The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), in partnership with Intel, will invest $20 million over five years to establish the Artificial Intelligence Materials Institute (NSF AI-MI) at Cornell, as part of the National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes. The NSF announced the investment on July 29.Directed by Eun-Ah Kim, principal investigator (PI) and the Hans A. Bethe Professor of physics in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), NSF AI-MI will accelerate and transform the discovery of new materials to be used in sustainable energy, advanced electronics, environmental stewardship and quantum technologies by integrating human scientific expertise with AI methods.

Cornell’s team rose to the occasion this spring, earning standout honors. The final structure was assembled in just 16 minutes, weighed only 216 pounds, and supported a 2,500-pound load with minimal bending. The bridge placed first in lightness and second in both stiffness and structural economy — making it one of the top-performing entries in the region.

Brad Ramshaw, associate professor of physics in the College of Arts and Sciences and researcher in LASSP, has been named to the 2025 class of Brown Investigators. Each investigator, recognized for curiosity-driven research in chemistry or physics, will receive up to $2 million over five years.