In campus labs and communities around the state, students apply their knowledge and skills to solve problems.
What I Did Last Summer: Research and Outreach BY TED BOSCIA
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Ariel Hart ’13, a Biology and Society major, spent her summer visiting central New York homes to observe infants at play, trying to decode how children’s home environments connect to their long-term emotional and cognitive development. She explored the roots of the well-documented “income achievement gap”—why children who grow up in poverty tend to fall behind in school achievement, health, and other key areas. An aspiring doctor who wants to specialize in family medicine, Hart believes the experience will help her to “maintain this holistic view in the treatment I give to my patients and the greater community I serve.” Last summer, Hart and 14 other students aided faculty research on topics as varied as childhood obesity, nutritional biochemistry, and nonsuicidal self-injury through the College of Human Ecology’s Undergraduate Summer Research Awards program. Ten others interned with Cornell Cooperative Extension, supporting community projects in more than 15 New York counties. Meanwhile, dozens more Human Ecology students worked at internships around the globe to strengthen their professional skills. “A core mission of our college is to provide undergraduates with opportunities to integrate their curriculum with research and outreach in real-world settings,” said Alan Mathios, the Rebecca Q. and James C. Morgan Dean. “As students prepare to graduate, our goal is to help them not only be critical thinkers and consumers of knowledge, but producers of knowledge with the focus on connecting findings to individuals and communities in ways that have a meaningful positive impact.” In faculty labs, in communities across the state, and at jobs and internships, Human Ecology students made a powerful impact this summer. Read on for firsthand accounts of their experiences. > > >
In home visits, students observe how family environments influence child development.
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Human Ecology • Cornell University