(UFC) 1 senator seat/1 non-senator seat; 3-year term

Anthony Hay (agh5), Microbiology, senator

Biography:

After receiving a B.S. from Brigham Young University in Environmental Agronomy in 1994, I obtained a Ph.D in Environmental Soil Science in 1997 from the University of California Riverside. That was followed by post-doctoral work at the University of Tennessee Knoxville's Center for Environmental Biotechnology until 1999 when I joined Cornell as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology.  In my spare time I enjoy cycling and running in the Finger Lakes area.

Candidate Statement:

I am interested in serving on the University Faculty Committee because I believe in the importance of shared governance. Though I have only be serving in Cornell's University Faculty Senate for the last year, I have served as the College of Agriculture and Life Science's Senator to the SUNY Faculty Senate for the last 6 years and on the latter's Executive Committee for the last year.  Those experiences have allowed me to see the impact that engaged and organized faculty have made on SUNY campuses across the State. Prior to that I served as a Faculty in Residence for six years on Cornell's North Campus and I am currently in my fifth year there as a Faculty Fellow. Taken together, these experiences have given me an appreciation for the importance of on-campus engagement and shared governance as well as a reminder that we have a responsibility to contribute to the processes that shape our institution. If elected, I will work with the University Faculty Committee and the Dean of the Faculty to strengthen the role of shared governance at Cornell.

Katherine “Katie” Kinzler (kdk79), Psychology, non-senator

Biography:

Katherine D. Kinzler is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology, with a joint appointment in the Department of Human Development.  She received a Ph.D. in Psychology from Harvard University, a B.A. in Cognitive Science from Yale University, and she was a Fulbright Scholar at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris.  Prior to joining the faculty at Cornell, Dr. Kinzler was the Neubauer Family Assistant Professor and then Associate Professor at the University of Chicago Department of Psychology.  Much of her research focuses on the origins of prejudice and ingroup/outgroup thinking, with an emphasis on understanding how language and accent mark social groups.  She is also interested in the social benefits of bilingualism, in moral development, and in the cultural nature of food selection.  Her research is funded by the National Institutes of Health, the John Templeton Foundation, and by Cornell’s Center for the Study of Inequality.  Her work has appeared regularly in the New York Times and other outlets, and she was recently named a “Young Scientist,” one of 50 scientists under age 40 worldwide recognized by the World Economic Forum.

Candidate Statement:

Since moving to Cornell in 2015, I have been continually impressed by the high level of inquiry that takes place within an environment that values public impact and outreach.  If elected to the UFC, I would work to promote the diversity and inclusiveness of our intellectual community at all levels, and to increase the visibility of Cornell’s scholarship.  I am particularly committed to building bridges across research areas, and I would champion the interests of faculty and students from a broad range of disciplinary perspectives.  At Cornell, I am a member of the advisory committee for the Institute for the Social Sciences.  At the University of Chicago, I served as a member of the Committee of the Council of the University Senate (the equivalent of Cornell’s UFC), and I was an organizing committee member for the Chicago Collaboration for Women in STEM.  I am grateful to be at Cornell and interested in contributing to efforts to make our collective research environment even more diverse and impactful.

Mariana Wolfner (mfw5), Molecular Biology and Genetics, non-senator

Biography:

Mariana Federica Wolfner is Goldwin Smith Professor and Stephen H. Weiss Fellow in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. She was an undergraduate at Cornell (College of Arts and Sciences) with majors in Biology and Chemistry, obtained a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Stanford University, and did postdoctoral work at UCSD. In 1983 she joined the Cornell faculty. Mariana’s research is on the function, regulation, and evolution of proteins that are essential for reproduction, primarily in insects. The results have potential relevance to control of insect vectors of disease and to understanding human infertility. Her work is collaborative and interdisciplinary, a feature that she enjoys. Mariana has mentored over 40 graduate students, 20 postdoctoral fellows, 80 undergraduates and several high school students in her research lab. She teaches courses in developmental biology, genetics, and their interface with evolution. Mariana has been active in many areas at Cornell, including serving as Associate Dept. Chair, Director of Graduate Study, Faculty-elected Trustee (term ends 6/18), and member of FACTA. Her interest in biology and scientific research has led to service in a number of capacities here, such as on the Provost’s Life Science Advisory and Research Advisory Councils. Mariana is also actively involved in mentoring junior faculty in her department and beyond. Her interest in undergraduate and graduate education/mentoring and the student experience led to service on the General Committee of Cornell’s graduate school, and on transformative curriculum committees in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Office of Undergraduate Biology, and the Provost’s office. Mariana was a Rawlings House Fellow at Alice Cook House for 12 years, and participates in a range of educational/advising workshops including the Faculty Institute for Diversity and CIRTL. She has been very active in her discipline, including serving as President of AAAS’ Biology Section and as an Officer on the Genetics Society of America’s Board. She is an Editor at several biology journals, has organized numerous scientific conferences, and is (or was) a member of several NIH and NSF grants-panels. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has been honored to receive awards from the Entomological Society of America and the Genetics Society of America.

Candidate Statement:

I am enthusiastic about the possibility to serve on the UFC. I have seen and greatly appreciated the important work that the UFC does, thoughtfully raising pressing concerns to faculty and administrators on matters including academics, campus-climate, and scholarship, and striving to find solutions that foster an inclusive, safe, and intellectually-vibrant campus. As a Cornell faculty member, I have enjoyed contributing to the university and the discipline in research- and teaching-centered, as well as graduate-, undergraduate-, postdoc-, and faculty-focused, ways. While biology is my scholarly passion, it is so in the context of the much broader intellectual landscape that is represented at Cornell. Among the things that I find particularly special at Cornell are the collegiality and caring, and the collaborative and interdisciplinary thought that pervade our university’s top-level scholarship and academics. I would like these unique features to remain nurtured in the face of pressures that affect our university, colleges, departments, scholarship, colleagues, and students. I am eager to work with UFC members and will do my best to bring to the UFC the perspectives I’ve experienced and encountered as a faculty member and faculty-elected trustee. At the personal level, I have always enjoyed working with colleagues outside, as well as in, my discipline. I find it valuable (and enjoyable) as we combine different perspectives and knowledge to help Cornell be and remain the best possible University for its faculty, students and staff.