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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

$292M

Total research expenditures

FY 2024

4,020

Undergraduate students

942

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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Teaching passion-driven minds

Learn about a CALS education
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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.

a group of people in front of a high tunnel with crops

News

Cornell researchers help North Country farmers extend growing seasons
At Wild Work Farm in the North Country’s Keene Valley, the last frost can come as late as mid-June, and the first frost usually hits in September, said owner and operator Lissa Goldstein. Coping with that very short growing season is one of...
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
  • Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station
  • Willsboro Research Farm
Sunny Jung (left) places a tomato in a prototype bubbler for cleaning produce while Yany Lin films the experiment with a camera.

News

Tiny bubbles, sound waves clean produce safely and effectively

A bubble bath with a constant acoustic sound in the water may be the best chemical-free, gentle method for cleaning agricultural produce.

  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
Yicong Fu, mechanical engineering doctoral student, injects dye into his custom-built, bio-inspired thermal dispenser to observe how particles disperse.

News

Fish gill-inspired panels reveal path to efficient thermal mixing

Researchers have developed a bio-inspired approach to mixing heat and molecules in fluids – findings that could inform future biomedical devices, heat exchangers and soft robotics.

  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
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