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CALS Global Fellows Program

The CALS Global Fellows Program

Are you a CALS student who is ready to embark on a transformative journey that combines your academic pursuits with real-world experiences, all while exploring the global landscape? If so, the CALS Global Fellows program is your ticket to an enriching and dynamic adventure.

 

What is CALS Global Fellows?

CALS Global Fellows is the evolved version of our renowned program, designed to offer even greater opportunities for students from diverse departments within the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences. We've reimagined our structure to accommodate a wider range of majors, making it more accessible to you and your peers.

 

How to Be a CALS Global Fellow

Becoming a CALS Global Fellow 2.0 is a four-step journey that combines academic rigor with practical experience:

Step 1: Engaged Experience/Internship

Undertake an 8-week engaged experience or internship that aligns with the learning objectives of your major. This experience can be either international or domestic, offering you the chance to explore different corners of the world or gain valuable insights right here at home. Opportunities may include internships connected to CALS, which we promote and coordinate through the CU Experience system, or internships you secure independently.

Step 2: Pre-Departure Internship Course - ALS 2300

Prepare for your adventure by attending a pre-departure, 1-credit internship class in the 2nd half of the Spring semester. This course will equip you with essential knowledge about health, safety, and workplace etiquette, ensuring a smooth and secure transition into your experience.

Step 3: Post-Departure Course - ALS 3105

Enroll in the 1-credit ALS 3105 Post-Internship course upon your return. This course will provide a platform for reflection and learning, allowing you to synthesize your experiences and academic studies.

Step 4: CALS GF Symposium

Participate in the CALS Global Fellows Symposium, where you'll have the opportunity to showcase your experiences, engage in meaningful discussions, and connect with peers who share your passion for global exploration.

 

Benefits of CALS Global Fellows

By completing steps a through d, you officially become a CALS Global Fellow. As a CALS Global Fellow, you not only gain a unique and enriching perspective on your field of study but also earn the chance to fulfill your required CALS E3 Milestone.

Financial support is available to all students who participate in the program, making it accessible and affordable.

 

Join the CALS Global Fellows 2.0 Community

Whether you're interested in agriculture, life sciences, or related fields, CALS Global Fellows 2.0 is your gateway to a world of possibilities. Take the opportunity to broaden your horizons, enhance your skills, and make a lasting impact.

*Financial support eligibility details will be provided separately.

 

For more information on specific internship placements and opportunities for Summer 2025, CALS students can visit: experience.cornell.edu 

 

Would you like to host a CALS Global Fellows Intern?

If you are part of an organization and would be interested in hosting a CALS student for a summer 8-week internship, please contact calsglobal [at] cornell.edu.  

 

Asia

Sathguru Management Consultants Private Limited: Located in Hyderabad and with a deeply rooted relationship to Cornell University, Sathguru Management Consultants offer a diverse portfolio of services, including strategic & financial advice, sector growth assessment, capital market advice, and brand affiliation management through the lens of development and innovative life sciences & technology.

Suggested majors and/or professional interests: AEM, IARD, Information Science, Biological Engineering, Biology, Agricultural Science focusing on content development, user interface/user experience, GIS, machine learning, agriculture development, computational biology, molecular biology

Placements: 2

Sehgal Foundation: Every person deserves to lead a more secure, prosperous, and dignified life. With that vision in mind, the Sehgal Foundation mission is to strengthen community-led development initiatives to achieve positive social, economic, and environmental change across rural India. With support from donors and partners, Sehgal Foundation designs and promotes rural development interventions that create opportunities, build resilience, and provide solutions to some of the most pressing challenges in India’s poorest communities.

Suggested majors and/or professional interests (varies accordingly to internship): IARD, Development Sociology, Communications, Information Science, Agricultural Science, Applied Economics and Management, with interests in community, digital and mass media, journalism, rural development, adaptive technology, and computer programming.

Placements: 2-4

Tata Cornell Institute (TCI) for Agriculture and Nutrition: The Tata Cornell Institute (TCI) is a long-term research initiative focusing on the design and evaluation of innovative interventions linking agriculture, food systems, human nutrition, and poverty in India. TCI is part of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and are hosted by the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management.

Suggested majors and/or professional interests: IARD, Agricultural Science, Global Health, Development Sociology focusing on economics, agriculture, international relations, development studies, health, nutrition, human ecology, gender studies

Placements: 2

CALS in partnership with the National University of Singapore (NUS) will support selected Fellows in the process for selecting a placement through the Undergraduate Research Attachment in Science Program (URAPS). Prospective applicants identify and contact NUS Faculty of Science professors they would like to work alongside. Placements will vary depending on interest and the faculty member the student chooses to work with. Students have the opportunity to work in research, in a lab setting, or conduct data analysis. This is a proactive placement and students must work with the NUS faculty directly to secure a placement. 

Students may contact faculty prior CALS' decision to move your application forward in the review process for the Global Fellows Program. Past participants who have been accepted, found it easier to secure their placement at NUS when they had made contact prior to CALS' decision. It has also been beneficial when writing a statement of purpose.

Placements: 2

Suggested majors and/or professional interests: Biology, Biochemistry, Biometry & Statistics, and Entomology focusing on microbiology, immunology, statistics and applied probability

CALS in partnership with Asia Internship Program (AIP), will support selected Fellows in the Spring semester to finalize their placement in an organization or company based on their skills and interests. Placement opportunities focus on business development, consulting, entrepreneurship, environmental policy, design, import/export, IT, law, PR & marketing, and more. The placement process includes an interview with our partner and with the company/organization's supervisor. It is key then, that students are flexible around placement finalization, clearly articulate their personal and professional objectives throughout the application process, and if selected as a Fellow, contribute meaningfully to the matching phase.

