Cornell Duffield College of Engineering

What an incredible day celebrating this historic moment with our @Cornell Duffield Engineering community! We are tremendously grateful to David A. Duffield '62, MBA '64, for supporting our students and faculty in continuing to do the greatest good.

Cornell Nuclear is Clean Energy (NiCE) — a newly formed student group — is embracing nuclear technology to fight climate change and create jobs, with support from Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability (@atkinsoncenter) “Nuclear is something that I’m very passionate about because we have such a growing energy demand,” said Diana Michaelson ’27, founding member of NiCE, “and I genuinely think it’s the only way to meet our energy goals.” Nuclear energy is having a moment, according to Shaun Doherty, energy transition and carbon management partnerships lead at Cornell Atkinson. In June 2025, Gov. Kathy Hochul committed to building a new, zero-emission nuclear power plant in Upstate New York, along with other projects designed to catalyze nuclear energy development. The plans are not without controversy, however, and groups like NiCE are working to address public concerns around safety, environmental impact and nuclear waste. Renewable energy sources like wind, solar and geothermal are part of the transition away from fossil fuels, Doherty said, but those sources are intermittently available and not dispatchable any time. “Renewables like wind and solar are essential, but they’re variable,” he said. “Firm, carbon-free power like nuclear can reduce the amount of excess renewable capacity, storage and transmission needed in a clean grid. Many studies show that including nuclear can lower overall system costs while improving reliability.” Learn more about NiCE at news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/0….

What a difference one day can make! It wouldn’t have been possible without your generosity. Together, we’re changing lives that change the world. Thank you! 🐻❤️✨

On @CornellEng Week: Dividing up a bundle of items fairly can be very tricky, especially for families. Paul Gölz, assistant professor of operations research and information engineering, looks to mathematics for help. bit.ly/PGolzAM

It's @CornellEng week on NPR's @AcademicMinute. I'm on today discussing how we might save the planet by turning it into a computer. Available here: academicminute.substack.com/p/hunter-adams…

We are developing the knowledge, capabilities, and people needed to forge a better future. Your contribution today helps sustain the work we do every day to keep our students and faculty moving forward. #EngineeringToMakeADifference givingday.cornell.edu/organizations/…

It's @CornellEng week at Academic Minute! Monday's show featured @SN_Lab's @nozomi Nozomi Nishimura, speaking about her research initiative to unravel the science of menopause. @npr @AcademicMinute @Cornell academicminute.substack.com/p/nozomi-nishi…

Cornell Giving Day is almost here! Your support tomorrow is crucial to the success of students, causes, and areas of Cornell that you love. Get ready to make a difference! 🐻❤️✨ In the meantime, you canstart collecting apples for Duffield Engineering! 🍎givingday.cornell.edu/info/game

Some of the most creative projects from @CornellECE and @CornellEng students that I've ever seen!

On @CornellEng Week: A solution to heating our homes more efficiently may be right under our feet. Chloe Arson, professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, digs down to explore. bit.ly/CArsonAM

On and off campus, students in @Cornell NiCE (Nuclear is Clean Energy) open dialogue on nuclear energy generation across industries + bring together experts to talk about the future of nuclear. ⬇️ Learn more about the students @CornellBPP @CornellEng news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/0…

E pluribus unum – “out of many, one” – is not only a motto for the United States. It’s a good credo for microrobots. A research collaboration between Cornell and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems has shown how a swarm of microrobots spinning on a water surface can together generate the fluidic torque needed to manipulate passive structures without any physical contact. This collective behavior was demonstrated to operate gears and move objects, with the aim of eventually performing microscale tasks and biomedical procedures. “At small scales, contact-based manipulation can be limiting, and flow-based manipulation offers a great alternative,” said Kirstin Petersen, associate professor and an Aref and Manon Lahham Faculty Fellow in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in @CornellEng and the paper’s co-senior author. “We’re showing that in spite of their size, adding more microrobots creates stronger flows and greater torque transfer.” The research published Feb. 25 in Science Advances. The lead author is Steven Ceron, Ph.D. ’22, now an assistant professor at the @UMich. More: news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/0….

The in-between: A well-placed step can turn a high hurdle into an easier jump. The same idea applies to how nanoparticles transition into crystals, according to new research from @CornellEng. @PNASNews @NSF news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/0…

Researchers @Cornell have shown how a swarm of microrobots spinning on a water surface can generate the fluidic torque needed to manipulate passive structures without any physical contact. @CornellEng @CornellGrad @ScienceAdvances @NSF @maxplanckpress news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/0…

AI reveals chemistry behind high-performance battery electrolytes A new artificial intelligence framework developed at Cornell can accurately predict the performance of battery electrolytes while revealing the chemical principles that govern them, providing engineers with a new tool for designing better batteries. The framework, published Feb. 19 in Nature Computational Science, focuses on high-performing lithium-ion batteries that use nonaqueous electrolytes – liquid or gel-like materials that enable higher energy storage. It uses the power of AI to predict how salts, solvents and operating conditions work together to enable ion transport. “Battery chemistry involves many coupled variables, and understanding how they interact is essential for rational design,” said co-author Fengqi You, the Roxanne E. and Michael J. Zak Professor in Energy Systems Engineering at the Cornell Duffield College of Engineering (@CornellEng). “We are developing AI tools that improve prediction while also providing insight into the underlying chemistry.” More at news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/0….

Check out the episode at the link below or wherever you get your podcasts. youtube.com/watch?v=AG7O_Y…

From reimagining “green concrete” to experimenting with 3D-printed buildings made from local, in-situ materials, Nair explains how engineers are working to build faster, cleaner and more resilient infrastructure for a warming world.

Researchers at @CornellEng have developed a #Blockchain-based platform to improve how companies’ climate commitments are recorded and verified. @Nature_NPJ @CEECornell news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/0…

💘 Love is in the air! We asked our students why they love Systems Engineering, and their responses made our day. We’re so grateful for our amazing M.Eng., M.S., and Ph.D. students and proud to support you every step of the way. 🔴⚪🐻

Cows and electricity — no bull: Five new projects from @AtkinsonCenter and @nature_org seek to protect pollinators, restore oyster habitats, manage flood risk and support “cattlevoltaics.” @CornellCALS @CornellBPP @CornellBirds @CornellEng news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/0…

We’re pleased to announce the awardees of the 2026 Cornell Atkinson + @nature_org collaborative research awards. Together @Cornell & TNC researchers will advance solutions for biodiversity, resilient coasts, flood risk management + climate-smart ag. ➡️news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/0…