Cornell faculty, staff and community partners are working together to address community needs — and they’re getting students involved with support from the latest round of Engaged Opportunity Grants.

The seven projects that received winter funding from the Einhorn Center for Community Engagement showcase the variety of collaborations possible through community-engaged learning. 

There’s Marine Stewardship in Cape Cod Bay, a one-credit community-engaged learning course where students spend spring break collaborating with the Center for Coastal Studies in Massachusetts on their Outer Cape Cleanup and Ghost Gear Removal Program. Led by Annie Lewandowski, senior lecturer in the College of Arts and Sciences, the project is a continuation of last year’s highly successful ghost gear cleanup of Cuttyhunk Island.

In BioBuilding, biomedical engineering undergraduates are joining a NIH-funded research project to design, construct and implement a traveling museum exhibit. The student team, led by Karl Lewis, assistant professor in the College of Engineering, will collaborate with Ithaca Sciencenter staff on the initial ideation and assessment steps of the project.

Engaged Opportunity Grants are also supporting co-curricular projects like the March 2024 Health Hackathon in New York City. During this immersive weekend, students will collaborate with doctors, medical staff, frontline workers and other subject matter experts to rapidly prototype solutions to improve patient safety. Ami Stuart from Entrepreneurship at Cornell is leading the project.

The other projects that received winter 2024 Engaged Opportunity Grants are:

• A BIRDSONG Program: building inclusive research and designing supportive outreach and networking for growing talents
• Expanding Local News Reporting: a collaboration among WRFI, the Cornell Daily Sun and Alice Cook House
• Space Exploration for STEAM Inspiration: undergraduates and K-12 teachers collaborating to develop classroom activities
• Wind Turbines in Peru: a Global Action Impact Association (GAIA) trip to WindAid Institute

The Einhorn Center awards Engaged Opportunity Grants three times a year.