Grants fund 22 Cornell teams, community partners

Connecting researchers to federal and state policymakers. Supporting children affected by the opioid epidemic. Sending students to the United Nations climate conference. Offering disaster workshops to regional animal shelters. Collaborating with cooperative businesses for experiential learning.

These are among the 22 projects that received fall 2017 Engaged Opportunity Grants.

Open to all faculty and staff, these grants fund off-campus student leadership programming, conference travel to present on engaged scholarship, and myriad other projects and programs that advance community engagement at Cornell. The Office of Engagement Initiatives awards Engaged Opportunity Grants three times a year, and upcoming deadlines are Feb. 9 and April 9, 2018.

For more information about this round of funded projects or upcoming applications, visit the Engaged Cornell website.

  • Bridging the Policy-Academia Divide: Connecting science faculty and their students with federal policymakers.
  • Cornell Model United Nations Financial Aid Program: Making Cornell’s Model UN Conference available to low-income high school students.
  • Critical Reflection in STEM Service-Learning Internships: Fostering deep learning through international service-learning internships at the Roatan Institute of Marine Sciences, Honduras.
  • Digital Skills Training for Roosevelt Island Seniors: Creating a customized digital skills training program at the Roosevelt Island senior center.
  • Equity Preservation: Sharing and Deepening Connections: Funding student and faculty travel to present at the American Planning Association and extend research on land banks and community land trusts.
  • Evaluating the Parents Apart Program at the Tompkins County Jail: Gauging the success of a parenting education program for separating and divorcing parents.
  • Experiential Learning with Co-ops: Partnering students and cooperative businesses for hands-on projects.
  • Families at Risk from the Opioid Epidemic: Evaluating a program that supports families struggling with drug addiction, exploring the connection between opioid abuse and child maltreatment.
  • FOR Nepal: Building a Community Center Together: Planning and building a community center in earthquake-ravaged Mhanégang, Nepal.
  • Hitting the Wall: Building vocational skills and self-confidence in disabled youth through an indoor rock-climbing program.
  • Indigenous Community Planning and Landscape Design: Engaging indigenous communities about development on their native land.
  • Local Government Fiscal Stress in New York State: Engaging students in exploring the realities local governments face.
  • Mapping New York’s Historic and Cultural Landscape: Creating interactive maps that link the state’s intercultural heritage and opportunity landscape.
  • Preserving the Ch'ol Language: Creating language resources to empower the Ch’ol-speaking community.
  • Research and Policy in the New York State Legislature: Creating opportunities for legislators to learn about social science research.
  • Responding to Animals in Disasters Workshop: Providing disaster training to veterinary students and staff from regional animal shelters.
  • The Role of Home Care Workers: Understanding the perspectives of home care workers who care for adults with heart failure.
  • Selling the Past in Modern-Day Greece: Funding travel for a conference presentation on increasing interest in Greece’s cultural past.
  • Shifting Perceptions of Disability: Creating an advocacy development opportunity for people with disabilities to take on leadership roles within program services and in the community.
  • Student Engagement at the COP23 Climate Conference: Including students in the Cornell delegation for the 23rd United Nations climate conference.
  • Tompkins County Science Hub: Exploring science literacy needs in the Tompkins County community.
  • Ujamaa Community Abroad Experience in Cuba: Supporting a cultural immersion trip for students in the Ujamaa Residential College.

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