Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability

08/26/2026

Researchers at Cornell have created an interactive map identifying 1.8 million individual trees in New York City, with a new approach that could optimize the placement of trees for cooling in cities around the world.

In the study, researchers identify the types of trees using satellite imagery as well as on-the-ground datasets and 3D data collected with lidar, short for light detection and ranging. The approach was 82% accurate overall and higher for common types of New York City trees.

It's the first “wall-to-wall,” citywide map identifying trees in natural areas and other unsurveyed areas, which together constitute an estimated 65% of the city's canopy and have not been accounted for on previous maps.

The research team will use the map to determine which trees are best for cooling, and the data could inform a host of other planting decisions where the type of tree makes a difference, from reducing allergens to managing invasive pests.

Read more: https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/08/wall-wall-map-nyc-trees-could-help-cool-cities-worldwide

08/18/2026

Our Cornell at Climate Week NYC 2026 agenda is live! 🗽

From September 20-27, Cornell University researchers and partners will be in New York City bringing research, ideas and collaboration to the conversations shaping a more sustainable future.

Our lineup spans some of the biggest questions facing climate and sustainability — from AI and climate finance to critical minerals, nuclear energy, circularity and beyond. Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability and campus partners are hosting a robust slate of events throughout the week, bringing together researchers, policymakers, businesses, NGOs and other leaders working to turn ideas into impact.

With dozens of Cornell-hosted conversations on the calendar, there’s a lot to explore. If an event is listed as invite-only, you are welcome to request an invitation via email.

⚡ Explore our Climate Week NYC 2026 agenda and delegation: https://atkinson.cornell.edu/projects/nyc-climate-week/ ⚡



Cornell SC Johnson College of Business | College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University | Cornell Engineering | Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science | Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences | Cornell Research & Innovation

07/08/2026

Applications are now open for our 2027 Postdoctoral Fellowships in Sustainability at Cornell Atkinson!

Cornell Atkinson Postdoctoral Fellowships support a cohort of creative, exceptionally talented, and highly motivated scholars committed to discovery that contributes directly to solving the most pressing problems facing our planet. Fellows work closely with a Cornell University faculty mentor and an external partner organization, gaining hands-on experience at the intersection of research and real-world impact. The program also offers robust professional development in areas like career strategy, communications, and collaborative leadership.

⏰ The deadline to apply is October 20, 2026 at 5pm ET
📫 Please share this opportunity broadly with colleagues and networks.
→ 2027 Call for applications: https://www.atkinson.cornell.edu/cornell-atkinson-postdocs-rfp/

06/25/2026

What if a simple water test could reveal the health of an entire ecosystem?

Cornell Ph.D. student Isabella Errigo is working alongside Indigenous conservation partners in the Ecuadorian Amazon to collect environmental DNA (eDNA) -- tiny traces of genetic material left behind by fish, insects, and other organisms. By analyzing these samples, researchers and local communities can understand how gold mining and other human activities are affecting biodiversity in some of the world's most important river systems.

Isabella's research is about more than data. Together, the team -- including local organizations Yaku Churi and Piatua Resiste -- is building a long-term monitoring effort that equips local conservation leaders with scientific tools to help protect the rivers they know best.

This is what impact-driven sustainability research at Cornell University often looks like: students in the field, communities at the center, and science in service of conservation.

Isabella's research is supported by a Sustainable Biodiversity Fund grant from Cornell Atkinson and by a Global Hubs seed grant from Global Cornell.

📌 Learn about the team's research: https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/06/student-indigenous-partners-use-edna-aid-biodiversity-ecuador

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University | Cornell Research & Innovation

A Cornell graduate student and indigenous Ecuadorian partners are sampling eDNA in Amazonian riverways to understand how gold mining and other human disturbances impact aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem health.

06/24/2026

We're proud to celebrate the successful completion of the inaugural Resilient Futures Leadership Program: Financing Sustainable Agriculture, a first-of-its-kind executive education offering from Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability and Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture! 🎉

Over the past six months, 29 professionals from across the agricultural value chain explored how innovative financing strategies can accelerate sustainable agriculture. Through immersive coursework, field visits, and peer learning on Cornell University's Ithaca and New York City campuses, participants gained practical tools while building relationships across sectors.

The program showcased not only the power of Cornell's interdisciplinary expertise, but also the tremendous potential of partnership-based executive education to connect research, practice, and leadership development around urgent sustainability challenges. The program is a great example of how we work with external partners to design and deliver applied learning experiences around complex sustainability challenges.

