Cornell University Cooperative Extension New York City

At CUCE-NYC STEM learning comes to life when students can see the impact of their work beyond the classroom.

In our hydroponics labs, learning for students doesn't stop at understanding the science of growing plants without soil—it grows into action, responsibility, and making a difference for their peers. Here student interns harvest fresh basil, rosemary, and cilantro that will be add to produce boxes for their fellow peers.

By combining hands-on STEM education with service to their community, students gain valuable skills in urban agriculture, problem-solving, and leadership while helping increase access to fresh, healthy food.

📸: Danielle Parks

We're continuing our "What is the Meaning of Extension?" segment with Michele Luc. Michele is a training coordinator at Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research and a positive youth development (PYD) specialist in Family & Youth Development, a program with a long, respected history—one built on deep relationships, community trust, and decades of meaningful work with young people and their families.

Since 2010, she has conducted programming across New York State, engaging youth-serving organizations around training, technical assistance, and capacity-building.

Thank you, Michele, for 16 years (and counting) of service to CUCE-NYC!

Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research's Talks at Twelve series presents "The Meaning of Extension: Cornell’s Work in New York City"

For more than 60 years, Cornell University Cooperative Extension–NYC has brought Cornell’s research into communities across all five boroughs—serving 30,000+ New Yorkers annually through programs in nutrition, youth development, STEM, and urban agriculture.

Join Jenny Weil Malatras ’02, executive director of CUCE-NYC, for a conversation on what the land-grant mission looks like in New York City today, the challenges and opportunities ahead, and how Cornell can deepen its impact across the city.

🗓️ May 28, 2026
🕛 12:00–1:00 PM
📍 570 Lexington Ave., 12th Floor, New York, NY + Zoom

🏢 In-person registration: https://lnkd.in/gjqrxAFy
🖥️ Zoom registration: https://lnkd.in/gj_mcVcZ

Now Hiring: Director of Family & Youth Development
📍New York City | Cornell University Cooperative Extension – NYC

Cornell University Cooperative Extension–NYC (CUCE‑NYC) seeks a dynamic, equity‑centered leader to serve as Director of Family and Youth Development.

This senior role offers a rare opportunity to reimagine and lead youth and family programming—including 4‑H/Youth Development and Parenting Education—across New York City’s five boroughs.

As a member of the CUCE‑NYC Program Leadership Team, the Director will provide strategic vision, lead grant‑funded initiatives as Principal Investigator, supervise and mentor staff, and build strong partnerships with community organizations, government agencies, and Cornell faculty.

The role sits at the intersection of research, community impact, and public service—advancing Cornell’s land‑grant mission in one of the most complex urban environments in the world.

Required: Master’s degree in a related field and 5–7 years of experience in non‑formal education, program leadership, and grant development.

Preferred: Doctorate, Extension or NYC experience, multilingual skills, and a strong commitment to belonging, equity, and inclusion.

✅ Full‑time, NYC‑based
✅ Academic rank: Extension Associate or Senior Extension Associate
✅ Competitive salary + Cornell benefits

🔗 Apply: https://lnkd.in/gzRtTKnc
📅 Applications reviewed on a rolling basis.

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The Hub in the South Bronx, minutes away from our Cooperative Extension office.
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Community challenges and assets are not mutually exclusive. Yes, the Hub faces ongoing quality-of-life challenges, AND it continues to serve as a vital center for businesses, food, health and human services, and everyday connection for Bronx residents.

PC: Danielle Parks, Program Liaison

CUCE-NYC programming—where STEM meets creativity. 🎨🌱

Our hydroponics STEM education students took their learning beyond the classroom and into the in Harlem bringing science to life through art, exploration, and hands-on experience.

For students in communities where green space can be limited, experiences like this matter. They make space for connection to nature, spark creativity, support social and emotional health, and show that growing food and possibility is within reach anywhere.

📸: Maya Kutz, Hydroponics STEM Education Program

Presentamos un nuevo segmento con nuestros miembros del equipo de CUCE-NYC para contestar la pregunta: ¿Qué significa la extensión cooperativa para mí?

Conozcamos a Maireny Guzman, una Educadora de Nutrición Comunitaria, en Brooklyn y en Queens.

Maireny, como algunos de sus compañeros, también estuvo en otro programa de CUCE-NYC antes de convertirse en educadora. Aunque ella comenzó su viaje con CUCE-NYC como Asistente del Programa en nuestro Programa de Nutrición del Mercado de Agricultores en el 2022, otros compañeros empezaron como participantes o voluntarios en los talleres de nutrición.

El participar en nuestros programas – como voluntario, interno, o participante – puede llevar a tener un empleo en CUCE-NYC, donde buscamos involucrar y fomentar relaciones con campeones de la comunidad.

CUCE-NYC implementa un modelo de educadores de primera línea de paraprofesionales basados en la comunidad. Los educadores de nutrición comunitaria, como Maireny, residen en las comunidades donde enseñan, sirviendo como líderes entre sus compañeros y conectando experiencia vivída, un idioma en común, experiencia cultural e investigación.

¿Qué significa la extensión cooperativa para usted? Por favor comente abajo.

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We’re introducing a new segment with our CUCE-NYC team members answering the question: What does extension mean to me?

Meet Maireny Guzman, a Community Nutrition Educator, in Brooklyn and Queens.

Maireny, like some of her colleagues, also served in another CUCE-NYC program area before becoming an educator. While she started her journey with CUCE-NYC as a Program Assistant in our Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program in 2022, other staff began as nutrition and health workshop participants or interns.

Participation in our programs—as a volunteer, intern, participant, or part-time staff member—can provide pathways to employment at CUCE-NYC, where we seek to meaningfully engage and foster relationships with community members.

CUCE-NYC implements a community-based para-professional frontline educator model. Community nutrition educators, like Maireny, live in the communities they teach, serving as leaders among their peers and bridging lived experience, shared language, cultural context, and research.

What does extension mean to you? Comment below.

📹: Danielle Parks, CUCE-NYC Program Liaison

📹 editing and English/Spanish captions: Juan Vazquez-Leddon, Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research

💬 Spanish translation: Yvonne Bravo, CUCE-NYC Nutrition and Health & Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program