Olin Hall News is an annual publication designed to provide our graduates and wider community of friends with news about faculty research, new initiatives, and alumni news. We hope each issue keeps you strongly connected to the school and each other.
Features
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![The ChemE car team of undergraduates stand together with competition leadership.]()
ChemE Car at Cornell
Cornell’s ChemE Car team uses chemistry to power miniature cars, fostering innovation, teamwork, and national success through resilience and hands-on engineering.
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![Allison Godwin in lab coat working with undergraduate students in Olin Hall lab.]()
R.F. Smith School to ‘revolutionize’ chemical engineering with NSF grant
With the support of a Revolutionizing Engineering Departments grant from the National Science Foundation, the R.F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering will update its undergraduate curriculum, completely overhaul how it is delivered and reshape the school’s culture.
Research
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Hanrath leads engineering energy transition research
Hanrath brings a perspective shaped by the belief that bringing laboratory discoveries to fruition requires active engagement in translational activities.
Teaching
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Rethinking polymers – and how students learn them
A new teaching approach implemented in Rong Yang’s CHEME 6400 course is reshaping how students learn about polymeric materials – and how their progress is graded.
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From cells to stocks: Data, AI, finance courses equip engineers for anything
Jeffrey Varner’s transition from modeling biological systems to financial markets has reshaped how engineering students at Cornell approach complex, data-driven decision-making.
Profiles
Student Group Updates
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ChEGSA expands professional development for students
ChEGSA builds a strong, connected graduate student community through research events, industry outreach, mentorship, and fun social activities.
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CBE Women build skills, connection, community
Student group’s programs inspire future engineers and empower women in chemical and biomolecular engineering.
News
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Zhenan Bao on skin-inspired electronics and dynamic polymers
Zhenan Bao, the K.K. Lee Professor of Chemical Engineering at Stanford University, presented the Julian C. Smith distinguished lecture.
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Kathleen Vaeth ’94: A chemical engineer’s journey across innovation and industry
Kathleen Vaeth of Massachusetts Institute of Technology presented the Raymond G. Thorpe distinguished lecture.
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Commencement 2025
Congratulations to the class of 2025!
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Reunion 2025
The R.F. Smith School welcomed alumni to campus to share memories and reconnect with faculty and former classmates.
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![A bunch of lit candles.]()
In Memoriam
A list of alumni we’ve lost.
