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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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Research

Defying disciplinary boundaries to create measurable, scalable and enduring solutions since 1888.
A gloved hand holds up an agar plate teeming with Salmonella cells
Food scientists slice time off salmonella identification process
Researchers have developed a method to identify salmonella serotypes in a mere two hours, making it faster to ID sources of contamination.
Food scientists slice time off salmonella identification process
A man holding a large pallet of tomatoes in one hand and picking through tomato plants for additional tomatoes
Moonbeam adds a big bang of flavor to Galaxy tomatoes
Our newest grape tomato – Moonbeam – has joined a constellation of heirloom-style tomatoes in the 2020 High Mowing Organic Seeds catalog.
Moonbeam adds a big bang of flavor to Galaxy tomatoes
Hemp plants with narrow green leaves
Genetics, not field conditions, makes hemp ‘go hot’
A new study shows that a hemp plant’s tendency to become too high in THC is determined by genetics and not as a response to growing conditions.
Genetics, not field conditions, makes hemp ‘go hot’
A young woman in a lab coat and safety goggles holds a thin wire near an open flame on a bunson burner
Newly found bacteria fights climate change, soil pollutants
CALS researchers have found a new species of soil bacteria that is particularly adept at breaking down organic matter.
Newly found bacteria fights climate change, soil pollutants

Purpose-driven science? We literally wrote the book on it.

The first undergraduate textbooks in ,  and ? Check. The first successful integration of botany and zoology in 1967’s ? Check. A 1925 handbook of  that is still a primary resource on the subject? Check.

The research of Cornell CALS scientists, students and staff hasn’t just informed discovery and innovation, but it is also the foundation upon which fields of study have been built.

In this section

We accelerate purpose-driven science by supporting inquiry that crosses disciplinary boundaries and stretches from discovery to invention.

three overlapping red circles highlighting CALS research areas

The world is complex and intertwined, and bringing global challenges into focus takes more than one lens.

That’s why we focus on three overlapping spheres of inquiry. 

We work relentlessly to understand the systems that drive the human and natural worlds. We do this to promote the well-being of communities and to ensure access to sustainable food, energy and environmental resources.

Because no single discipline is able to address the complex problems facing our communities, CALS researchers collaborate across disciplines.

By working in and across multiple scientific areas, CALS is able to address the challenges and opportunities of the greatest relevance, here in New York, across the nation and around the world.

Research in lab

Undergraduate opportunities

Plant Science researchers working in a lab.
Graduate student grants

Opportunities include Andrew W. Mellon Student Research Grants, Arthur Boller Research Fund, Kieckhefer Adirondack Fellowships and Grant Proposal Application Instructions

researcher in field

Faculty research support

Biology Scholars Program

Supporting undergraduate diversity in biological sciences

Office of Research Development

Assisting faculty at all levels in creating research

students in group
researchers in lab

Did you know?

Explore some of the discoveries that have changed lives and industries.

Disease-resistant papaya

In the 1990s, he developed the first-ever transgenic, disease-resistant papaya that effectively saved Hawaii’s $11 million papaya industry.

Five-kingdom scheme

He proposed the five-kingdom scheme of classification for organisms in 1969, adding three kingdoms – Monera (bacteria), Protista and fungi – to the previous two – animals and plants.

Nine plant patents

She holds nine U.S. plant patents: four sweet cherries, one tart cherry and four apple varieties, including SnapDragon™ and RubyFrost.™

First molecular maps

He developed the first molecular maps of both rice and tomatoes.

Red wine benefits

He was first to discover that resveratrol in red wine is beneficial for human heart health.

World’s first “gene gun”

They developed the world’s first “gene gun,” a prototype of which is found in the National Museum of American History.

Latest news, discoveries and breakthroughs

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

Patches of green fields taken from above

News

Cornell Atkinson awards $1.4 million to new sustainability projects

Cornell Atkinson has awarded seed funding to nine interdisciplinary projects that address a range of sustainability topics.

  • Animal Science
  • Biological and Environmental Engineering
  • Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
Sam Alcaine

News

CALS professor turns yogurt byproduct into hard seltzer biz

The brand is a triple threat: it’s an alcoholic beverage with a better nutritional profile, it’s made from material that would otherwise go to waste – and it could eventually act as a model for dairy farmers looking for additional revenue.

  • Food Science
  • Food
A small grey and brown bird sitting on a branch

News

AI-powered BirdNET app makes citizen science easier

The free machine-learning powered tool can identify more than 3,000 birds by sound alone, generates reliable scientific data and makes it easier for people to contribute citizen-science data on birds by simply recording sounds.

  • Lab of Ornithology
  • Animals
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