Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences

09/23/2026

A $1.49 million award from the John Templeton Foundation will enable Cornell researchers to explore whether artificial intelligence can be used to understand and increase open-mindedness.

The foundation awarded the three-year grant to principal investigators Gordon Pennycook, associate professor of psychology and Dorothy and Ariz Mehta Faculty Leadership Fellow in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), and David Rand ’04, the Henrietta Johnson Louis Professor of management and professor of information science in the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science; professor of marketing in the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business; and professor of psychology (A&S).

“Understanding what makes people open to changing their minds – and how, when, and why they do so – is central to fostering a more adaptable and cohesive society,” they wrote in their grant proposal.

Being open-minded doesn’t always mean changing one’s mind; rather it’s the willingness to engage seriously with new evidence and to revise beliefs when appropriate, the researchers said.

The project has two major components, investigating the topic from psychological and philosophical perspectives.

https://as.cornell.edu/news/can-ai-boost-open-mindedness-team-wins-149m-grant-find-out

09/21/2026

Civil rights attorney Joseph Margulies distills his personal moral philosophy into just eight words: “There is no them, there is only us.”

A professor of the practice in the Department of Government, in the College of Arts and Sciences, Margulies has spent decades getting to know and defending people accused of heinous crimes. Some were imprisoned in the most infamous prisons in the world, including Guantánamo Bay.

Experiences that would have hardened many instead taught Margulies compassion and empathy. His new book, “Cast Out: A Call for a Forgiving Society in an Age of Incarceration,” opens with a quote from Leo Tolstoy: “If you feel pain, you are alive./If you feel other’s pain, you are a human being.”

In this story, the College of Arts and Sciences speaks with Margulies about his book.

https://as.cornell.edu/news/compassion-over-cruelty-call-empathy-incarceration

09/15/2026

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.

The new major in science, technology and society offers students a combination of theoretical and practical classes and experiences, allowing students to work with real-world problems related to science and technology, viewing those problems through multiple lenses.

“We wanted to design a major that sets students up to be successful in an ever-changing world," said Malte Ziewitz, associate professor in the Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) and director of the Digital Due Process Clinic. “Data centers, climate change, genome editing, voting technologies—none of these challenges are simply technical or scientific; they all require experts that can speak across boundaries, have serious analytical chops and have the judgment to make effective interventions.”

https://as.cornell.edu/news/offers-new-science-technology-and-society-major

09/15/2026

A $750,000 National Science Foundation grant will enable three discipline-based education research (DBER) faculty members at Cornell to study the use of artificial intelligence tools that support student reflection and build critical thinking skills.

“In the age of generative AI in education, students’ development of critical thinking skills is a major concern,” said Alexandra Werth, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and member of the Duffield Engineering Education Research Institute, the principal investigator on the grant. “Students can use these tools to circumvent or outsource the reasoning processes through which critical thinking skills are developed, allowing generative AI to make decisions for them. At the same time, since generative AI can produce inaccurate or fabricated information, students need critical thinking to determine what to question, what to verify, what to believe and how to act.”

With this project, Werth and collaborators in biology and physics are investigating whether generative AI can be leveraged to develop students’ critical thinking skills by prompting reflection on daily lectures and labs. Co-PIs on the project are Natasha Holmes, the Ann S. Bowers Associate Professor of physics in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), and Michelle Smith, Distinguished Professor of Arts & Sciences and Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education (A&S).

https://as.cornell.edu/news/nsf-grant-explore-whether-ai-can-support-students-critical-thinking

09/14/2026

It's Cornell Unplugged week, which encourages participants to put down their devices during meals, attend in-person events and explore their community and nature. Faculty are encouraged to consider tech-free and tech-light class exercises.

“The research literature has begun to suggest that undifferentiated screen use in classrooms – sort of a free-for-all screen policy, one that’s not principled and intentional – reduces student performance by half a grade on average,” said Steven Jackson, Sustainable Computing Working Group chair and vice provost for academic innovation. “That’s true whether or not you are the student with the screen open.”

Community members will be able to sign the Unplugged Pledge, a short anonymous form to set a goal for hours unplugged. The Cornell Unplugged website also offers tips for unplugging and a list of activities to attend as alternatives to using technology, including events at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art and daily Golden Hour gatherings at sunset on Libe Slope.

https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/09/cornell-unplugged-encourages-mindful-tech-use-social-connection

09/14/2026

Last week, we were thrilled to host alum Dominique Thorne '19 on campus. Here are some shots from her visit at Cornell Performing & Media Arts - PMA!

09/11/2026

09/09/2026

Democrats have an 8 in 10 chance of securing a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives this fall, according to Cornell political scientists whose model has correctly predicted winners of the previous 14 congressional elections.

Released Sept. 3 at the American Political Science Association (APSA) annual meeting in Boston, the researchers’ midterm forecast – based on data collected at least 100 days before the Nov. 3 election – anticipates Democrats winning approximately 226 seats to Republicans’ 209 (though simulations show as few as 206 Democratic seats or as many as 258 are statistical possibilities). A U.S. Senate forecast is in progress.

https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2026/09/midterm-forecast-strongly-favors-democrats-win-house-majority

09/08/2026

We're so excited to announce the list of new faculty joining the College of Arts & Sciences this year. The 20 new faculty strengthen departments and programs with their wide-ranging expertise and fill numerous leadership roles for the College and university.

And this election year, the College’s new faculty bring a breadth and depth of expertise on topics important to our democracy.

https://as.cornell.edu/news/college-welcomes-new-faculty-2026-27

09/04/2026

“I’ve never danced before coming to Cornell, but I took the Salsa PE class and then joined Salsa Palante, which I’ve been a member of for two years now, and it’s a great way to de-stress and socialize with people. I never would have been introduced to that dancing community had I not stepped out of my comfort zone and tried something new.” – Kaelin Lamberson ‘28⁠
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Thank you to all the students who shared their best tips for new and existing students! 🙏⁠
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