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Gerald Chan poses with two attendees of CALS Innovation Day

News

CALS Innovation Day celebrates transdisciplinary research
AI-powered precision farming systems, smart insect traps for pest control and nutrient-enhanced crops were some of the projects showcased at the second CALS Innovation Day, hosted by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Research and...
  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Microbiology
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
Close up of blue microbes floating

News

Microbes that extract rare earth elements also can capture carbon

Cornell geochemists and synthetic biologists have collaborated to improve the efficiency of microbes that can dissolve rocks to extract critical minerals while speeding carbon sequestration from air.

  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Microbial biology
  • Environment
Blue lines streak across a black background

News

Electrons travel one of two routes in nano-biohybrid systems

Researchers have identified exactly what happens when a microbe receives an electron from a quantum dot: The charge can either follow a direct pathway or be transferred indirectly via the microbe’s shuttle molecules.

  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Biology
  • Solar
Lisa Kaltenegger, director of the Carl Sagan Institute, associate professor of astronomy and author of “Alien Earths: The New Science of Planet Hunting in the Cosmos,” said the thousands of exoplanets detected to date suggest there are “billions and billions” of possibilities for life beyond Earth. Photo by Sreang Hok.

News

Sagan celebrated for scientific mind – and imagination

In person and online Nov. 9, thousands attended an interdisciplinary program of research presentations and music celebrated Carl Sagan’s legacy on what would have been his 90th birthday.

  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Department of Communication
  • Biology

News

Microbe atlas could reveal how to mine critical metals sustainably

A Cornell-led team will use a $2 million National Science Foundation grant to develop a “microbe-mineral atlas,” a catalog of microorganisms and how they interact with minerals, key for mining critical metals used for generating sustainable...

  • Cornell Atkinson
  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
An oval bacteria with a tail on a purple background.

News

Low-cost microbe can speed biological discovery

To conduct low-cost and scalable synthetic biological experiments, Cornell researchers have created a new version of a microbe to compete economically with E. coli – a bacteria used to synthesize proteins.

  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Bacteria
  • Synthetic Biology
Bacteria under a microscope.

News

Little bacterium may make big impact on rare-earth processing

A hard-working bacterium may soon have a large influence on processing rare-earth elements that help run smartphones, electric cars and wind turbines in an eco-friendly way.

  • Cornell Atkinson
  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Biology
A sceientist examines something under a microscope.

News

Metal-loving microbes savor green way to refine rare earth

Cornell scientists have replaced the harsh chemical processing of rare earth elements – used to power electric cars, wind turbines and smartphones – with a benign practice called biosorption.

  • Cornell Atkinson
  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Environment

News

From methane to microbes: 2030 Project conveys first grants

Eleven 2030 Project grants were awarded to Cornell faculty for an array of fast-track climate solutions, including tools to help New York communities reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

News

Women Innovator Awards support diversity in invention

Three Cornell scientists were honored during a June 1 ceremony promoting women’s engagement in innovation and commercialization – part of Cornell’s efforts to elevate women inventors, who were awarded just 12.8% of all U.S. patents in 2019.

  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Environment
  • Planet

News

Cornell, startup receive $7M for novel clean energy tech

Cornell researchers and a startup have received more than $7 million in federal grants to advance novel clean energy research that includes wirelessly charging electric vehicles, low-carbon jet fuel and construction materials made from waste.

  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Energy
  • Environment
A synthetic crystal.

News

Bacteria could extract elements for modern tech sustainably
Cornell researchers are engineering bacteria to solve challenges of extracting rare earth elements from ore; the substances are vital for modern life but refining them after mining is costly, harms the environment and mostly occurs abroad.
  • Cornell Atkinson
  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Energy
Buz Barstow working in his lab at a lab bench

News

Bacteria may hold key for energy storage, biofuels
A new study identifies bacterial genes that may make it easier for scientists to engineer a bacteria that takes in renewable electricity and uses the energy to make biofuels.
  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Energy
  • Bacteria
a man attaches wires to a plastic tray

Spotlight

How can mining rare-earth elements become more sustainable?
In the search for more sustainable energy technologies, many of the solutions humans are turning to – rechargeable batteries, massive wind turbines, electric cars, LED lighting – rely on what are known as rare-earth elements. There are 17 rare...
  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
  • Energy
Microbes sitting on top of blue, orange and yellow colored squares

News

Engineers go microbial to store energy, sequester CO2
The key: Let bioengineered microbes do all the work. Buz Barstow, assistant professor of biological and environmental engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and doctoral candidate Farshid Salimijazi have assembled...
  • Cornell Atkinson
  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Microbial biology
Clear round dishes sitting on a lab bench

News

Using microbes, scientists aim to extract rare-earth elements
Most of the world’s rare-earth elements – there are 17 on the periodic table – have been mined in China for the past quarter-century, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. But the mining and finishing processes there create toxic waste and...
  • Cornell Atkinson
  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Buz Bastos stands by a window in his lab.

Field Note

Buz Barstow: Resuming research during the pandemic
In March, the pandemic put a pause on most hands-on research. Learn how Professor Buz Barstow and his team kept working on sustainable energy technologies from home and hear how his lab has changed now that campus is starting to re-open.
  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Health + Nutrition
  • Biology
a close up of a plastic tray used to separate bacteria genes

News

Small Grants Program funds bioengineering project to turn rare earth metals into sustainable energy
With the help of funding from the Small Grants Program offered by the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, postdoctoral researcher Alexa Schmitz is using bacteria to create an efficient and environmentally responsible method for...
  • Cornell Atkinson
  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Biology