News

Two people in white work overalls and red helmets are dwarfed by the white panels of a large domed roof they are repairing – the U.S. Capitol Building — Jon Reis Vertical Access founders at work atop the U.S. Capitol Building

Alumni

Look, up in the sky! It's two alums inspecting buildings and bridges!

10/1/2026 Cornellians

Evan Kopelson ’94, an alum of Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences and Kent Diebolt ’82 are the co-founders of Vertical Access. The company inspects iconic structures using rope-access techniques.

Jackson selected for Kluge Chair in Technology and Society

10/1/2026 Cornell Bowers CIS

Cornell University vice provost Steven Jackson was named the fall 2026 Kluge Chair in Technology and Society at the Library of Congress. A professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, Jackson will research American computing in the library's collections.

A section of the moon showing craters against the blackness of space — NASA/MIT/JPL/Sally Ride Science One of the re-discovered MoonKAM images

Astronomy

Exploring the solar system through Cornell’s image library

9/30/2026 A&S Communications

Cornell’s Spacecraft Planetary Image Facility recovered and is restoring lost MoonKAM lunar images requested by thousands of middle school students during NASA’s GRAIL mission. The Cornell University image library also trains researchers in planetary data analysis and preserves access to decades of spacecraft imagery.

Literatures in English

Reeve Parker, professor emeritus of literatures in English, dies at 89

9/30/2026 Cornell Chronicle

A. Reeve Parker, professor emeritus of literatures in English in Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences, died Sept. 16 in Ithaca, New York, at age 89. A scholar of British Romanticism, he taught at Cornell from 1967-2009.

Freedom and Free Societies

Critic and art historian speaks on art, architecture and democracy

9/30/2026 A&S Communications

At a talk hosted by Cornell University’s Program on Freedom and Free Societies on Oct. 19, Brian T. Allen will discuss how democracies judge art and architecture. The event explores standards of artistic quali-ty, civic design debates and public influence on cultural decision-making.

Classics

Ancient texts offer timely lessons on speaking freely

9/30/2026 Cornell Chronicle

A new book by classicist Michael Fontaine, Cornell College of Arts and Sciences, connects ancient debates on free speech to modern concerns about misinformation, dissent and open inquiry. His new translations of Plato and Lucien examine expression, tolerance and disagreement.

Students in two lines on the steps of a campus building, in orange shirts and holding signs saying "every child matters" — AIISP Cornell Orange Shirt Day Remembrance Walk on September 30, 2025

AIISP

Films to watch for Orange Shirt Day, Sept. 30

9/29/2026 A&S Communications

Cornell Cinema and the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program recommend films for Orange Shirt Day on Sept. 30 that examine Indigenous residential and boarding school histories. The Cornell University initiative highlights Indigenous resilience, truth and reconciliation, and includes a remembrance walk beginning at Caldwell Hall.

Person looking at a display of photos in a room of a house. An ornage rug covers the floor — Sheryl Sinkow/for the Society for the Humanities Arriving at the Society for the Humanities' 60th anniversary event in the A. D. White House, Maddie Reynolds, PhD ’21, former Humanities Scholars Program Postdoctoral Associate, views photos of Society activities

Society for the Humanities

Society for the Humanities celebrates 60 years as incubator for innovative research

9/25/2026 A&S Communications

Cornell’s Society for the Humanities marked its 60th anniversary Sept. 18-19 with events celebrating six decades of humanities research and collaboration. Based in the College of Arts & Sciences, the Society has hosted more than 800 fellows.

