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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

16

Departments

7 departments shared with other Cornell colleges and schools

2

Schools

The Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics & Management
and the School of Integrative Plant Science

$275M

Total research expenditures

FY 2023

4,020

Undergraduate students

950

Graduate students

350

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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people discussing plants

Teaching passion-driven minds

Learn about a CALS education
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Purpose-driven science in action

Explore our research
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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.

A woman pushes a device into the ground in a farm field.

News

Compaction crisis: The unseen battle farmers face everyday
The effects of soil compaction on crop growth are often overlooked, especially compared to many other soil health indicators. In New York State, Kitty’ O Neil is determined to investigate its impacts on-farm. In recent years, scientists and...
  • Agriculture
  • Field Crops
  • Climate Change
Smallmouth bass swimming underwater

News

Invasive Adirondack smallmouth bass evolve to counter control efforts

The bass rapidly evolved to grow faster and invest more in early reproduction in response to efforts to eradicate them.

  • Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
  • Environment
  • Natural Resources
Cattle on a pasture

News

Dung beetles combat flies; insecticide overuse harms beetles
Anyone who has walked through a barn or cattle pasture in the summer knows that flies are a nuisance and even a health hazard. Face flies can spread diseases like pink eye to cattle, and horn flies – biting flies that live on cows and take up to...
  • Cornell Integrated Pest Management
  • Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station
  • Dairy
View more news & stories