Providing winter clothing for families in rural western New York, assisting refugees in Hong Kong who are new parents, and recycling trashed items that some may not think can be recycled are a few of the examples of the ways Cornell undergraduate students said they’ll give back to society with the $400 they’ll receive from The Contribution Project. The project will honor all 100 students that were chosen to make their contributions during an event on April 27 in the Cornell Human Ecology Commons.
“Once again, Cornell undergraduates are stepping up when they’re given a chance to make a contribution that is important to them,” said Anthony Burrow, leader of The Contribution Project and director of the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research. “Some of these contributions are on campus, some will have an effect in the Ithaca area, and some are reaching well beyond those areas. Wherever those contributions will be felt the most, that effort starts right here on campus and that shows how the breadth and scope of ideas and interests our students have.”
This is the third iteration of The Contribution Project. Like last year, 100 projects are funded by HopeLab, a social innovation lab in California that supports research and services that promote youth thriving. The first was in 2019 when 50 projects were funded by the Engaged Scholar Prize awarded to Burrow by the David M. Einhorn Center for Community Engagement.
Nearly every college and school with undergraduate students have a student selected to contribute. Here are some of the projects:
College of Architecture, Art, and Planning – bring together high-school students in South Central New York to evaluate harmful demolition practices in their communities and collaborate in designing policy solutions.
College of Arts and Sciences – create an app that helps connects students with people or organizations that are offering part-time work in exchange for money or credit.
Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy – help support NOVA Debate, a nonprofit debate camp for elementary, middle and high school students.
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences – Create an online platform for women in Afghanistan to sell homemade products.
Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management – Hold a “blind date with a book” event. The event combines literacy and womxn empowerment, providing biographies of impactful women, and books focused on self-love, health, empowerment and social justice.
Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration – help start a Fujianese Student Association on campus, creating a space where Fujianese students can come together.
College of Engineering – create MetaCarpal, a medical device that senses when the median nerve is compressed, thus preventing the user from developing carpal tunnel syndrome.
Cornell of Human Ecology – Create a curriculum for mental health education geared toward middle and high school students, providing teachers and students with a mental health resource.
School of Industrial and Labor Relations – Purchase gifts of appreciation for the Cornell employees that maintain the Veteran Program House.
All the projects that were selected are listed on the Contribution Project website.