Looking out over mountains — Ghana Shyam Khadka/Unsplash Nepal

Anthropology

After a devastating disaster, Nepal faces the challenge of giving it a name

9/25/2026 A&S Communications

… A Nepalese committee is considering scientific classification and a name for the Aug. 26 mountain disaster. Kathryn March, anthropologist in … Following the devastating Aug. 26 disaster in the Lende-Bhotekoshi-Trishuli corridor, … event and recommend both a scientific classification and an official name. Kathryn March is a graduate professor of …

Person holding up a copy of a newspaper — Provided Finley Williams '25 with a Daily Sun front page sporting her byline

Alumni

It's a tough time to be a writer – but I'm following my dream

9/25/2026 Cornellians

Finley Williams ’25, who majored in American studies in Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences, is pursuing a journalism career. She overcame doubts to land a newspaper job covering socioeconomic change in New England.

Awards and Honors

Military historian Barry Strauss receives U.S. Naval War College Hattendorf Prize

9/24/2026 A&S Communications

Barry Strauss, College of Arts & Sciences professor emeritus at Cornell University, received the 2026 Hattendorf Prize from the U.S. Naval War College for lifetime achievements in military history research and writing. The biennial award was presented Sept. 9, and Strauss delivered a lecture on sea power’s modern lessons from ancient Greece and Rome.

Freedom & Free Societies

How to speak freely examined in eCornell event Oct. 6

9/24/2026 A&S Communications

Cornell President Michael I. Kotlikoff and classics professor Mike Fontaine will discuss free speech and leadership Oct. 6 at Cornell University. The eCornell Keynote opens the Program on Freedom and Free Societies series.

Hands on a laptop keyboard — Glenn Carstens-Peters/Unsplash

Psychology

AI chatbots can meaningfully change voters’ attitudes

9/23/2026 A&S Communications

Many voters will use AI platforms to prepare for midterm elections. The most important question, says Cornell College of Arts and Sciences professor David Rand, isn’t whether AI will shape how voters think; it’s who’s steering it and toward what.

Gold folded objects in rows of six on a baby blue background with wires connecting them — Provided False-color scanning electron micrograph of an array of released artificial cilia before they are put into motion. The cilia are electronically synchronized by temperature-sensing circuits to generate programmable fluid pumping

Physics

Microscopic robots inspired by fireflies, cilia, sync to reshape surroundings

9/23/2026 Cornell Chronicle

Physic researchers in Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences have made robots that for the first time can sense the temperature of their surroundings and react together to change it. Inspired by termites, fireflies and cilia, the synchronized robots could enable future medical and agricultural applications.

Black critical thought

Black Critical Thought Symposium to be held Oct. 2

9/23/2026 A&S Communications

Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences will host a Black Critical Thought Symposium Oct. 2. The free event will feature interdisciplinary faculty and student presentations on Black studies, culminating in a keynote conversation with cultural theorist and poet Fred Moten.

Barbara Finlay, with reddish hair just below her ears, sitting at a picnic table with a big smile on her face — Provided Barbara Finlay

Psychology

Barbara Finlay, psychology professor emerita, dies at age 75

9/23/2026 Cornell Chronicle

Barbara Finlay, the W.R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Psychology Emerita in Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences, died Sept. 12. She is remembered as an award-winning scholar who challenged traditional thinking regarding psychology and brain function, died Sept. 12.

Looking over a waterway at a dry coastline; boats in the water — Oksana/Unsplash View of Egypt from the Red sea

History

Houthi gains threaten global oil supplies: ‘Ready for $10-a-gallon gas?’

9/22/2026 A&S Communications

Houthi control of key Red Sea territory is raising risks to global shipping and oil supplies. A Cornell College of Arts and Sciences historian says growing threats to major trade routes could increase economic pressure and energy costs worldwide.

Mathematics

Mathematics isn't just a game to let AI solve. History shows why.

9/22/2026 New York Times

AI is rapidly solving longstanding math problems, prompting debate about the future of mathematical discovery. In the New York Times, mathematicians from Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences argue that human experimentation and problem-solving remain essential to understanding and advancing the field.

