Mission
We prepare students for lifelong achievement in chemical and biomolecular engineering. We cultivate communication, teamwork, and leadership skills for a diverse world. Our students develop social consciousness, creating a healthy, inclusive community. We guide ethical, responsible engineering to address societal challenges. The school pursues innovative research, advancing process understanding and developing technologies that benefit society.
Values
We’re a global community of students, staff, and faculty from diverse backgrounds. We believe everyone deserves to feel they belong. We value diversity because it leads to better science, and it helps us make a positive impact.
We aim to create a welcoming, inclusive environment where everyone feels valued. We do this by treating each other with respect, supporting each other, and celebrating our differences so that everyone can participate and reach their full potential. We aim to pursue our academic mission in accordance with these values. For more information or to get involved, see our community values.
History
Cornell offered industrial chemistry courses as early as 1870. In 1930, professor Fred H. “Dusty” Rhodes established a formal chemical engineering curriculum, which evolved into the School of Chemical Engineering in 1938. Professor Rhodes was its founding director.
in 2016 the Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering was named in recognition of the leadership of philanthropist alum Robert F. Smith ’85.
The school’s early focus on undergraduate education and professional training has expanded to include a strong research program. Faculty collaborate with other Cornell research centers. Student demographics have changed significantly. The school’s first female Ph.D. graduated in 1967, and women now make up over half the student body.
For more on school history, email cbenews@cornell.edu for digital editions of the following books:
- A History of the First Fifty Years, by Julian C. Smith (former director and professor).
- A History of the Third Twenty-Five Years: 1988-2013, by T.M. Duncan (associate director and professor).