Energy, Environment & Sustainability

Cornell is a global leader in sustainability and climate change research, teaching and engagement. Our campuses are living laboratories for developing, testing and implementing solutions that address these most challenging issues.


NSF to fund study on far-reaching algal bloom impacts

The NSF has awarded a $1.5 million grant for Cornell researchers to study the health dangers, changes in the lake food web and socioeconomic challenges when these algal blooms produce toxins.

NSF funding to help erase upstate NY’s digital divide

The NSF has awarded $1.5 million to Cornell engineers to help bridge New York’s digital divide by designing the nation’s first statewide Internet of Things public infrastructure.

Unplugged: Students build green trailer to energize tools

Around campus academic quads and residential areas, in the thick of autumn’s red and yellow leaves, soon there’ll be something green: a new tool-toting, solar power-generating trailer.

Device tracks house appliances through vibration, AI

To boost efficiency in typical households, Cornell researchers have developed a single device that can track 17 types of appliances using vibrations.

Two doctoral candidates named Borlaug Scholars

Jenna Hershberger and Ella Taagen, doctoral candidates in plant breeding, are among 10 graduate students nationwide who’ve been selected as National Association of Plant Breeders Borlaug Scholars.

Lost frogs rediscovered with environmental DNA

Scientists have detected signs of a frog listed extinct and not seen since 1968, using an innovative technique to locate declining and missing species in two regions of Brazil.

China’s green plan displaces villagers, forces inequity

As China creates more green space near its cities, the modernization plan – relocating 250 million rural villagers into urban centers by 2025 – has a dark side: socioeconomic inequity.

Alumni-fueled startups pitch clean-energy solutions

This year’s 76West Clean Energy Competition featured three Cornellian-led startups that could potentially generate economic development in the Southern Tier with clean-energy technology.

TCAT gears up for passenger, driver safety; route changes

For local transit buses this fall, the road through the COVID-19 pandemic is paved with safety, as TCAT’s fall service schedule starts Aug. 30 and runs through Thanksgiving.