Science and Technology Studies

Light pollution’s ‘transformation of night’ requires prompt action

9/22/2026 Cornell Chronicle

Professor Sara B. Pritchard’s book "Transforming Night" examines rising light pollution and its environmental impacts. In it, the Cornell College of Arts & Sciences scholar traces artificial illumination’s rapid growth, links it to environmental justice, and urges action on satellite-driven nighttime brightness.

Map of the United States, shown partially — Hans/Unsplash

Science and Technology Studies

Why Trump's map wars matter

9/21/2026 MSNBC

History teaches us that maps and the names, territories and landmarks they include or exclude always have political consequences, Cornell science and technology studies scholar Christine Leuenberger writes in an opinion article for MSNBC.

Pillars of the White House seen from across a lawn

Government

Trump heads into Xi meeting weaker than after Beijing visit, says Cornell expert

9/18/2026 A&S Communications

A Cornell College of Arts & Sciences professor warns that the U.S. is entering talks with China at a disadvantage, compared with earlier this year. Rare earths, Taiwan arms talks and election pressures could strengthen China’s negotiating position.

Stage showing a grand piano with someone playing it, and a singer standing at a microphone, wearing a long, full dress — Provided Daniel Anastasio Performing with his chamber music group, Agarita.

Alumni

Find classical music stuffy? This alum plays a different tune

9/17/2026 Cornellians

Pianist Daniel Anastasio ’11, who was a music and philosophy major in Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences, is on a mission to make classical music welcoming.Through social media videos and live performances he breaks down classical music for new and casual listeners.

book cover: The Photographic World Picture

History of Art and Visual Studies

Photographer’s eye illuminates history of modern painting

9/17/2026 Cornell Chronicle

In his new book, “The Photographic World Picture: A New Prehistory of Photography,” associate professor Andrew Moisey describes how key aspects of photography’s “mechanical subjectivity” were present in early modern painting.

Government

Compassion over cruelty: a call for empathy in incarceration

9/17/2026 Cornell Chronicle

Cornell College of Arts & Sciences professor Joseph Margulies advocates forgiveness over punishment in the new book, "Cast Out: A Call for a Forgiving Society in an Age of Incarceration." Drawing on decades of criminal defense work, he argues for a more humane criminal justice system rooted in compassion.

Person working to adjust a very complicated piece of machinery — Chris Kitchen/College of Arts and Sciences Using a new technique, Paul Malinowski and other researchers in Kyle Shen’s lab found that iron selenide’s superconducting “dome” is more closely linked to resistance caused by imperfections in its crystal lattice than to the number of electrons flowing through the crystal.

Physics

Disorder is key to tuning a high-temperature superconductor

9/16/2026 A&S Communications

… has more electrons in it, Malinowski said. “But that means every time you want to change the number of electrons, you … is that a lot of work; you’re also changing the material every time so other things might be changing that you don’t … “The novel thing here is we can do it all at once in a very comprehensive way,” he said. “That turned out to be …

Literary scholarship

When worldbuilding impulses merge with real world politics

9/15/2026 A&S Communications

“Reactionary Worldbuilding,” a book co-edited by Cornell College of Arts and Sciences scholar Anindita Banerjee, explores how speculative fiction and worldbuilding have influenced extremist ideologies and political movements. The collection examines links between imagination, reactionary politics and real-world social change.

Sociology

Leading scholar of extremism to give University Lecture

9/15/2026 A&S Communications

Cynthia Miller-Idriss ’94 will deliver a Cornell University Lecture examining links between misogyny and violent extremism. The leading scholar’s Sept. 30 talk, co-sponsored by departments in the College of Arts and Sciences, draws on her book “Man Up,” exploring gender-based violence as a predictor of radicalization.

Lettters "A" and "I" on a field of purple — Steve A Johnson/Unsplash

Psychology

Can AI boost open-mindedness? Team wins $1.49M grant to find out

9/15/2026 Cornell Chronicle

Cornell University received a $1.49 million grant to study how artificial intelligence can measure and increase open-mindedness. The College of Arts & Sciences-led project will examine cognitive, ethical and social factors that influence belief change and intellectual openness.

