Developing Your Own Project
CHI welcomes international projects initiated by students. If you have an idea for a project, start by narrowing it to a specific area and a specific issue (e.g. malaria prevention in rural Tanzania). Then do some background research to see if this project is feasible. At this point, contact the project director to set up a meeting. If your project sounds reasonable, it will be posted on the website and emailed to the general body to attract support in planning the specifics.
In order to become an official CHI project, the following questions should be answered:
- What do you hope to achieve on this project? Do you have research or experience to indicate that this project will be implemented successfully?
- Read the safety protocol. Is it feasible to fulfill those points? Please discuss how you will follow the safety guidelines or which of the points are not relevant to your project and why.
- Briefly summarize information about the area you are intending to travel to. Has the US State Department or the CDC issued a warning about this area? Are there cultural factors make this project less likely to succeed in this area?
- If there is a language barrier, how are you addressing it?
- What is an estimated budget for this project? Please list project expenses, accommodation, and airfare as separate points.
- Have you contacted any local personnel or organizations that can help?
- Have you contacted any Cornell faculty with experience to help plan?
- What is the timeline for planning and executing this project?
If these requirements appear daunting, please contact the project board director who will be happy to help you at any stage of the planning or executing this project. Planning an international project is a difficult task and you are not expected to do it on your own. The project board exists to support new projects and the project leaders of past projects are also available to offer advice and assistance.