Gilbert Hanse M.L.A. ’89, will design the golf course that will reintroduce the sport of golf to the Olympics at the 2016 summer games in Rio de Janeiro. The course will be the first built for the Olympics since 1904 — the last time golf was an Olympic event.

“Purple Wonder,” Cornell’s newest variety of strawberry, offers a color not found in any grocery store. Created by Prof. Courtney Weber, horticulture, Purple Wonder is darker than the typical strawberry, and, according to Weber, boasts a sweeter taste than its bright red cousins.

Prof. Ian Merwin PhD ’90, horticulture, works at Cornell and internationally to improve the sustainability of fruit horticulture. He is a part of the National Germplasm Committee for Apples, travels around the world, has his own farm and sells produce at the Ithaca Farmers Market. 

Prof. Nina Bassuk ’74, horticulture, inventor of CU-Structural Soil, is responsible for many tree-lined urban streets. The soil mix has been used in every state, Puerto Rico and Canada. Bassuk researches methods of improving the quality of urban life by introducing plants within the urban ecosystem.

Prof. Rakow hopes to spread more information about Public Gardens and its importance through new book.

Students in a Horticulture class recently created a sofa made of grass and dirt that will remain on the Ag Quad until the spring.

Faculty in the Architecture and Horticulture departments joined forces to inform their students about sustainability and to involve them in The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES), a program aimed at creating sustainable landscapes in any surrounding.