Cornell Bitcoin Club | Thank You, Spring ‘25 Updates & Year In Review
Hi All,
Hope you all had a great winter break and are making your way back safely to Ithaca!
In this message, I am going to share a few updates, introduce our new incredible Miners (E-Board), and write one last note, including a “year in review.”
Updates
Last week, the Bitcoin Students Network launched a program called Layer Zero, providing Bitcoin internship opportunities this summer for undergraduate-aged students. Applications are due February 15th, and you can learn more here!
We’d be grateful if you’d let us know any and all (anonymous) feedback here on the past two semesters.
The Club has a new website! www.cornellbitcoinclub.org
“Miners” SP ‘25
Co-Presidents: Rafaela Baldeon ‘27 & Matthew Correa ‘26
Treasurer: George Zhou ‘28
Secretary: Brian Liu ‘26
VP of Engagement: Emily Gibbons ‘27
Head of Design: Ashlie Zhang ‘26
Public Relations: Alumni: Khai Xin Kuan ‘27
Public Relations: Athletics: Vera Wong ‘28
Public Relations: Academic: Neha Naveen ‘27
Public Relations: Undergraduate Community: Maggie Gao ‘27 & Rathusha Nimalan ‘28
Public Relations: Graduate Community: Richard Nguyen ‘26
Note
One of my core beliefs is that community is everything. In Bitcoin terms, our “peer-to-peer network is everything” (h/t Natalie Smolenski). Thank you, most sincerely, for letting me be a part of each of your networks.
When I arrived at Cornell in Fall 2022, I drafted an outline for a Bitcoin Club, and it was going to be called “Bitcoin At Cornell.” Thank goodness I didn’t know the necessary 10 people so the world never had to see the terrible slogan I came up with: “Going BAC to what money should be.”
On a more serious note though, this club isn’t about a money or a technological innovation, it’s about what’s on the other side - the long game (life) & people (individuals leading high-agency lives).
Especially for our generation, Bitcoin is a way to own our future, protect the quality of our lives, and secure a foundation for a world where our efforts and dreams are valued. Our lives, our contributions, are too important to lose to financial erosion.
All of human civilization has never seen a money that embodies the attributes necessary to hold value like bitcoin. Bitcoin is like the tip of the iceberg we can see, but instead of the submerged part being harmful, it’s actually something we will get to bump into and explore because bitcoin offers our society a chance to have a more sound foundation.
A world where people’s work actually gets the chance to accrue to something, for generations, gives me chills to think about. We are living at an incredible moment in time.
Whatever “it” is to you in life, I hope you get to pursue it to the fullest extent. At its core, you and your “it” is what this club is about.
This past year you all have given me more than you know, and I’m especially appreciative of you all giving me a place to grow, learn, and be in community with you.
Now! Since the Club was approved a year ago on January 22nd, I thought it might be nice to do a “year in review.”
(Physical) KPis
Meetings: 22 meetings
Events: 4
Guest Speakers: 13 (2 alumni)
Members Who Led Meetings: 5
Members: 124
(Digital) KPIs
X: 71 posts, 864 followers
LinkedIn: 6 posts, 150 followers
Instagram: 26 posts, 68 followers
YouTube: 20 videos, 734 views & 41 subscribers
Linktree: 1.06k views, 888 clicks, 92% click rate
Topics covered spring ‘24
Ella Hough: Definitions of Bitcoin, bitcoin, blockchain, money, & currency
Ella Hough: Timechain, not blockchain
Ella Hough: PoW & Energy
Zach Young: Bitcoin VC
Manuela Rios: Bitcoin Product Management
Jason Brett: Bitcoin Policy
Bradley Rettler: Objections to Bitcoin
Elizabeth Stark: Lightning
Ella Hough: The Bitcoin Halving
D++: Bitcoin’s UTXO Model & Transaction Components
Ella Hough: Bitcoin x Human Rights
topics covered fall ‘24
Ella Hough: The Price of Today: Why You Should Care About Bitcoin
Nate: Setup Club’s Lightning Node
Rafaela Baldeon: Bitcoin in Emerging Markets
Matthew Correa: Bitcoin & Democracy
Brian Liu: How to Self-Custody Bitcoin
Ella Hough: Bitcoin Whitepaper (Trivia)
Maggie Gao: Bitcoin Mining & Privacy (Through Games)
Derek Ross, Jeroen, Marko & Patrick: Nostr
Drew Armstong: Bitcoin x Energy
Jeff Booth: The Price of Tomorrow: Why Deflation is the Key to an Abundant Future
Events & Milestones
Bitcoin Policy Institute Summit in DC
Bitcoin Halving Party
Ended semester with 65 members & Elected 10 people to 1st E-Board
Bitcoin Whitepaper Party
Dirty Coin: The Bitcoin Mining Documentary Screening
Ended semester with 124 members & Elected 12 people to 2nd “Miner” Board
Served as “Proof of Concept” to the Bitcoin Students Network, connecting students across 69 countries.
As I shared last May, a node on its own is just a node. But, all that is needed for a network is 2 nodes. Thank you all for joining me this semester on this journey to build a community, to build a network. To build a space to have conversations on topics not often discussed and to think differently, together. The strength of the Cornell Bitcoin Club lies in the members, in each of your interests, skills and passions.
Most grateful for you all. If there is ever anything I can do for any of you, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Warmly,
Ella