Radical Collaboration

Cornell faculty are reaching across disciplines to tackle society’s most complex challenges and to make breakthrough discoveries. These radical collaborations—collisions of thoughts and perspectives from vastly different fields—lead to unexpected and unconventional solutions and deepen our thinking.


Minorities have broader view of environmental issues

Minorities and lower-income people are more likely than high-income people and whites to consider human factors such as racism and poverty to be environmental issues, a study co-led by Cornell researchers found.

Radical Collaboration sees new hires, custom approaches

More than three years into the provost’s Radical Collaboration initiative, about 15 faculty members have been hired across fields and colleges, partnerships continue to spark research and bold approaches, and the strategic task forces feeding the program are crafting their own approaches to the effort.

Muscle stem cells compiled in ‘atlas’

A Cornell research team led by Ben Cosgrove used a new cellular profiling technology to probe and catalog in a “muscle regeneration atlas,” the activity of almost every possible kind of stem cell involved in muscle repair.

Students swap skills to seek solutions at digital ag hackathon

Students in fields ranging from computer science and engineering to business, agriculture and animal science convened at the second Digital Agriculture Hackathon, Feb. 28-March 1, with a shared purpose: to combine their disparate skills to brainstorm ways to make the world a better place.

Lehmann, alum artificially age tech waste for new exhibit

Soil scientist Johannes Lehmann and Nathaniel Stern ’99 collaborated on experimental pyrolysis techniques to “age” modern technology and media – cellphones, laptops, tablets, floppy disks – for Stern’s art exhibit in Milwaukee.

Faculty forge archaeology partnership at Pompeii

Caitlín Barrett and Kathryn Gleason ’79 have been collaborating since 2016 on the excavation and survey of a large house and garden site, the Casa della Regina Carolina Project, at Pompeii in southern Italy.

Migrations initiative announces cross-campus awards

Cornell faculty members are finding answers to questions related to a world on the move with a boost from Cornell’s first Migrations grants, awarded by the “Migrations” Global Grand Challenge.

NYC Visioning projects host cross-campus events

The four faculty teams that received funding support through the President’s Visioning Committee on Cornell in New York City have conducted cross-campus workshops, hosted interdisciplinary talks and expanded their outreach.

Study: Infectious gut bacteria may predict UTI risk

Urinary tract infections in kidney transplant patients may be caused by bacteria that originate in the digestive tract, according to researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine.