Cornell University: Harrison College Scholars explore politics, wellness, environment in summer work

From Ithaca to Hawaii to Ecuador, students in the Robert S. Harrison College Scholars Program in the College of Arts & Sciences took advantage of the summer as a time to explore their research interests.

The students — who create their own interdisciplinary course of study around a question or issue of interest — can receive summer funding from the program to pursue their research. Some of them also received other Cornell grants, including Summer Experience Grants, given to students who pursue low-paid or unpaid summer experiences.

Abigail Kraus ’23 spent much of her summer in Hawai’i, working with an environmental organization trying to restore a traditional fish pond on the north shore of O’ahu.

“The pond was once a vibrant and fully-functioning ecosystem used to provide fish for chiefs of the area,” she said. “Due to various development issues and a lack of maintenance, it has since suffered and we are now restoring the pond so it can provide food for the surrounding community.”