An instructor leans on a table to share something with four students — Serge Petchenyi/Cornell University Center for Teaching Innovation Alexandra Werth, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and member of the Duffield Engineering Education Research Institute, teaching a seminar in biomedical engineering

Education research

NSF grant to explore whether AI can support students’ critical thinking

9/14/2026 A&S Communications

Cornell has received a $750,000 NSF grant to study AI-powered reflection tools that build student critical thinking skills. Researchers in biology and physics in the College of Arts & Sciences, as well as in engineering, will evaluate whether personalized AI prompts improve learning.

Curriculum

A&S offers new science, technology and society major

9/14/2026 A&S Communications

An innovative major in the College of Arts & Sciences is being expanded and refined to highlight its combination of science, social science and the humanities and its relevance to careers today.

Cornell's central campus with lake beyond

Government

BRICS, not Washington, is shaping the global agenda says Cornell expert

9/11/2026 A&S Communications

Allen Carlson, a political scientist on Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences, argues that the expanded BRICS bloc, led by China and India, increasingly shapes international affairs over Washington. BRICS leaders meet in India as experts assess shifting global power dynamics.

Illustration of red dots and boxes with lines connecting them, superimposed over a pixelatied photo of a sunny field under a blue sky with clouds — Laila Milevski/Cornell University

Neurobiology and behavior

Device gives first view of animal brain activity in the field

9/11/2026 Cornell Chronicle

Cornell researchers in the College of Arts and Sciences developed WILD, a tiny wireless device that records brain activity in animals moving through natural environments. The open-source technology enables long-term neuroscience studies of social behavior beyond traditional laboratory settings.

Literatures in English

How writer Jean Toomer envisioned an American race beyond color

9/10/2026 Cornell Chronicle

A new biography reveals how Harlem Renaissance writer Jean Toomer’s vision of a new American race shaped both the creation of his modernist novel "Cane" and his struggle with racial identity. The study, by Cornell College of Arts and Sciences literature scholar George Hutchinson, reexamines Toomer’s legacy and complex views on race.

blue-green statue of a seated person atop a stone pedestal — Sreang Hok/Cornell University A.D. White Professors-at-Large series

A. D. White Professors-at-Large

Environmentalist photographer kicks off A.D. White Professors-at-Large series

9/10/2026 Cornell Chronicle

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.

Person holding a microphone, gesturing and smiling — Mindy Tucker/Provided Leiby performing her one-woman show.

Alumni authors

'It's a love letter to all the terrible aspects of my personality'

9/10/2026 Cornellians

In her memoir, "I’m a Lot: Surviving Myself and All the People I’ve Been.," TV writer and stand-up performer Alison Leiby ’06, a Cornell College of Arts & Sciences alum, tackles comedy, tragedy, and more. The book is featured on the Cornellians website.

Kids in hats and jackets huddled together to look at something one of them is holding — Provided Ecology and Evolutionary Biology assistant professor Molly Womack holds Spotted salamander larvae (Ambystoma maculatum) for observation.

Community engagement

Engaged Opportunity Grants connect students with community partnerships

9/10/2026 Cornell Chronicle

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.

Two people sitting on a blanket on a grassy slope, facing a golden and orange sunset — Sreang Hok/Cornell University Students on Libe Slope

Science and Technology Studies

Cornell Unplugged encourages mindful tech use, social connection

9/10/2026 Cornell Chronicle

Leading a university-wide Cornell Unplugged event Sept. 14-20 is Cornell College of Arts and Sciences professor Steven Jackson, Sustainable Computing Working Group chair and vice provost for academic innovation. He says the event promotes smart and thoughtful tech.

Awards and honors

Chemistry professor honored for work on biodegradable polymers

9/10/2026 Cornell Chronicle

Geoffrey Coates, a chemistry and chemical biology professor in Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences, won the Balzan Prize for advancing sustainable polymers, The honor recognizes his developments of high-performance degradable and recyclable materials while supporting future research.

