Rochester Quotes

“‘Enjoyment’ and ‘serious study’ don’t have to be mutually exclusive.”

—Joanne Bernardi, associate professor of Japanese in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, talking to the New York Sun about the first academic conference to explore the cultural legacy of Godzilla. The sci-fi monster, who celebrated the 50th anniversary of its film debut in 2004, was the subject of a three-day conference at the University of Kansas last fall.

Salt Lake Tribune

“It’s been a kind of counter-subject in my life.”—Hans Davidsson, associate professor of organ and the project director for the Eastman-Rochester Organ Initiative at the Eastman School, using the musical metaphor for a composition’s complementary melody to describe his interest in building organs as well as in teaching and performing organ music.

Austin American-Statesman

“It’s just our current confusion about what the breast is for. Stylewise it’s being exposed more and more. But somehow, if you associate it with breast-feeding, people are getting more and more concerned.”—Ruth Lawrence, professor of pediatrics, obstetrics, and gynecology and director of the Breastfeeding and Human Lactation Study Center, discussing an incident last winter in which a breast-feeding mother says she was denied service at a Texas restaurant because she wouldn’t cover herself with a towel.

The New York Times

“We’re at a point where questioning the evidence behind them is like criticizing your grandmother’s matzo-ball soup.”—Susan Hyman, assistant professor of pediatrics, commenting on the lack of scientifically controlled studies backing claims that intensive behavioral therapy is beneficial to children with autism.

Business Week

“When you do that, you reduce the reliability of the numbers, and you open up the doors to fraud.”—Ross Watts, the William H. Meckling Professor of Business Administration, professor of accounting and finance, and chairman of the Simon School’s Ph.D. Program, commenting on new guidelines from the Financial Accounting Standards Board that are designed to improve the accuracy of financial statements but that many see as relying too much on estimates and assumptions.