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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

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

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

The first undergraduate textbooks in mammology, ornithology and food science? Check. The first successful integration of botany and zoology in 1967’s Biological Science? Check. A 1925 handbook of nature study 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

Undergraduate research

Discovering new genes

Cameron Xu ’26 is using biometry and statistics to help Cornell CALS animal science professor Vimal Selvaraj identify new genes. Together, they’re investigating how steroid hormones regulate the body’s processes, uncovering new knowledge that could advance cancer research and solve other human health challenges.

Explore synthetic biology at CALS
Play CALS Undergraduate Research Experience: Cameron Xu '26

Latest news, discoveries and breakthroughs

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

Dean Houlton poses with awardees at the Faculty and Staff Awards ceremony

News

CALS celebrates excellence at Faculty and Staff Awards ceremony
Faculty and staff from across Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (Cornell CALS) came together on March 2 to honor 49 awardees at the annual CALS Faculty and Staff Awards.
solar panels

News

Solar’s threat to NYS agriculture may be overstated

New York state farmers with solar leases say they’ll use the added revenue to invest in their farms, with many stating they don't plan to change their agricultural practices at all.

  • Ashley School of Global Development and the Environment
  • Agriculture
  • Solar
bobolink bird

News

Wildfire smoke silences grassland birds in NYS

In June 2023, smoke from Canadian wildfires dampened birds’ vocalizations in New York state, with a particularly negative effect on already imperiled grassland birds.

  • Ashley School of Global Development and the Environment
  • Natural Resources
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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

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Faculty research support