Person standing in front of a small class, gesturing — Sreang Hok/Cornell University Full Teaching Professor Brenda Schertz, coordinator of the ASL/Deaf Studies Program in Arts & Sciences’ linguistics department, teaches in Morrill Hall

Faculty news

Title of Teaching Professor and new award announced

9/9/2026 A&S Communications

Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences has created Teaching Professor titles to recognize excellence in teaching, advising and academic leadership. The change supports faculty career advancement and expands recognition through new annual awards for pedagogical excellence.

Awards and honors

Peter Katzenstein receives triennial James Madison Award

9/9/2026 A&S Communications

Peter Katzenstein, professor in Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences, has received the APSA James Madison Award for distinguished contributions to political science. The honor recognizes his influential scholarship, mentorship and leadership across international relations, political economy, culture and national security.

Colored world map with pins in it — Leandro Barreto/Unsplash

History

Cornell experts on the politics of maps and Trump's renaming proposals

9/9/2026 A&S Communications

Trump’s proposals to rename geographic landmarks highlight how maps and place names are often used to advance political agendas, territorial claims, and national identity, say Cornell experts Christine Leuenberger and Raymond Craib. Such renaming efforts, they argue, can undermine cooperation and credibility.

2026 New Faculty

The College welcomes new faculty for 2026-27

9/8/2026 A&S Communications

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.

Economics

Economist Kerwin Charles, Ph.D. ’96, to give 2026 Staller Lecture

9/8/2026 A&S Communications

Yale economist Kerwin Charles will deliver Cornell University’s 2026 Staller Lecture on racial labor market inequality Sept. 22 at 4:30 p.m. in Olin Hall. The event highlights Charles’ influential research on economic inequality and his leadership as dean of the Yale School of Management.

Anthropology

‘Heritage Forensics’ investigates cultural heritage caught up in war

8/26/2026 A&S Communications

Researchers from Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences have developed a forensics framework to document cultural heritage destruction. Their new book, "Heritage Forensics," examines threats to historic sites and advances methods for protecting endangered cultural heritage in war zones.

2026 New Faculty

New Faculty: Nilanjan Das

8/26/2026 A&S Communications

Nilanjan Das, associate professor of philosophy

woman with white crown — Courtesy: Marvel Studios/Swank Motion Pictures Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022, dir. Ryan Coogler).

Cornell Cinema

From high school hijinks to film noir: Cornell Cinema unveils Fall 2026 season

8/25/2026 A&S Communications

Cornell Cinema’s Fall 2026 season launches Aug. 27 with a diverse lineup of restored classics, Hollywood hits, international films, documentaries and special events that showcase a century of global filmmaking. Highlights include screenings of Thelma & Louise, Project Hail Mary, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever with alumna Dominique Thorne ’19, alongside silent film events, the “Too Cool for School” and “Noirvember” series, and partnerships that connect film with research, culture and community dialogue.

Two people talking in a wood-paneled room — Jason Koski/Cornell University Cornell behavioral economist Suzanne Shu, left, and Cornell Chronicle writer Laura Reiley discuss "Why Don't We Do the Things We Know We Should?" in the first episode of season two of the Research Matters video podcast series.

Cornell's research podcast

Research Matters returns, following ideas from the lab to real life

8/25/2026 Cornell Chronicle

Season 2 of Cornell's Research Matters podcast launches Aug. 25 with 18 episodes on how academic discoveries translate into practical insights that shape everyday life and society. Cornell College of Arts and Sciences faculty from astronomy, government, physics and psychology will be featured in the new season.

Physics

Gabriella Carini named CHESS director as facility readies for the future

8/25/2026 Cornell Chronicle

Gabriella Carini, a Brookhaven National Laboratory leader, will begin as director of the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) Oct. 1. She will oversee facility expansion, advanced synchrotron research initiatives and new X-ray beamlines supporting interdisciplinary scientific discovery.

