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Discover CALS

See how our current work and research is bringing new thinking and new solutions to some of today's biggest challenges.

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About CALS

Cornell CALS is a premier institution of scientific learning, tackling the complex challenges of our time through purpose-driven science.

You want to change the world. So do we.

We are a community with a common goal: to leave the world better than we found it. Ambitious? Sure. But Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has been changing the world for over a century and will continue to do so into the future.

Founded in agriculture and focused on life, we are pioneers who have shaped contemporary science and eagerly embraced international opportunity, while always serving the people in the state of New York.

Our purpose

This is the charge that motivates us: CALS tackles the challenges of our times through purpose-driven science that advances understanding and improves life.

CALS at a glance

14

Departments

8 departments shared with other Cornell colleges and schools

3

Schools

The Ashley School of Global Development & the Environment, the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics & Management and the School of Integrative Plant Science

$293M

Total research expenditures

FY 2025

4,180

Undergraduate students

942

Graduate students

306

Faculty

We seek answers in order to find the next questions.

Our mission

These are our objectives and how we accomplish them: As a premier institution of scientific learning, we connect the life, agricultural, environmental and social sciences to provide world-class education, spark unexpected discoveries and inspire pioneering solutions.

What we do

We are actively pursuing our mission to serve the public through our education, research and extension/outreach efforts. 

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Teaching passion-driven minds

Learn about a CALS education
Scientist and student with computers

Purpose-driven science in action

Explore our research
researchers in field

Sharing knowledge with the community

Learn about outreach and extension

Learn more about CALS

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Latest news, discoveries and breakthroughs

Explore the work we’re doing today and discover how it’s reshaping tomorrow.

gene editing

News

New technique holds promise for improved gene editing

A new engineered gene editing system addresses some of the limitations of current gene editing tools with the hope of improving their use for research, for better crops or to treat diseases.

  • Microbiology
Coral on the seafloor off the coast of Curaçao

News

Sea change: WildFin aims to improve fish behavior analysis in the wild

A doctoral student and a team of Cornell researchers and colleagues created WildFin, a data set composed of nine hours of video that they labeled frame-by-frame with fish behaviors.

  • Computational Biology
  • Animals
  • Fish
Oarfish

News

Mysterious oarfish’s fins inspire large underwater robot design

Oarfish, giant fish rarely spotted by humans, have hundreds of unique dorsal fin rays, which help propel the fish forward.

  • Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
  • Fish
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