CCE summer internships strengthen communities, inspire students.

From improving access to healthy foods to reducing risk-taking by adolescents, College of Human Ecology students will work with faculty researchers throughout the summer to address pressing concerns in communities across New York, thanks to the wide reach of Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE). Established in 2007 to support Cornell's land-grant mission, the CCE Summer internship Program enables students to discover and contribute to faculty research while also engaging in outreach and gaining a hands-on understanding of the university's extension system.

This summer, 22 students will assist faculty members from all five academic departments in Human Ecology (see sidebar on Human Ecology projects), as well as researchers in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

The initiative has been embraced widely by Human Ecology faculty members, according to Dean Alan Mathios. "It is especially encouraging that faculty with and without extension appointments are participating," he said.

The students will engage with CCE associations and communities in nearly every part of the state--from New York City to Western New York. The internships build and strengthen connections between community-based CCE associations and campus based faculty, further supporting the translational research mission of the college's Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research (BCTR).

The internships are closely aligned with the college's tripartite mission of teaching, research, and outreach. Faculty report that the internships initiate or continue a partnership with a Cornell Cooperative Extension association and the communities it serves. For students, the internships provide an experience that helps define long-term goals and aspirations. For sonic, it is a transformative experience that inspires them to go down a new and unexplored path.

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Support for the Human Ecology internships is provided by the college and the CCE Director's Innovation Fund, as well as by gifts from Cindy Noble and Elizabeth Poit Cernosia, who support three internships for "students who focus their research on the health and well-being of children from infants to teenagers."

In the fall, at an annual CCE Internship poster presentation and reception, students will report on their experiences, their findings, and how their projects have deepened connections between Cornell, CCE, and the communities they serve. The public is welcome to attend this showcase on Sept. 24 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. In addition, the BCTR will sponsor a roundtable discussion for student and faculty participants in the internship program at the beginning of the fall semester.

--Jennifer Sarah Tiffitny is associate director for outreach and extension in the College of Human Ecology and director of outreach and community engagement in the Bronjenbrenner Center for Manslational Research.