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Renewing Our Foundations and Building Bridges

Stephen Kresovich

Stephen Kresovich

The past year has been highlighted by progress on numerous fronts across the university. Energies of faculty, staff, and students have been directed toward new ideas, new actions, and new facilities. It has been a time of renewal and a time to look to the future. Because of its unique history and capabilities, Cornell is strategically positioned to compete successfully for funding in basic and translational sciences. Following are examples to emphasize the competitive position we have established.

Cornell’s distinguished history in the physical sciences, engineering, and computational sciences sets the tone for the future. Planning for the Energy Recovery Linac (ERL) is well under way with support from the university, state, and federal government. The ERL is a new x-ray source based on accelerator physics and superconducting microwave technology that will be about 1,000 times brighter than current machines. This facility will be valuable for research in biology, medicine, and materials science, as well as nanotechnology and new areas of science that will be critical to our national competitiveness. Strategic planning for the physical sciences building (to support investigators in chemistry and chemical biology, physics, and applied and engineering physics) and Gates Hall (for computing and information sciences) is progressing, as well.

In the life and social sciences, we are building bridges between Ithaca, New York City, and Doha. The newly established Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology and the Department of Biomedical Sciences (to be jointly housed in the Life Sciences Technology Building) link the biological and biomedical sciences. In addition, expertise in the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Human Ecology, and Veterinary Medicine is contributing to activities at Weill Cornell Medical College and the Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences, as the institutions plan joint initiatives in biobanking and population medicine, neurosciences, global health and infectious diseases, food insecurity and obesity, medical ethics, and comparative cancer research and investigate the concept of one medicine for humans and related species.

It is exciting to observe new faculty partnering in creative and original ways across Cornell University. From these nascent bridges among investigators, we are likely to identify and explore opportunities not yet envisioned. At all levels of Cornell, we continue to foster new connections and research opportunities while still being mindful of our historic strengths and capabilities.

Stephen Kresovich

Interim Vice Provost for Research
and Vice Provost for the Life Sciences

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