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Why Cornell Engineering?
"Scientists study the world as it is; engineers create the world that never has been."—Theodore von Karman
Cornell engineers challenge the status quo and do great things. Steeped in an environment of questioning, and with a focus on innovation, Cornell Engineering pursues excellence in all areas. Its faculty, students, and alumni design, build, and test products, improve the world of medicine, inform and shape our laws, create and drive businesses, become research luminaries, and overcome real and perceived barriers to achieve scientific breakthroughs that advance the quality of life on our planet.
We invite you to learn more about Cornell Engineering and its programs.
Did you know?
The first implantable cardiac pacemaker was developed in 1960 by Wilson Greatbatch, (Electrical Engineering, B.S., 1950). This invention was named by the National Society of Professional Engineers as one of the 10 greatest engineering contributions to society.
HC Torng (M.S. 1958, PhD. 1960) owns a patent for one of the key technologies which formed the foundation for many modern high-performance processors. The patent was first granted in 1989 to Cornell Research Foundation, covering a technique invented by HC Torng which enables microprocessors to increase processing speed by determining which instructions are not dependent on the results of others. This then allows the processor to execute those out of order, and more instructions to be executed during the same computer clock cycle.
Pearl Gertrude Sheldon’s (A.B., 1908, M.A. 1909, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Ph.D., 1911) early research into shale fractures in the 1920s laid the groundwork for much of the North American shale gas exploration. Sheldon, a structural geology student spent several years afoot in the region around the Taughannock State Park and was a founding member of the Paleontological Research Institution in Ithaca.
Robert Thurston, the first director of the Sibley College of Engineering in 1885, held two patents: an autographic recording testing machine for material in torsion and a machine for testing lubricants. In 1875, he also developed the three-coordinate solid diagram for testing iron, steel and other metals. As College Director, he reorganized mechanical engineering and increased the program from 63 to 885 degree candidates.
The Kessler Fellows Program at Cornell Engineering was founded in 2009. This innovative and one-of-a-kind program combines an engineering degree with deep exposure to start-up culture making graduates uniquely prepared to apply to skills to new opportunities and industries.