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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.

Two researchers work in a lab: one holds equipment, while the other observes. A red banner on the right reads: To do the greatest good: A campaign for Cornell University."

Pioneering Life Science Breakthroughs

Moonshot thinking

From biomolecules, genes, and evolution to human behavior, development and communication, species composition, biodiversity conservation and the biosphere.

To thrive in this solutions century, we must decode the complex, interlocking systems that underpin life. We’ll investigate the fundamentals of molecular and cellular biology that sustain human, animal and plant health and examine the dynamics of our interdependent ecosystems—with an eye on unlocking new technologies and approaches to solve global problems.

Research Spotlight

Marcus Smolka

Marcus uncovered a novel pathway that explains how cancer cells become resistant to chemotherapies, which in turn offers a potential solution for preventing chemo-resistance.

Learn more about Marcus Smolka and his work.

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Opportunities to support

Faculty, program support & research

CALS globally recognized faculty are the cornerstone of our reputation as a premier institution of scientific learning. Support CALS faculty and graduate students working on a multitude of issues around life science breakthroughs.

Student support & affordability

Scholarships enable Cornell to recruit and enroll the most promising scholars and garner a diverse student population. CALS supports students to ensure their success through programs such as peer mentoring, E3, CALS navigator, and experiential learning opportunities.

Flexible impact

Establishing a named Moonshot fund or supporting the established Pioneering Life Science Breakthroughs Moonshot Fund offers CALS leadership the greatest flexibility to take advantage of innovative and emerging opportunities, and will be used to bolster CALS' strengths in support of initiatives focused on pioneering life science breakthroughs.

Show your support

Make your gift to a moonshot
Graduate students study in the Department of Communication
Graduate students Byungdoo Kim and Swati Pandita study in the Department of Communication. Credit: Justin James Muir

The impact of giving

Cornell doctoral student Isabella Marie Errigo and Indigenous partners collect eDNA samples from a remote river in the Ecuadorian Amazon, helping communities assess aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem health across a range of environmental conditions.

News

Student, Indigenous partners use eDNA to aid biodiversity in Ecuador

A Cornell graduate student and indigenous Ecuadorian partners are sampling eDNA in Amazonian riverways to understand how gold mining and other human disturbances impact aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem health.

  • Cornell Atkinson
  • Ashley School of Global Development and the Environment
  • Biodiversity
Yuqing Chen, a doctoral student and the study’s first author, searches for and counts baby oysters attached to shells in trays in Yonkers, New York.

News

Farmed oysters may boost New York’s dwindling wild populations

A new study offers genetic evidence and proof that farmed eastern oysters are adding to and breeding with wild eastern oyster populations in the western and central Long Island Sound.

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