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Cornell University Ruminant Center - Research summary report
Cornell Animal Science (0030-06-25)
The Cornell University Ruminant Center (CURC), updated in 2013 to replace the former Teaching and Research Center, is a commercial scale dairy farm located 15 miles east of Cornell’s main campus. Home to 570 milking cows and housing for 400 heifers and calves, CURC includes modern free-stall barns, a tie-stall barn for individual cow research, a centralized feed center, substantial silage storage area, long-term manure storage and over 2,600 acres of cropland, pasture and woodlands.
Economic and nutrient management conditions for adopting co-digestion of dairy manure and food waste
Ray, Lauren (PRO-DAIRY, 2025-08)
Adoption of anaerobic digestion (AD) of dairy manure has grown in New York state and across the U.S. in recent years, driven primarily by strong market value for use of biogas as transportation fuel under national and state-level fuel standards (e.g., California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard and Oregon’s Clean Fuels Program). Cornell CALS PRO-DAIRY estimates that over 15 million gallons of diesel consumption is reduced per year from the currently operating dairy manure AD systems in NY that provide biomethane , also known as renewable natural gas (RNG). Additional on-farm AD systems in NY are generating approximately 38 million kWh of electricity per year, equivalent to over 30 MW of solar PV capacity. While the recent growth has predominantly occurred on dairy farms with more than 2,000 milking cows, technology is widely available to scale down AD for even the smallest dairy operations . The challenge in successful adoption then lies in the economic feasibility and practical consideration of the impacts to the farm operations.
AN APPLICATION OF THE TRIANGULAR THEORY OF LOVE TO ONE’S LOVE OF THEIR ACADEMIC CONCENTRATION
Hayes, Aurora (2025-05)
This study sought to investigate whether the Triangular Theory of Love could be applied to the love an individual may feel toward their academic concentration in higher education.While previous studies have focused on loving relationships in romantic, sexual, and parental contexts, this study, to the best of our knowledge, is the first to attempt to apply a theory of love in an educational context to a student’s academic concentration. In an adapted version of the Triangular Love Scale and replication of the previous methodology used in The Love of one’s musical instrument as a predictor of happiness and satisfaction with musical experience, this study sampled undergraduate psychology majors at an elite university in the northeastern United States to gauge their emotional, motivational, and cognitive disposition toward their academic concentration (Sternberg, 2023). Results of this study showed that an application of an adapted version of the Triangular Love Scale yields statistically significant and reliable results. Each component of the Triangular Theory of Love (Commitment, Passion, and Intimacy) was measured with high internal consistency reliability, and the principal component analysis of thesubscales loaded distinctly to each construct, with each accounting for 33.33% of the variance within the population. In light of these findings, we believe this research provides the preliminary steps in the continued validation of applying the Triangular Theory of Love to measure student’s affinities toward their academic concentration.
MULTI-FUNCTIONAL MODULAR BIO-INSPIRED UNDULATING ROBOT
Liu, Tianbin (2025-05)
Microplastics in natural aquatic environments have caused major environmental crises due to their resistance to biodegradation and ingestion toxicity. Conventional cleaning methods, such as tow nets and propeller-based suction pumps, are inadequate due to their limited maneuverability and high levels of biological intrusion. In this study, we present a multifunctional bio-inspired robotic module, inspired by the efficient filter-feeding mechanism of the Giant Larvacean, for active particle-laden fluid suction. The design is fundamentally based on the fluid–structure interaction of a flexible undulating structure, employing non-uniform stiffness distribution and a tailored actuation scheme to optimize the trade-off between suction and propulsion. We analyze single-module performance at various actuation frequencies, with particular attention to the effect of the ratio between the natural frequency and the input frequency on pumping and propulsion, and identified optimal motions based on considerations of efficiency, stability, and environmental compatibility. Furthermore, we designed the robot structure based on the Giant Larvacean mechanism, and proposed a FastPID algorithm to reduce the tuning time required in systems that do not demand high-precision control. Lastly, we demonstrate the feasibility, adaptability, and maneuverability of multimodule assemblies. This flexible bio-inspired robotic module opens up a novel pathway toward low-impact microplastic remediation with the potential for large-scale field deployment.
Data from: Anionic Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain-Transfer (RAFT) Polymerization of Methacrylates
Jacky, Paige E.; Neukirch, Madison A.; Fors, Brett P. (2025)
These files contain data supporting all results reported in Jacky, P.E.; Neukirch, M.A.; Fors, B.P. Anionic Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain-Transfer (RAFT) Polymerization of Methacrylates. Anionic polymerizations of methacrylates are controlled processes that give well-defined materials; however, these polymerizations require reactive and pyrophoric organolithium reagents for initiation and must be run at low temperatures to maintain control. The ability to run these reactions closer to room temperature and limit the amount of pyrophoric reagents necessary to carry out these polymerizations would increase the practicality, safety, and scalability of these reactions. Herein, we present an anionic reversible addition–fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization that reduces the amount of reactive alkyl lithium required for initiation and is performed at elevated temperatures compared to traditional anionic processes. By using ethyl 2-formyl-2-phenylbutanoate as a chain-transfer agent, we leverage reversible aldol reactions with the propagating enolate chain ends to achieve chain-transfer and subsequent control over the polymerization. Through the proposed anionic RAFT mechanism, a variety of methacrylates were polymerized in a controlled manner. The resulting polymers had stable, isolable aldehyde chain ends, which could be reinitiated to form block polymers.