Tom Fleischman

Ithaca

News Editor, Cornell University at Freelance

Senior writer/editor at the Cornell Chronicle (recovering sportswriter). Liverpool F.C., Yankees, Giants, Rangers, Knicks, anything our nieces/nephews play.

Articles

Laura Syer, VP for budget and planning, to depart Cornell

1 week ago | news.cornell.edu | Tom Fleischman

Laura Syer, who has served as vice president for budget and planning since 2021, will leave Cornell to become vice president for budget, financial planning and analysis at New York University. Syer’s last day at Cornell is May 30. ”I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the many opportunities, support and professional growth I have enjoyed during my time on the Ithaca campus,” Syer said.
Stars or numerals? How rating formats change consumer behavior

2 weeks ago | phys.org | Tom Fleischman |Lisa Lock |Andrew Zinin

What's the difference between a product rating of 3.5 displayed with stars versus Arabic numerals? It might very well be the difference between a 4 and a 3 rating in the eyes of the consumer, according to new marketing research from the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.
Stars or numerals? How rating formats change consumer behavior

2 weeks ago | news.cornell.edu | Tom Fleischman

What’s the difference between a product rating of 3.5 displayed with stars versus Arabic numerals? It might very well be the difference between a 4 and a 3 rating in the eyes of the consumer, according to new marketing research from the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. In six experiments, the researchers found that consumers tend to overestimate fractional star ratings and underestimate fractional Arabic numerals.
Conservatives are more likely than liberals to negotiate price, says research

1 month ago | phys.org | Tom Fleischman

When purchasing, say, a used car or a house from a private seller, it's not uncommon for the prospective buyer to make an offer below the asking price, then negotiate with the owner before a deal is reached. But can we predict who is more likely to go back and forth with the seller on the price?
Conservatives more likely than liberals to negotiate price

1 month ago | news.cornell.edu | Tom Fleischman

When purchasing, say, a used car or a house from a private seller, it’s not uncommon for the prospective buyer to make an offer below the asking price, then negotiate with the owner before a deal is reached. But can we predict who is more likely to go back and forth with the seller on the price? According to new research out of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, political affiliation could be one indicator of negotiation propensity.
Plants you can wear: Hydrogel material weaves seeds into textiles

1 month ago | techxplore.com | Tom Fleischman

Humans' relationships with plants is largely utilitarian, serving our needs. We generally either eat them or make things out of them. Researchers in the College of Human Ecology (CHE) have developed a design and fabrication approach that treats these living things as companions to humans, with seeds woven into hydrogel material for hairbands, wristbands, hats and sandals, among other applications. The seeds grow into sprouts if taken care of properly.
COVID-19 research overlooks key perspectives from marginalized communities, study finds

1 month ago | medicalxpress.com | Tom Fleischman

During the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that people from historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups were more likely than non-Hispanic white people to be infected, be hospitalized and die from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. However, the very communities that bear the brunt of those disparities are underrepresented in scientific efforts to understand them.
Those most willing to address health disparities tend to be overlooked

1 month ago | news.cornell.edu | Tom Fleischman

During the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that people from historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups were more likely than non-Hispanic white people to be infected, be hospitalized and die from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. However, the very communities that bear the brunt of those disparities are underrepresented in scientific efforts to understand them.
Ballet icon to deliver Senior Convocation address May 22

1 month ago | news.cornell.edu | Tom Fleischman

Misty Copeland, who in 2015 became the first Black woman to be named principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre, will give the keynote address at Senior Convocation on May 22, from 1-2:30 p.m. in Barton Hall. The student-run 2025 Convocation Committee announced the selection April 28 during a senior class event on Ho Plaza. “I feel like Misty is a great choice,” said Reagan Patterson ’25, chair of the Senior Convocation Committee.
Coach Schafer ’86 imparts hockey-infused wisdom in ‘Last Lecture’

1 month ago | news.cornell.edu | Tom Fleischman

Sullivan Mack ’25 had heard it all before. The third-leading scorer on this year’s Cornell men’s hockey team, Mack has absorbed four years of inspirational, passionate, occasionally profane and always brutally honest locker-room talks from Mike Schafer ’86, the soon-to-be-retired Jay R. Bloom ’77 Head Coach of Men’s Hockey.