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Centers, Facilities, and Institutes

The Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences is home to several cutting-edge centers, labs, and institutes that drive our groundbreaking research.

Centers

  • Northeast Regional Climate Center

    The Northeast Regional Climate Center advances climate research by developing innovative information products, refining data analysis techniques, and expanding climate data applications.

    These efforts enhance the Center’s services, delivering greater value to current and future clients across the region.

Facilities

  • Petrographic Microscopy Lab

    The Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences now offers a state-of-the-art microscopy laboratory featuring research-grade Leica compound (petrographic) and stereographic microscopes for transmitted and reflected light microscopy.

    Equipped with digital photomicrography and advanced imaging analysis software, this cutting-edge facility enhances research capabilities.

  • Cornell Mass Spectrometry

    The Cornell Mass Spectrometry (CMaS) facility is equipped with an advanced ESI NWR193UC excimer laser and a powerful Agilent 8900 ICP-QQQ (ICP-MS/MS), enabling high-precision elemental and isotopic analysis.

Institutes

  • Paleontological Research Institution (PRI)

    The Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) is an independent, globally recognized facility with deep connections to the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.

    Renowned among paleontologists and malacologists for its exceptional fossil and shell collections, PRI supports groundbreaking research and classes led by Cornell faculty and students, as well as visiting scholars from across the world.

    Home to the vibrant Museum of the Earth, PRI sparks public interest and engagement with critical earth and environmental issues.

  • Institute for Study of the Continents (INSTOC)

    The Institute for Study of the Continents (INSTOC) serves as a premier platform for advancing the development and training of scientists in the critical field of continental exploration.

A collection of brown and light-colored fossils attached to a wall and displayed on tables
Trilobite and other fossils at the Museum of the Earth, Paleontological Research Institution.