers from people who no longer need them to send to people who do. But logistics are far from easy when the people getting the computers live in places as far-flung as Liberia, Zambia, Afghanistan, South Africa and Jamaica.

Want to win friends and influence people? Use Facebook and IM, studies suggest

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 19:56:23 +0000

It's an age-old question: How do you get a new acquaintance to like you? Jeff Hancock, associate professor of communication, says he and his research team have found that what works in face-to-face communication can also work in the cyber world.

Meet face to face anywhere with videoconferencing

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:06:31 +0000

New videoconferencing technology can connect up to 20 video conference sites as part of one or more conferences. Phone calls can also be bridged into a video conference.

New email, calendar services announced for Cornell

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:47:20 +0000

Cornell University has committed to a project, called Ensemble, to enhance the university's email, calendar, and related services. The most visible part of this project will be new central email and calendar services for faculty, staff, and students.

PeopleSoft brings power to campus, despite complexity and some challenges

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 20:13:49 +0000

This semester, for the first time, student admissions, financial aid, billing and course scheduling all were handled through a single computer system, PeopleSoft administration software.

Study shows hotels' Internet connections unsafe

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:42:41 +0000

Travelers who use a hotel's Internet network risk the possibility of data theft, concludes a new study from Cornell's School of Hotel Administration.

Net-Print Costs Cover More Than Just Paper, Includes Maintenance

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:47:33 +0000

Last year, Cornell printed 10 million pages of paper. Many students — fed up with the amount of money they pay to print their papers and articles at Cornell’s libraries — wonder where that money goes.

Staff can now get a second email address based on a name

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 19:43:29 +0000

A Cornell staff member can now adopt an optional email alias in addition to the default address based on NetID. The alias service has been available since last year for some users but became available to all staff Aug. 29.

If there's another e-mail crash, CIT will be ready

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:45:22 +0000

A report from Cornell Information Technologies (CIT) on the June 2008 email outage suggests that the best way to prepare for such crises in the future is to improve communication -- with the public, with vendors and between communicators.

Beware of CFCU, CIT and other phishing scams

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:42:27 +0000

Recently the Cornell community was bombarded by "phishing" (identity theft) scam emails claiming to be from the Cornell Fingerlakes Credit Union (CFCU) or from Cornell Information Technologies (CIT) or other campus agencies.

Cornell Log no longer available

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:27:18 +0000

Effective July 31, 2008, Cornell Log is longer available for download. Other tools for tracking network usage should be used instead.

CIT final reports on June e-mail outage

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:22:09 +0000

On June 15, 2008, Cornell University experienced a failure of its central email service resulting in a campus‐wide email outage lasting through June 18 for most users and as late as June 20 for some.

July 13, 5-10 a.m., maintenance: Email on Postoffices 6-9 unavailable

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:59:53 +0000

Between 5:00 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Sunday, July 13, 2008, preventive maintenance will be done on Postoffices 6, 7, 8, and 9.

June 8, 7am-12noon, CU email outage

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:45:57 +0000

From 7 a.m. to 12 noon, on Sunday, June 8, CIT's email services will be unavailable. Specifically, the postoffices, where Cornell email accounts are stored, will be unavailable.

CU email unavailable, June 8, 5-7am

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:03:26 +0000

From 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., on Sunday, June 8, CIT's email services will be unavailable.

Web Accessibility: A Gift of Independence

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:58:44 +0000

Cornell is making efforts to ensure the web's resources are open to everyone.

RedRover-Secure protects your data and gets it to you faster

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:44:03 +0000

There’s one more reason to choose RedRover-Secure when you’re out and about with your laptop: it’s faster than RedRover.

Security Alert: Beware of attempts to steal your NetID password

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:57:32 +0000

Watch out for fraudulent messages that appear to come from within Cornell.

May 18 brief computing services outage

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:43:57 +0000

For 15 minutes, 7-7:15 a.m., on Sunday, May 18, many central computing services will be unavailable.

CIT Billing centralizes CIT bills

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:47:48 +0000

CIT's new Billing Office now handles billing-related inquiries for CIT's phone and network services, as well as all tasks related to online bills.