The Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute (IHSI) is pleased to announce the selection of 14 research projects for the Summer 2026 Community-Academic Scholars (CAS) Program. The complete list of projects and brief descriptions can be found on the IHSI website.
Each project includes a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researcher and at least one representative from a local community organization who are collaborating on research to address an existing need within the community. Our Summer 2026 projects address diverse community needs and challenges to promote health, equity, and community well-being.
For 10 weeks each summer, university and community partners provide mentorship and guidance to undergraduates who are eager to contribute to these projects. Scholars assist with a variety of research activities, including participant recruitment, data collection and analysis, program evaluation, literature review, community outreach, and more. By the end of the summer, scholars present their research and contributions to the community at an annual poster session.
Congratulations to the 2026 project teams!
Selected projects involve an established and equitable partnership with a community organization and offer a mentored opportunity for an undergraduate to engage with and support the project at any stage of the research cycle. Priority is also given to projects that allow a scholar to have direct contact with the community the project serves. Most importantly, each of these research projects are responding to community needs identified in collaboration with the community partners.
Adapting a Family-Based Health Education Program for Mandarin-Speaking Families
Academic Mentor | Grace Park, Carle Illinois College of Medicine
Community Partners | Avicenna Community Health Center, Chinese American Association of Central Illinois
Bug2School: Living Mulches for Sustainable School and Community Gardens
Academic Mentor | Carmen Blubaugh, Crop Sciences
Community Partner | C-U Farm2School
Designing the In-Home Digital Health Journey Across an Individual's Lifespan
Academic Mentor | Yiwen Dong, Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering
Community Partner | ID8Lab Foundation
Equity-Centered Approaches to Artificial Intelligence in Community-Based Health Care
Academic Mentor | Catalina Alzate, Graphic Design
Community Partner | CUPHD, Great Start Program
Evidence to Accreditation: Using LLMs for Automated Evidence-Grounded Drafting
Academic Mentor | Anuj Tiwari, Discovery Partners Institute
Community Partner | Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD)
Housing, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Health in Weatherized Homes
Academic Mentor | Sheena Martenies, Health and Kinesiology
Community Partner | Indoor Climate Research and Training (ICRT), Champaign Country Regional Planning Commission
Human-Centered Design of In-Home Mobility Monitoring
Academic Mentor | Yiwen Dong, Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering
Community Partner | Beckwith Residential Support Services
Mindfulness-Based Support for Postpartum Pain and Emotional Well-Being
Academic Mentor | Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo, Health and Kinesiology
Community Partner | Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD)
Multilingual Adult English Learning Through Community-Based Pedagogy
Academic Mentor | Anna Mendoza, Linguistics
Community Partner | Champaign-Urbana Refugee Center
Nutrition-Based Strategies for Hypertension Management in a Free Clinic Setting
Academic Mentor | Manabu (Mani) Nakamura, Food Science and Human Nutrition
Community Partner | Avicenna Community Health Center
Robotic Navigation for Aging in Assisted Living Communities
Academic Mentor | Katherine Driggs-Campbell, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Community Partner | ClarkLindsey Life Plan Community
Academic Mentor | Wendy Rogers, Health and Kinesiology
Community Partner | Persons Assuming Control of the Environment (PACE)
Using EXtended Reality to Support Vital Signs Measurement Training for Older Adults and Caregivers
Academic Mentor | Avinash Gupta, Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering
Community Partner | OSF Saint Francis Medical Center
Academic Mentor | Haden Botkin, Agricultural Leadership, Education & Communications
Community Partner | Community-Academic Scholars Program
Program support
With the selected projects finalized, the CAS program has now opened applications for undergraduates to apply. Students rank up to three projects and write a brief statement of interest for each project where they can showcase their passion, lived experience, academic training, and how their work on the project aligns with their future goals.
By focusing on this contextual or community-based knowledge over more traditional academic measures of achievement, the Community-Academic Scholars program broadens the lens of who is seen—and supported—as intellectually prepared for research.
Over 100 Illinois undergraduates apply to join the Community-Academic Scholars program each year. Finalists are selected based on how well their strengths and interests align with their preferred projects. While the selection committee is deeply committed to choosing the right scholars for each project, mentors are also invited to be part of the final interview process.
The results speak for themselves. Each cohort boasts student leaders hailing from diverse backgrounds and with a variety of community and academic distinctions. More importantly, they contribute meaningfully to their projects, offering fresh perspectives and a deep commitment to the work, and the ability to bridge both community and academic approaches.
Before the summer begins, the CAS Program holds orientation meetings to make sure each team is prepared to hit the ground running. Teams discuss timelines and deliverables as well as any preparations that may be needed. For instance, many students will have to complete trainings needed to work directly with research participants. Researchers often need to add their new scholars to existing applications with the university’s Institutional Review Board.
The Community-Academic Scholars Program also supports these undergraduates with training, regular meetings and activities, and a stipend to offset the cost of housing and/or other living expenses during the program.
In addition to empowering undergraduates to explore community-engaged research, Celina Trujillo, Ph.D., IHSI Research Development Manager for Community-Academic Partnerships, also makes a point to connect with researchers and community partners to better understand their work and to identify additional support opportunities. Beyond the summer program, IHSI offers continuing support for project teams, including, research development, training, and educational seminars and workshops.
“It’s really just this constant flow of listening, learning, and connecting,” said Trujillo in a recent article. “Sometimes we’re able to build collaborations quickly and sometimes it takes years. It’s awesome to see all the people involved, tuning into community needs and solving problems together.”
In her recent affiliate spotlight, Catalina Alzate, a professor of graphic design, reflected on her experience as a first-time mentor, hosting two scholars.
“The Community-Academic Scholars program was an excellent opportunity to accelerate my research by collaborating with undergraduate students who brought fresh ideas and perspectives from fields that intersect with design and health, such as information sciences, psychology and social work. Students shared with me how they felt supported by the program and I could see the results of that support in their confidence and ability to describe the research in the final community showcase. Overall, the program offered meaningful opportunities for growth for the students, the lab, and especially for the community partners we collaborated with,” Alzate said.
Students interested in applying for the 2026 Community-Academic Scholars program should learn about the projects, review the program requirements, and apply by Feb. 18, 2026.