SIPS Plant Biology Section
Without plants, life on earth would cease to exist. Plants shape our environment and provide us with food, medicine, clothing and shelter. Today we are faced with an unprecedented series of challenges — global climate change, food shortages, rapid loss of biodiversity and new and evolving diseases are threatening both the health of the planet as well as human health and well-being.
Through its broad-based and innovative studies of basic plant biology, the Plant Biology section at Cornell University's School of Integrative Plant Science is positioned to contribute real and impactful solutions to these problems at local, state, national and global scales. Learn more about the history of our section and the vision of our school.
Plant Biology
Center of research on fundamental biology of plant development, signaling, genetics, environmental interactions and systematics.
Graduate and undergraduate training
Plant Biology offers degrees and training opportunities at all stages of the educational pipeline.
Graduate field of plant biology
Students interested in obtaining an MS or PhD degree in the graduate field of plant Biology can select from a variety of research areas and concentrations, reflecting the broad diversity of faculty research in the Plant Biology Section.
Undergraduate — Plant sciences major
Undergraduates in the plant sciences major can select from a diverse set of concentrations including plant molecular, cellular and developmental biology, plant evolution and diversity, plant computational biology, and plants and human health.
Undergraduate — Plant Biology Concentration
Undergraduates majoring in biology can choose the plant biology concentration.
Undergraduate research — Plant Genome Internship
The NSF sponsored Plant Genome Internship introduces high school and undergraduate students to state-of-the-art techniques in plant biology and trains students in scientific ethics, laboratory safety, and data presentation.
Undergrad Research - other
The Office of Undergraduate Research provides information about exploring the wealth of research opportunities at Cornell.
The Honors Program in Biological Sciences is designed to offer advanced training in laboratory and field research through the performance of an original research project under the direct guidance of a member of the Cornell faculty.
Bailey Hortorium
News from the SIPS Plant Biology Section
Learn more about our recent developments and discoveries.
News
A Cornell research team led by Michael Scanlon, professor of plant biology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ School of Integrative Plant Science, recently reported new insights into the patterns of gene expression in maize stem...
Field Note
From navigating social distancing requirements to sending creative, do-it-yourself toolkits to their remote students, the CALS community has continued to persevere in the face of unprecedented challenges. Below, hear from several CALS faculty...
Field Note
This summer, we collaborated with Cornell Botanic Gardens to lead a 4-week online course for school-aged students called “Plants Have Families Too!” The material was adapted from the Botanic Gardens’ annual family botanical event, Judy’s Day...
News
Graduate students in six fields of study have designed an evolution lesson on speciation for undergraduate non-majors that applies active-learning techniques. The lesson, “What is Speciation, How Does It Occur, and Why Is It Important for...