Students learn about beekeeping

New York Youth Institute

Life-changing global impact

The New York Youth Institute at Cornell University engages high school students on the biggest challenges facing people and the planet in the 21st century. We empower students to research issues they care about, propose their own innovative ideas to solve grand global challenges, and explore exciting ways to make a difference in New York and around the world.

March 17, 2023 at Cornell University

The New York Youth Institute is thrilled to welcome high school students from across New York State at Cornell University on March 17, 2023. Registration is now closed for the 2023 event.

  • Timeline: Check in begins at 8:15AM, program will run from 9:00AM-5:00PM (See agenda below)
  • Building location: 700 Clark Hall (Map location)
  • COVID-19 guidance: Masks are not required in most spaces on campus; however, they are highly encouraged. It is not necessary to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination status to attend the NYYI event. All campus visitors, however, are encouraged to have received a primary COVID-19 vaccine series and be up to date on eligible boosters. Detailed visitor guidance is found at COVID-19 Cornell Response Information for Visitors.

Logistics

8:15AM Arrival and Check-In: Lobby adjacent to 700 Clark Hall (Simple refreshments provided)

— Icebreaker activity as participants arrive, 700 Clark Hall

9:00AM Welcoming Remarks: World Food Prize Foundation-New York Youth Institute (WFPF-NYYI) leadership and Cornell University’s CALS Senior Associate Dean Beth Ahner, 700 Clark Hall

9:25AM Presentations and Engaged Discussion: “Rethinking improved seed as software for driving food and nutritional security” with Dr. Ed Mabaya and Cornell Fulbright Humphrey Fellows, 700 Clark Hall

10:30AM Break for Student Roundtables: Head to pre-assigned roundtable rooms

10:40AM Student Roundtables: Taking place in rooms across Clark Hall, Physical Sciences Building, Warren Hall, and Mann Library (rooms are pre-assigned)

12:10PM Break for Lunch: Return to 700 Clark Hall; Lunch provided by Catering by Luna

12:30 LUNCH Enjoy the break and lunchtime discussion opportunities with joining roundtable experts and Cornell students, 700 Clark Hall

1:30PM Campus Tours: 3 separate tour groups—please select one; Depart from Clark Hall

— Greenhouses - Controlled Environment Agriculture | Hydroponic and aquaponic systems

— Animal Agriculture | Lambing and sustainable livestock grazing; Animal science teaching and research barns

— Digital Agriculture | Data systems and high-tech modern ag innovations; Lab, growth chambers, and grafting activity

3:15PM Return to 700 Clark Hall

3:30PM Cornell CALS and WFPF Student Panel Discussions: Hear from CALS Admissions and engage with a panel of CALS Student Ambassadors, followed by a panel of World Food Prize Program Alumni who study at Cornell, 700 Clark Hall (Simple refreshments provided)

4:50PM Closing Ceremony and group photo: World Food Prize Foundation-New York Youth Institute leadership, 700 Clark Hall

5:00PM End Day: Thank you, congratulations, and travel safely!

Each student should be prepared to provide a brief presentation on their Global Challenge research paper during a portion of the day called Student Roundtables.

In small groups during the event, each student will provide a brief presentation (approximately 3 minutes; no presentation slides) to expert panelists on their Global Challenge research paper. Following each presentation, there will be a few minutes for discussion with the panelists. For student talks, expert panelists will be listening for the following:

  • Summary of the topic/problem you selected in the context of your chosen country
  • Description of a typical family or community in your chosen country
  • Analysis of the topic and your proposed solutions/recommendations
  • Description of a feasible plan to implement your proposed solution(s)
  • Your passion for the topic and articulation/delivery of your speech 

Our NYYI team is happy to provide support as you prepare for the NYYI event. To help you prepare your talk, we will be holding a student support Zoom calls. Our NYYI team will also provide you options to practice your presentations with them on one-on-one calls. Connection information forthcoming.

Ithaca has several nice hotels near campus and across town, but rates and availability can fluctuate wildly depending on local events and time of year. If you plan to stay a night or two in Ithaca, it’s best to make your lodging arrangements as soon as possible.

For those of you wishing to stay near campus the night before the event, we have worked out a modest-rate option that may be of interest/help:

  • The Best Western University Inn, a hotel near Cornell with free shuttle service to and from campus, is holding a block of 10 double rooms for Thursday night, March 16, at the Cornell rate of $129/night (plus taxes).
  • The double rooms will be held at this rate until March 1st, after which any remaining rooms will be released, and the prices may go up.
  • You may book one or more of the double rooms at the Cornell rate via the online booking link: Cornell NY Youth Institute Best Western Booking

We look forward to greeting you at Cornell in a few weeks and appreciate your efforts to be a part of the 2023 NYYI event!

