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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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Radar indicated bird migration on September 25, 2025 from BirdCast.

News

More than 1.2 billion birds streamed south Thursday night, the largest single-night total ever recorded by the live radar project BirdCast.

  • Lab of Ornithology
Illustration of gut bacteria

News

A new study in fruit flies describes how an animal’s gut reacts differently to beneficial microbes versus harmful pathogens.

  • Entomology
Graduate students check tomato plants.

News

An invention developed by two graduate students turns engineered tomato plants red when soil nitrogen levels are low.

  • Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Biology Section
A man reaches onto a shelf. He is wearing a lab coat.

Field Note

Originally from Ecuador, Cristhian Said Galvez Espinoza came to work with the Nutrient Management Spear Program last fall as an intern from Zamorano University. Earlier this year, he rejoined the team for eight months as a research technician...
  • Animal Science
  • Crops
  • Soil
Three boxes of tea bags along with two cups of prepared tea.

News

Yaupon holly is the only caffeinated plant native to the United States, yet its role as a morning pick-me-up has largely remained limited for centuries. But as tariffs threaten to hike the price of imported coffee and tea, yaupon appears set to...
  • Center of Excellence in Food and Agriculture
  • Cornell AgriTech
Turkana women walking in the desert

News

Changes in the genomes of the Turkana of northern Kenya reveal how they have evolved to survive in extreme desert conditions for thousands of years.

  • Computational Biology
Four people stand with their faces inside a Cornell CALS themed frame.

Field Note

This fall, four interns from Zamorano University, in Honduras, joined the Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP) team to sharpen their research skills before they graduate this November. Hailing from a number of different countries, these...
  • Animal Science
  • Environment
  • Soil
A new broccoli variety called “Northstar,”

News

A new broccoli variety, a co-hybrid between parents developed at Cornell and the global seed company Bejo Zaden, can withstand warmer, more unpredictable conditions such as the ones in the Northeastern U.S.

  • Cornell AgriTech
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Horticulture Section
group of students stand in front of poster boards, smiling

News

September 24, 2025 Awards Graduate student Rosie Nguyen received the Adam Smith Fellowship from the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. This one-year fellowship is aimed at doctoral students from any university and discipline who are...
Two people standing in a field with equipment.

Field Note

Originally from Belize, Aidan Villanueva was finishing up his studies at Zamorano University in Honduras when he joined the Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP) for a 3-month internship. Later, he returned to work with the team from January...
  • Animal Science
  • Agriculture
  • Environment
Courtney Davis headshot

Spotlight

Academic focus: Global biodiversity and ecoinformatics Research summary: My research addresses the accelerating biodiversity crisis by developing scalable, data-driven approaches to guide global conservation and sustainability efforts. My lab...
  • Natural Resources and the Environment Section
  • Biodiversity
Lirong Xiang headshot

Spotlight

Academic focus: Robotics and artificial intelligence in agriculture, controlled environment agriculture (CEA) Research summary: My research focuses on developing smart cyber-physical systems that integrate cutting-edge robotics, computer vision...
  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Agriculture
Aaron Sexton headshot

Spotlight

Academic focus: Urban ecology Research summary: I am an urban ecologist attempting to understand the processes and patterns that form urban plant and animal communities. Across systems, plants, insects, fish and birds, my lab uses data collected...
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plants
  • Horticulture
Ruben Portugues headshot

Spotlight

Academic focus: Mechanistic understanding of cognition Research summary: I am fascinated by how the brain represents a model of the world and how it can use this to plan and decide what to do. This structuring of knowledge and information...
  • Neurobiology and Behavior
Varsha Pathare headshot

Spotlight

Academic focus: Crop ecophysiology under environmental change Research summary: My research focuses on developing fundamental, mechanistic understanding of how CO2 and water move through the complex internal spaces inside leaves during...
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Soil and Crop Sciences Section
Camilo H. Parada-Rojas

Spotlight

Academic focus: Field crops pathology Research summary: We study diseases of major field crops in New York state with one goal: better decisions for growers. We ask how pathogen populations change under selection from host resistance, fungicides...
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section
Patrick Murphy headshot

Spotlight

Academic focus: I will be the lecturer for Genetics BIOMG 2800, which introduces students to basic principles in genetics and genomics, and provides an in-depth presentation of both classic and modern genetics mechanisms. I strive to inspire...
  • Molecular Biology and Genetics
Amelia Moore headshot

Spotlight

Academic focus: Environmental anthropology; ocean and environmental justice Research summary: Situated at the intersection of the social sciences, natural sciences and humanities, I am a holistic scholar focusing on research, pedagogy and...
  • Natural Resources and the Environment Section
Una Miller headshot

Spotlight

Academic focus: Physical oceanography, air-sea interaction Research summary: I am an oceanographer who uses observational data to study the physical processes that drive fluxes of heat, momentum and biogeochemical tracers in the ocean. My work...
  • Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Kade Keranen headshot

Spotlight

Academic focus: Environmental change in terrestrial and aquatic systems Research summary: My research integrates geophysical methods with computational approaches to study environmental and ecological change across terrestrial and aquatic...
  • Natural Resources and the Environment Section