Rubin Community Fellows Program Project Funding History

Faculty fellow: Emilly Obuya 

Community partner: Public School 2

Russell Sage College aims to implement “STEM Saturdays” in collaboration with Public School 2 (PS2) and surrounding schools in Troy, NY. This initiative will engage elementary students in a full day of interactive learning through three distinct programs: STEAMvestigations, in which students will explore science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) concepts through hands-on investigations and team challenges; Kid Spark, through which students engage with reusable design and engineering materials organized into STEM Labs; and Driving STEM in which students engage in data-driven problem-solving strategies through motor sports challenges. This project aims to inspire young learners and foster their interest and proficiency in STEM fields through hands-on, collaborative, and engaging activities.

Faculty fellow: Lydia Manikonda 

Community partner: NOpiates

This project aims to utilize computer science towards a social justice issue, namely, the opioid crisis in Rensselaer County, which has among the highest rates of opioid burden in the state. The proposal highlights the lack of information and resources available online regarding the opioid crisis and recovery efforts in the county. It emphasizes the importance of leveraging online discussions and social media platforms to gather insights and provide support to individuals struggling with opioid addiction. The main objectives of the proposal are to utilize AI-based frameworks to extract insights from online discussions related to opioid abuse and recovery; collaborate with community organizations in Rensselaer County to incorporate these insights into addiction recovery programs and community education efforts; Develop a real-time analytics portal to track opioid-related statistics and provide up-to-date information on resources and support services; explore the feasibility of installing Narcan dispensers in strategic locations based on the data collected. The project demonstrates the methodology for data collection and analysis, emphasizing the use of AI techniques such as natural language processing to extract relevant information from social media discussions.

Faculty fellow: Guy Schaffer 

Community partner: City of Troy

The City of Troy and Troy School 2 have collaborated on a textiles diversion engagement program since Spring 2022, focusing on fourth and fifth graders in STEAM education. The program encourages diverting textiles to a designated bin, with proceeds benefiting the school. This year, the program has expanded to include other waste streams like single-stream recycling and composting. Students will visit facilities like the Sierra Processing Facility, Ecovative, and SoulFire Farm to learn about recycling, eco-friendly materials, and composting. Dr. Guy Schaffer from RPI will partner with the city to enhance student engagement, while a statewide deconstruction summit hosted by Troy and TAP Inc. aims to draft legislation favoring deconstruction over demolition. The city aims to highlight the importance of recovering materials for reuse and has established connections with experts in deconstruction and preservation fields.

Faculty fellow: Jason van Staveren
Community partner: LVORC

This project hopes to improve college access for refugees and immigrants, and students of color. We hope to document the experiences of refugees navigating the college application process, develop a college access mentoring program, and build a repository of resources for supporting refugees and immigrants. Film faculty will train newcomer youth in video production, and they will create tutorial videos to facilitate higher education access. HVCC students and faculty will collaborate with newcomer youth to produce these videos, which will cover topics like college applications and financial aid. The project aims to increase higher education access for newcomer youth and establish a lasting partnership between HVCC students and the newcomer community.

Faculty fellows: Abby Kinchy, Kathy High, Branda Miller

Community partner: Media Alliance/The Sanctuary for Independent Media

An interdisciplinary project focused on through art and science. Situated in a renovated building in North Central Troy, the initiative encompasses a community biology laboratory and a health sanctuary, emphasizing research on urban environmental conditions and community health. Building on past successes in sustainability, the proposed project aims to establish the NATURE Lab as a sustainable community science center through collaborative partnerships, hiring essential staff, and developing programs to engage academics, schools, and community groups. The project seeks to lay the groundwork for long-term viability while promoting environmental sustainability and social justice.

Faculty fellows: Brandon Costelloe-Kuehn, Jen Costelloe-Kuehn, Guy Schaffer

Community partner: Parker School and Oakwood Community Center

This project addresses the challenges faced in community-engaged learning (CEL) by fostering mutually beneficial partnerships between students, faculty, and community groups. With a focus on overcoming barriers such as limited faculty and community resources, student turnover, and power dynamics, the project proposes structured workshops, trainings, and documentation to enhance communication and collaboration. By involving RPI, the Parker School, and the Oakwood Community Center, the initiative seeks to create sustainable CEL infrastructure and facilitate meaningful engagement for students, faculty, and community members in Rensselaer County. 

