Prof. Mark Bain, natural resources, died on Wednesday at the age of 56. He had taught systems ecology, the study of biodiversity, at Cornell for 22 years.

Born and raised in India, Yash Gharat ’13 became interested in studying the effects of economic development on environmental and wildlife protection efforts in developing countries.

“Get on the bus,” Summer Rayne Oakes ’04, natural resources and entomology, said to an audience of students, faculty and staff last Wednesday. She did not mean get on the TCAT and leave the car keys at home, though the world’s first eco-model certainly would not object to that. Oakes was referring to the countless Campus-to-Campus bus trips she boarded every Friday down to New York City and back to Ithaca again each Monday to work as a model, while enrolled as a full-time student. Too often, she said, “so many of us have ideas and talk about it, but we never get on the bus.”

Prof. James Lassoie, natural resources, embraces his role as a teacher, and his outreach to students spans the globe.

The Arnot Teaching and Research Forest provides a unique blend of acadmic endeavors, recreational activities and natural beauty, and at its core, this natural forest draws an sweet resource that sure to make even the driest pan-cakes taste better.  With science research and tourist attractions, the Arnot Forest is surely a sweet secret.