Large lake with rocks in the foreground and a stretch of trees in the distance — Zarif Ali/Unsplash Lake Ontario

Science and Technology Studies

Trump’s Lake Ontario renaming proposal could threaten US-Canada water cooperation

8/25/2026 A&S Communications

Trump’s proposal to rename Lake Ontario has drawn concerns from Cornell College of Arts and Sciences expert Christine Leuenberger about impacts on U.S.-Canada water cooperation. The analysis highlights risks to cross-border resource management and notes any name change would have limited international recognition.

person watching a film — Provided Jeffrey Palmer watches one of the films he created at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.

Performing and media arts

Professor, students produce films for Obama Presidential Center

8/25/2026 A&S Communications

Jeffrey Palmer, associate professor in the Department of Performing and Media Arts in the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University, worked with President Barack Obama and his advisers to create two films for the new Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. Three recent Cornell graduates were part of his production team.

person speaking to a crowd of people — Alexandra Bayer/Cornell University Dean Peter John Loewen speaks to new students and their families at the 2026 A&S New Student Convocation.

New students

A&S Dean to new students: ‘Ithaca isn’t the end of your journey, only the beginning’

8/21/2026 A&S Communications

Cornell College of Arts and Sciences dean Peter John Loewen, welcomed new students to the College during an Aug. 18 convocation for the students and their caregivers, challenging them to form their own opinions and be open to those of others.

Person standing in front of a bookshelf — Provided Dr. Dan Cohen

Biology

On TikTok, ‘Dr. Dan’ Cohen ’91 eases health anxiety with humor

8/21/2026 Cornellians

Cornell College of Arts and Sciences biology alumnus Dan Cohen ’91 has found online fame as “Dr. Dan Pediatrician.” With an online following of more than 500,000 on TikTok and another 340,000 on Instagram, his posts give no-nonsense advice and have saved lives, too.

Robot driving on wheels down a row of vines in a vineyard — Provided Emma, a robot developed by Budbreak, starts work on the vineyard before sunrise

Alumni

Meet the alums using robots and AI to improve crop health

8/20/2026 Cornellians

Budbreak, an agritech startup founded by Cornell College Arts & Sciences alumnus Jonathan Moon ’21, MS ’24, and Cornell doctoral grad Ertai Liu, PhD ’24 helps growers monitor crops and access data more quickly and easily. Launched for vineyards, the company works with growers of berries, citrus, almonds, and more.

Laurent Saloff-Coste and Gennady Samorodnitsky — Provided Conference co-hosts Laurent Saloff-Coste, the Abram Rogers Bullis Professor of Mathematics in Cornell’s Department of Mathematics and Gennady Samorodnitsky, the Charles W. Lake, Jr. Professor in Productivity in Cornell’s School of Operations Research and Information Engineering.

Mathematics

Cornell welcomes global leaders in probability for Stochastic Processes Conference

8/19/2026 A&S Communications

More than 100 researchers gathered at Cornell University in June for SPA 2026 probability conference co-organized by College of Arts and Sciences mathematics professor Laurent Saloff-Coste and Cornell Duffield Engineering professor Gennady Samorodnitsky.

colorful burst of light: purple, yellow, orange — NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA/CXC/Univ. of Ariz. A superdense neutron star is spewing out a blizzard of extremely high-energy particles into the expanding debris field known as the Crab Nebula.

Astronomy

Public invited to ‘Friends of Astronomy’ symposium Sept. 17

8/19/2026 A&S Communications

Cornell University's College of Arts and Sciences will host a free public astronomy symposium Sept. 17 featuring expert talks on astrobiology, exoplanets, stellar death and cosmic origins. The event will highlights astronomy research and graduate student discoveries.

