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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.

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

$293M

Total research expenditures

FY 2025

4,180

Undergraduate students

942

Graduate students

306

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.

people discussing plants

Teaching passion-driven minds

Scientist and student with computers

Purpose-driven science in action

researchers in field

Sharing knowledge with the community

Latest news, discoveries and breakthroughs

Explore the work we’re doing today and discover how it’s reshaping tomorrow.

Atlantic ocean shoreline

News

Life in the deep Atlantic depends on the Labrador Sea

The mixing waters in the Labrador Sea, sandwiched between Greenland and Newfoundland, provides enough oxygen to sustain life throughout the deep North Atlantic Ocean.

  • Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
  • Ecosystems
Louis Longchamps speaking to a group of people at a farm

News

Growers routinely conduct their own on-farm experiments, testing different seeds and management strategies to improve yields and long-term sustainability. But most growers don’t have the time, resources or expertise that scientists have to fully...
  • Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station
  • School of Integrative Plant Science
  • Soil and Crop Sciences Section
An adult European spongy moth.

News

Satellite-derived maps of defoliation caused by European spongy moths offer a promising solution for tracking pest outbreaks and for identifying large scale trends.

  • Cornell Atkinson
  • Ecology and Evolutionary Biology