Thank you to Field to Market, faculty experts and the inaugural cohort for helping make this first program such a success!

📌 Read more about the inaugural year:

Cornell Atkinson hosted its first executive education program – the Resilient Futures Leadership Program: Financing Sustainable Agriculture – with partner Field to Market. The successful program will be offered twice more over the next two years.

06/11/2026

We are pleased to announce the recipients of our 2026 Academic Venture Fund!

📌 Read about the awardees: https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/06/cornell-atkinson-awards-drive-progress-tech-ag-sustainability

The Academic Venture Fund supports bold, interdisciplinary research that is often too novel, early-stage, or high-risk for traditional funding sources. This year's six funded projects will explore emerging sustainability challenges, from safeguarding coral reef ecosystems and strengthening food system resilience to investigating environmental drivers of wildlife disease.

By supporting new ideas and new collaborations, the fund helps researchers generate the knowledge needed to advance the next generation of sustainability solutions.

→ Awardees represent campus partners: Cornell Engineering College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University Cornell SC Johnson College of Business Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine Cornell Research & Innovation

06/02/2026

05/31/2026

One person’s waste is another one’s gold.

A Cornell researcher and her African colleagues are collecting human excreta from informal settlements in Kenya, processing it to remove pathogens, and turning it into affordable, high-quality agricultural fertilizer – called KIYA Gold – that is nourishing plants while protecting human health and the environment.

“At some point it occurred to us that there was a positive feedback loop possible here,” said Rebecca Nelson, a professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science and the Ashley School of Global Development and the Environment in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University (CALS).

“If we can use this excreta to make fertilizer, we can expand sanitation, support and improve public health and sanitation in the informal settlements, all while reducing nutrients and pathogens going into the lake.”

This research is supported by an Academic Venture Fund grant from the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability and the McKnight Foundation’s Global Collaboration for Resilient Food Systems.

05/14/2026

As David Lodge retires as director of the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability on May 22, we celebrate his extraordinary contributions to sustainability science and practice at Cornell University 🎉

Since joining Cornell in 2016, David helped shape Cornell Atkinson into a hub for science-driven collaboration — expanding support for faculty, students, and postdoctoral researchers while strengthening partnerships that connect research with real-world impact. Under his leadership, Cornell Atkinson grew its network of collaborators across academia, NGOs, industry, and government to advance work on climate risk, food systems, energy transitions, and One Health.

Throughout his career, David has been guided by a belief that research should not sit on a shelf. From his early work studying invasive species in freshwater ecosystems to groundbreaking advances in eDNA monitoring, his research has helped inform policy, improve environmental management, and protect ecosystems at scale.

Equally important has been his ability to bring people together across disciplines, institutions, and perspectives in pursuit of solutions that benefit people and the planet — in his own research and in leading Cornell Atkinson.

We are deeply grateful for David’s leadership, mentorship, and enduring commitment to sustainability science for the public good.

Congratulations on your retirement, and thank you, David!

📌 Read more about David’s career and impact:

David Lodge, ecologist and director of the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, will retire May 22, 2026.

05/11/2026

As biodigesters go, Cornell’s new unit will be small: two 10,000-gallon tanks on a concrete pad that might not be much to look at. But this little system, which will transform food scraps and cow manure into energy, will have an impact far beyond its footprint.

“This is such a great opportunity for research, education and extension,” said Lauren Ray, senior extension associate and agricultural sustainability and energy engineer for PRO-DAIRY, in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University (CALS). “It has this element of practicality, because it really will supply energy to the university, but at the same time it’s a platform for learning and even playing, as well as providing hands-on demonstrations for farmers and students.”

The digester is one of the newest additions to Cornell’s Living Lab: a long-standing approach that uses campus operations to research and advance sustainability. It will be installed this summer at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine’s (CVM) Teaching Dairy, where it will take in a portion of manure from the 180-cow herd, as well as food service scraps and byproducts from campus.

Microbes in the sealed tanks will anaerobically convert the organic waste into biogas, a combination of methane and carbon dioxide, and nutrient-rich, liquid digestate. The biogas will provide energy to the dairy – offsetting fossil fuel use – and both the gas and digestate will provide raw materials for Cornell researchers who study cutting-edge processes for carbon capture or the conversion of waste streams to biofuels.

Funding and project management came from the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability.

Read more: https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/05/living-lab-small-biodigester-fuel-research-extension.