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In our department we value science and education grounded in the natural history of organisms, and strive to understand the patterns and processes that structure communities and ecosystems, and drive evolutionary change over all geographical and time scales. As new methods provide insight into ecological and evolutionary mechanism and function, we seek to refine fundamental concepts, integrate findings into novel theory, and address environmental challenges. As a department we are committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and belonging - values that underlie all we do.
Cornell’s Experimental Ponds Facility is a research and teaching resource operated by our department. For over 50 years, a broad range of field and experimental projects have utilized the Ponds facility. Past and ongoing studies provide valuable insights and solutions into a variety of topics including: conservation of migratory birds; and a broadened understanding of nutrient and chemical pathways in aquatic environments. Research teams from EEB's Holgerson and Vitousek Labs are currently using the Ponds facility for their research programs.
Cornell students are gaining new opportunities to extend classroom learning beyond campus through the fall 2026 round of Engaged Opportunity Grants from the Einhorn Center for Community Engagement. Four of the five funded projects originate with College of Arts and Sciences faculty members.
Environmental photographer James Balog launches the 2026-27 schedule of Cornell's A.D. White Professors-at-Large Sept. 16-17 with a lecture on glacier retreat. The fall series also features visits from artists, scientists and public intellectuals across disciplines with many ties to the College of Arts and Sciences.
Twenty new faculty have joined the College of Arts & Sciences this year, strengthening departments and programs with their wide-ranging expertise and filling numerous leadership roles for the College and university.
Researchers including Christine Goodale of Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences developed a satellite-based method to track European spongy moth defoliation and improve forest pest management. The study also found warm, dry summers may help predict larger moth outbreaks the following year.
The group of 50 scholars will talk about how to build an undergraduate educational experience that crosses both disciplinary boundaries and institutional lines.