Performing and Media Arts

Bunn named provost’s fellow for public engagement

8/18/2026 Cornell Chronicle

Austin Bunn, professor of performing and media arts in Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences, has been appointed provost’s fellow for public engagement. He will work to advance Cornell’s public engagement mission and initiatives involving community-engaged learning and research.

Psychology

Distinct neurons drive mice’s social sounds and squeaks

8/17/2026 Cornell Chronicle

Mice use distinct neuron groups for squeaks and social vocalizations, psychology researchers from Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences have found. The study reveals how mammalian brains organize vocal communication and may inform research on speech impairments linked to neurological diseases.

Two soldiers in fatigues kneel on a beach holding large guns. A miltiary ship is in the background — Republic of Korea Armed Forces/CC lisense 2.0 South Korea-U.S. Marine Corps joint military exercises in 2013

International politics

Cornell military historian: South Korea drill cuts may have been ‘inevitable’

8/17/2026 A&S Communications

President Trump’s move to scale back U.S.-South Korea military exercises reflects military strain from the Iran conflict, says historian David Silbey, professor in Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences. Also related, Silbey says, is reduced support for U.S. allies in Asia and Trump’s affinity for authoritarian leaders.

glowing blue blobs against a dark blue background, including one large blog with a yellow and green center — Takumi Matsuzawa/Provided Membraneless organelles known as “condensates” form and disappear every day to help organize the biochemistry in our cells. This image captures in vitro condensates dissolving after a specific chemical is injected from the right. The color represents the concentration of the protein that makes up the condensates.

Physics

Cell biochemistry beyond membranes: The physics of condensates

8/14/2026 A&S Communications

… said Takumi Matsuzawa, postdoctoral researcher in physics. “Their timely formation and dissolution are essential for … effects across different types of condensates. With their framework, they’ve uncovered some general rules … three known types of condensates that stick together for very different reasons. One is driven by “crowding,” in …

person lying on back, reading a book on an architectural structure featuring large white bubbles rising out of concrete — Cornell University file photo Reading outside Milstein Hall

Alumni authors

Your August 2026 reads

8/14/2026 Cornellians

Books by Cornell College of Arts and Sciences alumni Gregory Dreicer, PhD ’93, John Hyland ’99, John Thaddeus Rutkowski '76 and anthropology faculty member i Stacey A. Langwick appear in Cornellians roundup of featured reading for August 2026.

Psychology

How is academia like punk rock? Ask Cornell prof David Rand '04

8/14/2026 Cornellians

Cornell professor David Rand '04, a graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences, advances misinformation research using AI tools that help counter conspiracy beliefs and improve accuracy judgments. The former MIT scholar and punk musician now leads cross-college initiatives on informed society applications.

Philosophy

New program turns minor cheating violations into a learning opportunity

8/13/2026 Cornell Chronicle

Cornell University will expand its Accepting Responsibility program campuswide this fall for minor, first-time academic integrity violations. Philosophy graduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences serve as facilitators, helping students address AI-related misconduct and build stronger academic decision-making skills.

Ryan Gosling in ski cap and sweater looking bewildered. — Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, Inc. All rights reserved. Ryan Gosling in “Project Hail Mary.”

Cornell Cinema

‘Project Hail Mary’ at Cornell Cinema includes special talk, prize drawing

8/11/2026 A&S Communications

Project Hail Mary screening Aug. 28 at Cornell University features astronomers Lisa Kaltenegger and Abigail Bohl discussing habitable rocky exoplanets. Cornell Cinema’s special event also includes a prize drawing and Fuertes Observatory open house.

Person in red sheilding eyes; a stone house behind — Provided Penny Smith Eifrig ’90 now owns the home in Lozisca

Alumni

Why 'the shortest distance between two points might be three decades'

8/7/2026 Cornellians

Years after visiting Croatia while studying abroad, Penny Smith Eifrig ’90, an alumna of Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences ,lives there. She teachies pickleball and ponders the power of saying ‘yes,' as she writes in a Chime In column for the Cornellians website.