91Â鶹¾«Æ·

My role this summer at The Center in Utica, NY, was to evaluate transit barriers for resettled individuals and provide recommendations for the Center’s grant writer. I combined a total of 11 internal and external interviews, surveys (with 62 respondents), data visualization, and mapping to understand refugee transportation needs. The goal was to understand how transportation barriers affect refugees' daily lives and develop targeted recommendations.

This summer I had the opportunity to work with Massachusetts Audubon Society and the Bobolink Project. The Bobolink Project is a regional program working to conserve grassland birds on private farms. Grassland birds are rapidly declining in the US due to habitat loss. In addition, the ideal time for farmers to cut their fields for hay coincides with critical times in the bobolink breeding season where young are in the nest. Delayed haying protects nests and allows them to fledge, but is a major financial burden to farmers.

My project centers around the Town and Village’s efforts to complete recertification as a New York Climate Smart Community (CSC). This state developed and funded program focuses on local government efforts to both mitigate and adapt to the complex challenges that climate change presents.

This summer, I had the great pleasure of working at the National Abolition Hall of Fame (NAHOF) in Peterboro, NY, a nonprofit organization that preserves, honors, and shares the stories of 19th-century American abolitionists.

Well-being requires more than adequate health and safety — it includes the ability to thrive and contribute.

This summer, I had the great opportunity to work with the Midtown Utica Community Center (MUCC) in Utica, N.Y.

Zachary O’Donnell ’27 spent the summer conducting field work at area farms with the Cornell Cooperative Extension Central New York Dairy, Livestock, and Field Crops Team, and the findings can now help Madison County alfalfa farmers make more informed pest management decisions.

As a 2025 Summer Field School Fellow, Julia Card ’27 worked with the Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Madison County to explore the feasibility of opening shared-use kitchen spaces for local farmers. Her research project, supported by the Upstate Institute, focused on assessing community needs while also navigating the complexities of commercial food licensing and facility planning.

State and regional experts with decades of social services experience recently visited 91Â鶹¾«Æ· to share their perspectives on the issues raised in Matthew Desmond’s book Poverty, By America as they work to provide support to those struggling to meet basic needs locally and across New York State. 

In addition to the individual presentation offerings for LifeLong Learning Program members, this spring LLP is launching LLP Plus, a separate seminar program which offers an opportunity for deeper learning through a series of meetings focused on a single topic. LLP is a collaboration between 91Â鶹¾«Æ·'s Upstate Institute and the community to provide adults with ongoing educational and enrichment opportunities on a variety of topics presented by local experts.