Stories

Tom Corcoran stands with a shovel of soil.

New York Outcomes Fund spurs, supports growers’ sustainability efforts

Every day, in every county in New York, individuals, schools, businesses, entrepreneurs, local governments, families and communities depend on Cornell to turn discoveries into real-world solutions. As the state’s land-grant university, Cornell was founded to create knowledge with a public purpose and help ensure a vibrant, healthy future for all New Yorkers.

Commitment to New York State

Impact stories

A map of New York state.

Cost of living is top issue for Empire State Poll respondents

A poll conducted by the ILR School’s Center for Applied Research on Work found cost of living was New York residents’ most pressing concern.
A hand holding a beet.

Rooted in a Cornell collaboration, New York state is tops for beets

Experts at Cornell CALS and Cornell Cooperative Extension help farmers grow and market beets, producing 22.2% of the U.S. crop.
A Cornell Veterinary Medicine building.

One-stop bird flu resource center fills information gaps

Cornell’s online Avian Flu Resource Center provides reliable and accessible information for experts, stakeholders, and the general public.
Waterhemp.

Superweed in NYS found resistant to widely used herbicide

Cornell researchers found waterhemp to be highly resistant to glyphosate, suggesting that New Yorkers should be more judicious with its use.

CCE helps NY residents, businesses and communities thrive.

Experts at work

WATER CONSERVATION

Brian Rahm engages in collaborative and interdisciplinary work to address critical water resource issues in New York.

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ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

Joellen Lampman applies integrated pest management strategies to reduce tick-borne diseases around schools and communities.

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RESPONSIBLE AI

Allison Koenecke studies fairness in algorithmic systems to guide equitable practices in sectors such as employment and public health.

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Sustainable Farming

Joseph McFadden studies cattle respiration to track methane emissions, informing livestock nutrition and its environmental impact.

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Sustainable Energy

Max Zhang develops systems to make energy and communities more sustainable.

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CITY AND REGIONAL PLANNING

Zakhary Mallett is an expert in transportation pricing and travel behavior, including the cost effectiveness of urban rail transit.

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CLIMATE CRISES AND PUBLIC HEALTH

Alistair Hayden helps communities plan for the effects of climate disasters, such as installing air-quality detectors for wildfire smoke.

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Russell Weaver researches equitable economic development across the state, focusing on issues such as voting rights and internet access.

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HEALTH OUTCOMES AND EQUITY

Tashara Leak works with urban communities to improve the diet and overall health outcomes of adolescents.

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For more Cornell experts, contact:

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Cornell's Impact on New York State

Cornell research delivers results that matter all around the state.

Leedy's roseroot.

Cascadilla Gorge offers a safe haven for rare species

Seneca County

Cornell Botanic Gardens sustainably collected seeds from Seneca Lake to propagate and protect a rare wildflower.

Cornell graduate student Dana Russell plants strawberries in early September at a commercial solar farm in Ravena.

Solar panels soon may power, protect apple orchards

Ulster County

Cornell’s Hudson Valley Research Laboratory plans to shade more than 1,000 apple trees in its orchard with a canopy of solar panels.

Chris Pickerell.

Long Island Sound critical for fishers, families, CCE expert tells Congress

Suffolk County

An expert from Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Marine Program testified that federal funding is critical to protect the sound’s watershed.

An aerial view of Ithaca commons.

Students help Ithaca building owners see progress on emissions

Tompkins County

Cornell undergraduates have worked to calculate and share the progress of Ithaca’s initiative to reduce the carbon footprint of its commercial buildings.

Elyas Talda, a senior at Lehman Alternative Community School.

As Micron builds, Cornell NanoScale Facility develops a workforce

Cortland County

Cornell and Tompkins Cortland Community College are working together to develop career-readiness training for engineering students.

School buses driving down the road in a rural area.

School-based health clinics benefit rural NYS communities

Chenango County

In a rural part of upstate New York, students with access to school-based health centers received more medical care and missed less school.

Ithaca teens share their ideas for an inclusive community space with doctoral candidate Julia Jaffe.

Engaging youth leads to more inclusive public spaces

Monroe County

Professor Janet Loebach spearheaded the inclusion of youth in the planning and development of statewide projects for recreational space.

Members of the Saratoga County archery club practice at the county's 4-H Training Center.

NYS kids find community, confidence in 4-H shooting sports

Saratoga County

The inclusive 4-H program, offered in 38 counties, teaches the responsible use of firearms while also supporting youth development.

Serena Martin-Liguori speaks to media with supporters of the bill.

Students, formerly incarcerated women draft bill for NYS Assembly

Albany County

Students helped introduce new legislation protecting the rights of pre- and postnatal women in prisons and jails across New York.

An elderly woman looks out a window.

Resident-to-resident aggression common in assisted living

Westchester County

Researchers studied the prevalence and nature of resident aggression in assisted living facilities across multiple New York counties.

Binghamton skyline.

Southern Tier officials tap Cornell expertise to envision smart cities

Broome County

A multidisciplinary team of Cornell experts is helping Broome County plan how to optimize and streamline its infrastructure.

A pipe coming from the ground.

Biological remediation of methane emissions from abandoned oil and gas wells

Allegany County

Environmental engineering experts are building and testing biofilters on abandoned oil and gas wells to reduce methane emissions.

A farm damaged in a July 10 tornado in Eden, New York.

CCE helps Erie and Lewis counties weather storm disasters

Erie County

A network of experts across Cornell Cooperative Extension offices mobilize to share information and resources after weather emergencies.

Kailee Tomas uses a lighter to melt plastic litter collected from the Mohawk River.

Art brings science to life along the Mohawk River

Montgomery County

A multidisciplinary team of Cornell experts is helping Broome County plan how to optimize and streamline its infrastructure.

A man staring into the sun.

Online course helps veterinarians support rural mental health

Chautauqua County

Rural Minds, based in Western NY, and Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine have launched a free online course to address mental health challenges in rural communities.

A rendering of a fiberoptic cable.

Many low-income NYers rely on costly cell plans for internet access

Brooklyn County

Cornell helped identify New York households that were “underconnected” to high-speed internet access, including many Brooklyn residents.

Logan Lee.

Mussels helping mayflies flex in return to Oneida Lake

Madison County

Cornell researchers found that quagga mussels benefit mayfly populations, offering insight on this invasive species’ local impact.

Akshay Ajagekar assesses the growth of lettuce plants in a Guterman Lab greenhouse.

As Empire AI dawns, Cornell lays groundwork for public good

New York County

Cornell Tech is part of a $400 million artificial intelligence consortium, which will utilize a shared AI research facility for public good.