How to participate in the 2023 New York Youth Institute

Identify a mentor locally that really believes in you. This could be a teacher at your school, a 4-H club leader, a coach, FFA advisor, or even a parent. They will help keep you on track and motivated to complete the paper.

Find instructions and resources for writing your paper on the World Food Prize website.

You and your teacher/mentor must register and submit your paper online by February 20, 2023.

Got questions? Contact Polly Endreny Holmberg!

  • Email: peh58 [at] cornell.edu
  • Phone: 607-319-6293

On March 17, 2023, be part of an amazing experience at Cornell University and become a Borlaug Scholar.

Be a hunger hero

Combining the strengths of Cornell University and the World Food Prize, the New York Youth Institute prepares next-generation leaders in global development, agriculture, nutrition, and technology.

A student holds a plant specimen in a lab
High school students from around New York State participate in a scavenger hunt around the CALS campus to kick off the 2017 New York Youth Institute

Solve grand challenges

Work directly with leading experts on topics like:

  • Zero Hunger
  • Social Inequality
  • Climate Action
Students take part in a lab activity with soil
Explore research paper guidelines

Become a Borlaug Scholar

Students who participate in the New York Youth Institute earn recognition as a Borlaug Scholar and qualify for internships and further opportunities. 

A life-changing opportunity for New York high school students

Gain Ivy League experience

Take part in a student-experience at Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), consistently ranked as one of the top in the world. The NYYI is part of CALS' Department of Global Development, which unites critical scholarship and practice at the intersections of agricultural, environmental, life, and social sciences to advance a more equitable, sustainable, and food-secure world for all.

Take part in a global event

The World Food Prize recognizes the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world. Select NYYI delegates are invited to take part in the World Food Prize held each year in Des Moines, Iowa.

Be a hunger fighter

Norman Borlaug, the founder of the World Food Prize, was an American scientist whose achievements breeding new wheat varieties helped feed a hungry world. His work spurred the Green Revolution, and in 1970 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his efforts to rid the world of hunger. 

Cluster of ornate stone buildings in autumn, with Cayuga Lake in the background.
World Food Prize Foundation
Norman Borlaug crouches in a wheat field as he examines a plant

Discover More

Learn more about the NYYI and opportunities to join by contacting Polly Endreny Holmberg

Polly Endreny Holmberg
Polly Endreny Holmberg

Associate Director, Humphrey Fellowship Program; Training Program Coordinator

Department of Global Development

Polly Endreny Holmberg
  • peh58 [at] cornell.edu
International education & professional development
Environmental sustainability
Community empowerment

Further opportunities for participants

The Global Youth Institute

The top students from each youth institute will be competitively selected as delegates to the Global Youth Institute, held every October in Des Moines, Iowa.

The Global Youth Institute is an exciting three-day program where young leaders interact with Nobel and World Food Prize Laureates and the more than 1,000 global leaders from 65 countries attending the World Food Prize's annual international symposium.

Global Youth Institute delegates will be eligible to apply for the Borlaug-Ruan International Internship.

Borlaug-Ruan International Internships

An all-expenses-paid, eight-week hands-on experience for high school students to work with world-renowned scientists and policymakers at leading research centers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Borlaug-Ruan Interns get a firsthand view of pressing food security and nutritional problems in poverty-stricken areas and take part in groundbreaking research.

Students selected as delegates for the Global Youth Institute are eligible to apply for the Borlaug Ruan International Internship.

USDA Wallace-Carver Fellowships

A paid summer research or policy placement for college students at a U.S. Department of Agriculture laboratory, agency, or at USDA headquarters in Washington D.C. Wallace-Carver Fellows analyze agricultural and economic policy; assist in the management of food, nutrition, and rural development programs; and take part in groundbreaking field and laboratory-based research. Fellows travel to Washington DC as part of their fellowship for a week-long high-level leadership program hosted by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

All Borlaug Scholars are eligible to apply for a USDA Wallace-Carver Fellowship.

Program highlights

Student hosts workshop in computer lab

Field Note

Visualizing data for food security at the New York Youth Institute
Each year, high school students from around New York State gather at Cornell University to explore ways they can help develop real-world solutions to the greatest challenges in agriculture and food systems. At the 2022 New York Youth Institute...
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A young students looks at a petri dish in a lab

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A young students looks at a petri dish in a lab

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Researcher points at plant samples while talking to high school students

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