MAKE IT HAPPEN
You can make it happen: Winter 2015
The New York City skyline.
Help create a new engineering institute in Olin Hall … and new solutions
Chemical engineers at Cornell use the principles of biological and engineering design to harness living organisms for manufacturing chemical products. The Institute for Biological Design and Manufacturing will capitalize on this research to catalyze progress toward a new biomanufacturing economy, in which engineers develop biological systems to manufacture new products, including therapeutic drugs and renewable fuels. $1,000
Beam online students into the mix
This year, Cornell's systems engineering program made the BestColleges.com list of the best online M.Eng. programs. To further raise its own high standards, the program is prototyping and testing SYNTHIA, a communication platform that enables collaborative brainstorming between on-campus and distance-learning students. SYNTHIA is a physical avatar that embodies the remote student during design sessions. Help develop this breakthrough project. $25,000
A Phi Beta Kappa gathering. Photo: provided. See larger image
Award Phi Beta Kappa key funding
Founded in 1776 to honor and support the most accomplished students of the humanities and sciences, Phi Beta Kappa is perhaps the oldest and most prestigious Greek letter fraternal society in the world. Cornell's chapter, unlike almost all of our peers, has yet to secure a permanent endowment fund to support its programming, including its Distinguished Faculty Lecture Series and dinner. They're halfway to their $100,000 goal. Give a big boost: $1,000-$5,000
Put some ice on that
The athletics department has two 25-year-old whirlpools that are in use five hours a day, with students lined up waiting their turn and frequent pauses for sanitizing and refilling with ice. Help the Athletic Training Office purchase a much-needed, state-of-the-art hydrotherapy console. Any gift toward the total cost of $51,200
The Cornell Forensics Society. Photo: provided. See larger image
'This year, we want to win'
Although they were named the No. 1 debate team in the world in 2012, a national championship has thus far eluded Cornell's Forensics Society. This year, they plan to change that. Help send Cornellians to the U.S. Universities Debating Championship in Anchorage, Alaska, April 10-13, 2015. Pay for one debater's flight, room, food and contest registration fees: $1,185
Provide the personal touch via 'Tech Treks'
Students participating in Johnson's Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute's Tech Treks travel to New York City to meet with senior business leaders engaged in sustainability, financial services, medical/health care and technology. Students then work together to create solutions for these business leaders through, for example, hack-a-thons, like the successful FINTECH, where more than a dozen software products were created during a 48-hour session. Send 40 students from Ithaca to NYC by bus: $8,000
Student photo from Cornell Abroad photo contest. Image: provided. See larger image
Sponsor an amazing journey
Short-term study abroad programs are an increasingly popular choice for Cornell undergraduates who want to have a meaningful international experience but don't want to spend a whole semester away from campus. Examples: a six-week global health program in Tanzania, a research trip to Peru or participation in a wildlife habitat preservation project in Africa over the summer. Because travel for short-term programs is not covered by financial aid, these learning opportunities are often out of reach for those with limited means. Fund one Undergraduate Student Travel Grant: $2,500
To make a gift, or for more information about these and other giving opportunities, email MakeItHappen@cornell.edu