Placements: 2-4

Suggested majors and/or professional interests: Applied Economics and Management, Biology and Society, Communications, Environment and Sustainability, Food Science, Information Science

Europe

Szent István University (SZIU) Research GroupsSZIU is one of Hungary’s most prominent institutions of higher education and consists of eight different faculties for study and research hosting approximately 15,000 students with campuses in Gödöllő and Budapest, the latter commonly cited as one of the most beautiful cities of Europe.

Placements: 1

Suggested majors and/or professional interests: Environment and Sustainability, Animal Science, Agricultural Sciences, Plant Sciences, and Biological Sciences

CALS partners with the University of Porto, Faculty of Sciences to offer select placements in ecology and viticulture fields and landscape architecture.  

Placements: 3

Suggested majors and/or professional interests: Biological Sciences, Viticulture & Enology Landscape Architecture, Environment and Sustainability majors with a focus on ecology, conservation and/or wine tourism and applied field work. 

South/Central America

CALS and in partnership with Puentes, will support selected Fellows in the Spring semester to finalize their placement in an organization or company based on their skills and interests. Placement opportunities focus on communications, public relations and media, development and sustainability, education and teaching, entrepreneurship and startups, finance and consulting, government and public policy, law and human and civil rights, and marketing and advertising. The placement process includes an interview with our partner and with the company/organization's supervisor. It is key then, that students are flexible around placement finalization, clearly articulate their personal and professional objectives throughout the application process, and if selected as a Fellow, contribute meaningfully to the matching phase.

Placements: 2

Suggested majors and/or professional interests: Communications, Applied Economics and Management (esp. around entrepreneurship), Environment & Sustainability, Development Sociology

CALS in partnership with Intern Colombia, will support Fellows to finalize their placement in an organization or company based on their skills and interests.

Placement opportunities focus on community development, conflict resolution, education, environmental sustainability, healthcare, human rights, international trade & development, peace, security & post-conflict reconstruction, peacebuilding, poverty eradication, and women’s rights, among others.
 

The placement process includes a one-to-one advising session with Intern Colombia, interview preparation, and interview(s) with prospective Host Organizations. It is important that students are clear about their expectations, and personal & professional goals and contribute collaboratively throughout the internship placement process.
 

Suggested majors and/or professional interests: Communications, Development Studies, Education, Environment and Sustainability, Global Development, Global & Public Health Sciences, International Trade & Development, Landscape Architecture, Water Resources, interest in the non-profit sector and/or Equivalent.
About Colombia

Africa

Go FreshGo Fresh! is an award-winning Botswana-based agricultural operation that utilizes the latest greenhouse and hydroponic technology to locally grow Grade-1 vegetables consistently, year-round. Go Fresh! seeks to unleash the power of youth leaders and technology to be the largest producer of organic and sustainably grown produce in distributed farms, creating food security for Botswana, creating employment in our communities, enabling our tourism industry and delivering the healthiest, freshest, best tasting produce possible.

Suggested Majors and/or professional interests: AEM, IARD, Development Sociology, ag-engineering, computer programming skills

Placements: up to 4 (2 in Maun on farm; 2 in Gabarone in main office)

Manor House Agriculture Centre: The mission of Manor House is to provide smallholder farmers with practical training, research and extension services in ecological agriculture and agricultural enterprise development. Manor House has been an organic agriculture training center for the past 35 years. It is located in Trans Nzoia county Kenya, which lies on a 1800-2200 masl plateau between Mt Elgon and the Cheranganyi Hills. Daily temperatures are in the high 70’s and go down into the 50’s at night.

Suggested majors and/or professional interests: IARD, Development Sociology, Agriculture Sciences, Animal Sciences, Environment & Sustainability, Dyson, and interests in food systems, markets, sustainability, crop and livestock production, education and more. 

Placements: up to 3, among different project areas

Soils, Food and Healthy Communities (SFHC): The Soils, Food and Healthy Communities project is a participatory, farmer-led organization which uses agroecological methods to improve food security and nutrition in Malawi.

Suggested majors and/or professional interests: Development Sociology, IARD, Environment & Sustainability, Entomology, Agriculture Sciences, focus on food security, and rural development

Placements: 2

Interns will be placed at Tomatrix Nigeria, a social enterprise addressing rural poverty and food loss through community engagement and value addition to food-crops like Tomato and Cassava. We are building a hub for innovation to combat food loss/post-harvest using agro-processing, market linkage and farmer's training. 

Interns will work to on value addition innovation and/or data analytics.  Tomatrix is looking to build a dashboard to track food loss in Nigeria. 

Desired Qualifications: Students with data analytics skills (Power BI, MySQL, Front-end/Full-stack engineer) and/or Food Science (product development, agro-processing, Hot-filling processing techniques, sustainable packaging) are well suited for this internship. 

Placements: 2 students

Australia

CALS and in partnership with the University of Sydney, will support selected Fellows in the Spring semester to finalize their placement in an organization or company based on their skills and interests. Placement opportunities focus on food systems, agriculture, agribusiness and sustainability. The placement process includes an interview with our partner and with the company/organization's supervisor. It is key then, that students are flexible around placement finalization, clearly articulate their personal and professional objectives throughout the application process, and if selected as a Fellow, contribute meaningfully to the matching phase.

In addition to the research or internship placement, students are required to participate in a 3-credit hour course taught through the University of Sydney. Students will have the option to take ARTS2600-Internship 1 or EDUH4052-Learning in Outdoor Education. Students can return credits earned to Cornell. 

Placements: up to 4

Suggested majors and/or professional interests: Open to all CALS and Dyson majors with a particular focus on marketing and finance, business analytics, media and communications, and environmental advocacy