Faculty fellows: Creative Action Unlimited

Community partner: David Baecker, Leah Rico

Creative Action Unlimited will enhance existing community coalitions by integrating artistic approaches into discussions surrounding various social issues. Led by Artistic Director Michael Kennedy, the organization has a history of creating original theater and film productions addressing topics such as addiction, suicide, racism, and housing instability. With plans for upcoming productions focusing on classism/racism and anti-violence work, Creative Action Unlimited aims to contribute to collaborative efforts within the community by offering their artistic products to agencies working towards social justice. They seek to join existing coalitions and provide their productions as educational resources, alongside developing materials to facilitate discussions and maximize the impact of their work. This project will include a redesigned logo and website, a new social justice artists collective, and K-12 programming. 

Faculty fellows: Kevin Fletcher

Community partner: NOpiates

The Nopiates Committee, founded by Tim and Kim Murdick in response to the tragic loss of their son to a heroin overdose, aims to raise addiction awareness and combat the stigma associated with substance use disorders. While they have a network of dedicated volunteers and collaborators, they lack experience in nonprofit management. This project will involve Organizational Management Faculty Kevin Fletcher, expertise in developing Strategic Plans with nonprofit organizations. This plan will include a review of their vision and mission, a SWOT analysis, benchmarking against similar organizations, and the development of a phased-in plan for organizational development and external goals over the next five years. Through this capacity-building initiative, the Nopiates Committee seeks to strengthen its impact in addressing addiction within the community.

Faculty fellows: Katrin Ramsey

Community partner: YWCA-GCR

Brief project description: Sage Colleges Physical Therapy will work with local nonprofits to develop wellness programming to address healthcare needs of underserved residents in Rensselaer County. We hope to begin by offering classes at nonprofit sites, and our long-term goal would be to eventually develop an on-campus clinic where we would provide no-cost services including physical therapy, occupational therapy, and nursing care, with a focus on improving access to quality healthcare and promoting overall health and wellness. Through a multidisciplinary approach and collaboration with community partners, we hope to provide holistic wellness support.

ARC of Rensselaer County will receive $4,000 to develop a training program to prepare direct-care staff to effectively communicate with medical professionals in the event of a crisis.

The Commission on Economic Opportunity will receive $15,000 to support its Babies in Waiting program. Babies in Waiting provides services that support prenatal, intrapartum and postpartum health and wellness.

The City of Troy Environmental Responsibility Project will receive $14,500 to improve environmental stewardship and reduce waste-handling expenditures for the City of Troy, its residents and businesses.

Troy YMCA will receive $7,681 to create a program to address childhood obesity. Children participating in the program will receive a free youth membership to the Troy Y for the duration of this program.

Rensselaer County Historical Society (RCHS) will develop an on-going monthly lecture series for adults on various topics relating to local history

This project will create a network to support volunteering connections, collaboration, and capacity among not-for-profit (NFP) organizations in Rensselaer County 

The Urban Design-Build Partnership will harness the strengths and mission of these four stakeholder institutions within the City of Troy to form an innovative design, research, and community development partnership.

The first part of this project will create a plastic injection molding line that will make crayons. The second part will develop gaming software that the children must use to input measurements that will make the injection line work properly.

Developing partnerships with organizations that offer counseling and programs on difficult topics that youth are dealing with such as substance abuse, sexuality, and job skills.  

Developing partnerships with organizations that offer counseling and programs on difficult topics that youth are dealing with such as substance abuse, sexuality, and job skills.  

Survey to expand programming to better serve the community.

Develop a college entry program for Vanderheyden’s high school students.

Developing a capstone program for the members of the YWCA-GCR patterned after the successful Signature capstone program at Emma Willard.

Developing a list of agencies in the city that have summer and after-school programs catering to the city’s youth population.

Rehabilitating a vacant lot across from the front door of Public School 2 in Troy to create an outdoor classroom while simultaneously eliminating an eyesore from the neighborhood.

Developing a capstone program for the members of the YWCA-GCR patterned after the successful Signature capstone program at Emma Willard.

Design and development of two plans: 1.) a stream bank restoration plan, and 2.) a management plan for eradicating the invasive species and replacing them with appropriate native plantings.

Survey to collect information from the public on special and important places to be preserved in development of Rensselaer County Land and Water Conservation Plan.

Develop and deploy a branding and marketing plan to position Troy as a cultural destination.

Provide a multiple-exposure, project-based environmental education experience for urban and rural elementary and secondary students from throughout Rensselaer County.

Development of a business plan for a multi-use commercial kitchen to be included in the second phase of its Urban Grow Center.