Across Cornell, teams of faculty, staff and community partners are tackling real-world challenges — and involving students with support from this spring’s Engaged Opportunity Grants.

The David M. Einhorn Center for Community Engagement awarded nine grants to a diverse array of projects that connect classroom learning with hands-on collaboration.

One new course, Sustainability in Athletics (ENVS 4941), invites students to explore the substantial footprint of the sports industry. The curricular collaboration involves Cornell Student-Athletes for Sustainability, the Campus Sustainability Office, community partners Finger Lakes ReUse and GreenStar Food Co-Op and course instructor Joseph Yavitt, professor of natural resources and the environment in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Guest speakers and readings will provide background for students to participate in volunteer events, reflect on their own athletic communities and envision sustainable solutions.

A sustaining grant is building on previous support for the annual World Languages Day, organized by Angelika Kraemer, director of Cornell’s Language Resource Center, and Ashley Griffith, the center’s engagement and outreach coordinator. In partnership with TST BOCES and Ithaca High School, this community-focused event welcomes middle and high school students to hands-on sessions with Cornell faculty, students and staff that highlight linguistic diversity and cultural exchange. This year, participating faculty will also explore ideas and practices for integrating community-engaged learning into language courses.

Refugee Pathways and Resettlement Policy (PUBPOL 3050/5050) is another program broadening its impact with additional grant support. First piloted in 2023 by Julie Ficarra, associate teaching professor at the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, the course boasts a team of faculty from several departments across the university as well as numerous organizations assisting new arrivals in Buffalo, Syracuse and Utica. Student teams will work alongside community leaders to better understand the realities of refugee resettlement before presenting their insights at the Refugee Pathways Symposium at the end of the semester.

The other projects that were awarded spring 2025 Engaged Opportunity Grants are:

• Agriculture Experiential Robotics Platform (AgXRP): Bringing robotics and precision agriculture into classrooms
• Border Environments: Deepening community connections through collaborative, engaged projects
• Engineers in Action — Suspension Bridge Project: Building a safe river crossing to connect isolated communities in Eswatini
• Engineers in Action — WASH Program: Safer water for a primary school in Eswatini
• Enhancing Radiation Therapy Education with AR/VR: Developing interactive linac and CT scanner simulations for global learners
• Geotechnical Engineering and NYS Highways: Active learning and real-world problems to improve student learning and local highway education and practice