A&S launches Cornell in Los Angeles semester study away
The program will place students in Hollywood for a semester of coursework, networking, and cultural immersion.
Light causes atomic layers to do the twist
Using a Cornell-built instrument and Cornell-built high-speed detector, a team of researchers captured atomically thin materials responding to light with a dynamic twisting motion.
Universities’ role in society goes beyond education, research
Americans broadly agree that universities should engage in a range of societal issues beyond their core education and research missions – while avoiding political activism, new economics research finds.
Physicist John Reppy wins Buckley Prize
Reppy was recognized along with David Bishop, Ph.D. ’78, for "groundbreaking experiments" they did on helium 50 years ago.
How to spot life in the clouds on other worlds
Cloud cover is bad for picnics and for viewing stars through a telescope. But an exoplanet with dense or even total cloud cover could help astronomers searching for signs of life beyond our planet, Cornell researchers have found.
Translation offers English readers passage to satirical ‘Island of Hermaphrodites’
The novel, published anonymously in 1605, is "a very funny critique of court life that resonates for anyone dealing with very hierarchical institutions in which the exercise of power is often inscrutable and seemingly random,” says professor Kathleen Perry Long.
‘National hero’ honor for Suharto speaks to enduring authoritarian influence in Indonesia
President Prabowo’s decision to confer the title underscores how Suharto’s legacy continues to shape Indonesian politics today, says a Cornell government professor who studies political and economic systems in Southeast Asia.
Chemist Geoffrey Coates wins Benjamin Franklin Medal
Prof. Coates is being recognized “for transformative work at the interface of chemical catalyst design and polymer science, leading to novel ways of making biodegradable and recyclable plastics.”
Right or left, low-quality news links popular on social media
The spread of dubious headlines on social media isn’t just a right-wing thing – it's a social media thing, according to new research from psychology professor David Rand ’04.
Combining humanities and tech for research gains
An interdisciplinary project involving faculty, staff and graduate students is sparking collaborations among those interested in computational, digital and data-driven approaches to the study of history, languages and culture.
Building university cultures of open inquiry: Nov. 18 talk
John Tomasi, the inaugural president of Heterodox Academy, will speak on “The University at a Crossroads – and How We Can Build Cultures of Open Inquiry” as part of a series of events organized by the Provost’s Committee on the Future of the American University.
Commemorating composer, pianist, pedagogue Louise Farrenc Nov. 14-15
The two-day event features performances of Farrenc’s chamber music on historical instruments, a reimagining of the salon culture in collaboration with the Johnson Museum of Art, and scholarly presentations.
Is Mamdani’s win indicative of a new wave in national politics? Not likely says Cornell expert
New York City is too unique for Mamdani's victory to mean much for national politics, says professor of government Richard Bensel.
How hundreds of letters home connect a Cornellian family
A student chronicled her life in the ’50s and ’60s—then shared those memories with her daughter and granddaughter – who's now an A&S alumna.
Lund debate kicks off yearlong conversation on foreign aid
Faculty members discussed the value of international aid in the wake of the Trump administration’s policy that froze foreign assistance.
Alumni gift endows director position for Jewish Studies Program
The $5 million gift from Joseph Lubeck ’78 offers the Jewish Studies Program foundational support for the future.
Historian to explore state of American sports in 2025 Seymour Lecture
Author and historian Kevin Baker will examine the paradox at the heart of modern American sports: while there are more games and sports than ever before, access has become increasingly limited and costly.
Redbones and racial nuance in Louisiana Lumber War
Klarman Fellow Kendall Artz wants to push beyond the assumption – one replicated by scholars – that company rosters and state records hold all there is to know about racial expression.
Nathan Seiberg explores frontiers of physics in 2025 Bethe Lecture
Seiberg, professor in the School of Natural Sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study, will explore string theory and other aspects of scientific progress.
Medical anthropologist to deliver annual Society for Humanities lecture
Stacey Langwick, associate professor of anthropology in the College of Arts & Sciences, will speak on "Healing in a Toxic World: Reimagining the Times and Spaces of the Therapeutic."
Startup bets their superfast microbe can rewrite biotech
Researchers develop a new bacterium that can absorb DNA directly from its surroundings and incorporate it into its own genetic code.
To disclose or not to disclose good deeds, that is the do-gooder dilemma
A new study explores how people feel about sharing their good deeds.
Neural implant smaller than salt grain wirelessly tracks brain
Cornell researchers and collaborators have developed a neural implant so small that it can rest on a grain of salt, yet it can wirelessly transmit brain activity data in a living animal for more than a year.
Symposium celebrates 25 years of bridging language barriers
“The Future of Language Advocacy” on Nov. 15 will feature Cornell Translator Interpreter Program founders Fatema Sumar ‘01 and alumna Joyce Muchan ‘97.
Summoning religion, mythology and memory ‘Within the Shop of the Divine’
A Saint Anthony statue that glows in the dark lights the way into poems that connect people beyond death, visit holy sites, consider Satanic bargains and consult astrology.
