The College of Human Ecology Public Health and Nutrition Ambassador program, when fully funded, will recognize up to ten exceptional students annually who are leading innovative initiatives to tackle pressing public health and nutrition challenges. Ambassadors partner with a CHE faculty mentor and an external agency on an implementation project that translates their academic knowledge into meaningful, real-world impact. 

The program is supported by a generous contribution to the College of Human Ecology from Joyce Lindower-Wolitzer ’76 (CHE) and Steven Wolitzer.

Who is eligible?

Currently enrolled CHE undergraduates of any class who have worked on a project (ongoing or recently completed) with a CHE faculty mentor, in collaboration with an external agency, on an issue relevant to improving public health or nutrition. Specifically, eligible students 

• must be working on an ongoing or recently completed project led by a CHE faculty member
• have permission from their faculty mentor to apply
• must be engaged in a project with a public health or nutrition focus that has real-world impact, including projects set to inform public policy or guidelines

Expectations and Deliverables

The CHE Public Health and Nutrition Ambassadorship term is 1-year, starting in the Fall for the academic year. During this term, Ambassadors must 

1. Complete a project relevant to real world practice or to inform public policy or guidelines
2. Present the project at the Lindower-Wolitzer Experiential Learning Symposium in late Fall (December, date TBA, in-person), sponsored by Joyce Lindower-Wolitzer ’76 (CHE) and Steven Wolitzer.
3. Join visiting speakers hosted by CHE, the Cornell Joan Klein Jacobs Center for Precision Nutrition and Health and the Program in International Nutrition, from organizations involved in implementation work, and participate in recording at least one podcast with a visiting speaker.

In addition, Ambassadors may be asked to attend other College of Human Ecology on-campus events as needed to display or discuss their project.

Funding

Recipients will receive a $500 prize. Additionally, the program will support their participation in a podcast recording and presentation at the annual symposium.

Selection Criteria

Applications will be reviewed by senior members of CHE, the Cornell Joan Klein Jacobs Center for Precision Nutrition and Health, and the Program in International Nutrition using the following criteria, as appropriate:

• applicant demonstrates significant contribution to research that meets the eligibility criteria as a project with a public health or nutrition focus with real-world impact
• applicant commits to the Ambassador expectations, including attending the symposium, completing a podcast recording, and attending additional meetings or events as needed

Instructions to Apply

Proposals must be submitted via the electronic application here on or before the application deadline. Prepare the application as a single Word document with file name “ApplicantFirstname-Lastname-2026-27” with CHE faculty advisor signature on the document and upload to the portal. Applications must include the following components within the suggested word counts:

1. General Information
   1. Project title
   2. Applicant Name, major(s)/minor(s) and anticipated year of graduation
   3. Name(s) and Department of the CHE faculty advisor, and signature
   4. Name(s) of the external agency/collaborator
2. Project Summary: Succinct summary, to be shared publicly, describing the project context, timeline (including when you joined the project), goals and current status (eg. ongoing/completed/published, 150-250 words)
3. Relevance to public health or nutrition: briefly describe the project relevance to improving public health or nutrition (~100 words)
4. Reflection: briefly describe how the project has impacted your learning and progress toward your future goals (~100 words)

The selection committee may request further details or clarification about the project as part of the review process. For questions about this opportunity or the application process, please email cpnh@cornell.edu.