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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
Scientist and student with computers

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 person works on a production line wearing protective gear

News

Modeling tool protects worker health and food chain security

Researchers have created a computer model that can help produce farms and food processing facilities control COVID-19 outbreaks, keeping workers safe and the food chain secure.

  • Food Science
  • Food
Melanie Lyons, M.Eng ’22, biomedical engineer at Llume; Roy Cohen, co-founder of TETmedical; and Ricardo Garcia de Alba, CEO of Meiogenix, show the certificates and mugs they received at the April 15 incubator graduation ceremony at Weill Hall.

News

Cornell incubators propel startups toward real-world impact

Cornell’s incubator Class of 2025, composed of startups Llume, Meiogenix and TETmedical, is advancing innovations in human performance monitoring, non-GMO plant breeding and neurological critical care.

  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Biology Section
  • Agriculture
Vesna Bacheva, a postdoctoral associate in CROPPS, tests part of a prototype system designed to detect a stress response in a gene-encoded reporter plant.

News

Century-old mystery of plant communication solved

Researchers at the Center for Research on Programmable Plant Systems have taken a major step toward advancing two-way communication with plants.

  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Plant Biology Section
  • Communication
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