Nobel laureate Richard Thaler delights in the human side of economics
Richard Thaler, a Nobel laureate who was a professor at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management from 1978 to 1995, spoke Oct. 17 at the Alice Statler Auditorium.
Academic integrity and generative AI focus of PWGIA event
A keynote and faculty panel on Nov. 12 will focus on how faculty can communicate their generative AI-related expectations to students, how students can take accountability for their work, and what this looks like in practice.
Faculty win Bezos grants to use AI for environmental challenges
Cornell has won three of 15 major grants from the Bezos Earth Fund, awarded to leverage artificial intelligence in the fight against climate change and environmental challenges.
Plan to conduct nuclear tests comes with enormous risks, says Cornell expert
Where and how the tests will happen are important questions, says military historian David Silbey, as last confirmed nuclear test by the United States was in 1992.
SNAP benefit lapse: U.S. ‘officially losing’ war on poverty
The loss of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits November 1 if the government shutdown holds benefits will have profound repercussions for democracy, says government scholar Jamila Michener.
Indonesian women created a political voice through gendered care work
In "Domestic Nationalism," Chiara Formichi argues that during the 1920s to 1950s, Indonesian women’s domestic activities contributed to nation-building as a political project.
The long, deep dig: Collaboration excavates the ancient city of Sardis
A collaboration between Cornell and Harvard has continuously excavated the ancient city.
TCAM brunch highlight’s women’s history at Cornell
Cornell historian Corey Earle shared stories of remarkable women throughout Cornell’s history during an Oct. 25 brunch as part of the Trustee Council Alumni Meeting.
Now in 3D, maps begin to bring exoplanets into focus
Astronomers have generated the first three-dimensional map of a planet orbiting another star, revealing an atmosphere with distinct temperature zones – one so scorching that it breaks down water vapor, a team co-led by a Cornell expert reports in new research.
New digital collections preserve, examine Cornell history
Newly published digital collections at Cornell University Library explore areas of Cornell history. Freely accessible online, the three new collections were digitized from materials held in Cornell University Library’s Rare and Manuscript Collections.
Civil War still haunts American attitudes toward democracy
A new book by Shirley Samuels examines the story behind today’s divided America in literature and art created during and soon after the Civil War.
New view of electrocatalytic intermediates could boost hydrogen production
Researchers used single-molecule super-resolution reaction imaging in the study.
Once tadpoles lose lungs, they never get them back
Tadpole species that lost their lungs through evolution never re-evolve them, even when environmental change would make it advantageous.
Which discipline should survive the end of the world?
Five professors from across campus will advocate that their discipline is the most important to save for the future in the annual Apocalypse Debate Nov. 6.
Hidden markets unveiled in talk by Wharton economist Nov. 4
Wharton economist Judd Kessler will pull back the curtain on the hidden markets that determine who gets what in everyday life.
Your October 2025 reads
This month’s featured titles include short stories, a fantasy book for tweens, and a scholarly look at Carmen adaptations – all by Arts & Sciences alumni and faculty.
Election of Japan’s first female PM isn’t a win for women, says Cornell historian
Sanae Takaichi’s election may seem surprising in a country that ranked lowest among OECD nations in women’s political representation as recently as 2023, but it is not a victory for gender equality, says professor Kristin Roebuck.
New Cornell startup targets faster, cheaper greener testing
Newly admitted into the Praxis Center business incubator, Quantera aims to improve scientific sample collection.
Objects from famous shipwreck tell deeper stories
La Pérouse’s expedition, wrecked in 1788, was intended to rival those of British explorer Captain James Cook and to bring the French renown in scientific knowledge. Through the visual materials related to the voyage and its wreck, Kelly Presutti tells a larger story about the enterprise of empire.
Cornell team finds new way to cut cancer’s lipid lifeline
Researchers have uncovered molecules that can preserve crucial cellular processes while blocking malignant proteins, indicating a new approach to fighting cancer.
Event considers political lessons learned from COVID
A Nov. 13 event sponsored by the College of Arts & Sciences will feature reflections on the political and social context and consequences of the Covid epidemic.
U.S. returning to ‘familiar pattern’ of interventionism in Latin America
Trump's move to cut aid to Columbia and enact tariffs is the latest in a string of escalating tensions between the U.S. and countries in Latin America, says Cornell government professor Ken Roberts.
Alum and former Law School dean named president of Georgetown
An A&S College Scholar who clerked for the U.S. Supreme Court, Eduardo Peñalver ’94 currently leads Seattle University.
Student spotlight: Aleesha George
Aleesha George, a doctoral candidate in chemistry and chemical biology, studies the optical and electronic properties of organic and hybrid materials under the guidance of Andrew Musser at Cornell.
Cracking the code of chaos
Using time-delay snapshots, researchers led by mathematician Yunan Yang have introduced a new way to identify the underlying dynamics of unpredictable systems, such as the atmosphere and turbulent fluids.