The Cornell Lab is excited to host the annual Young Birders Event this June 26 – 29, 2025 in Ithaca, New York.
If you’re a teenager interested in pursuing a career that connects with birds, this event is for you! The Cornell Lab is home to a few hundred staff who are all working with birds in different ways: as computer scientists, ecologists, artists, communicators, audio specialists, app designers, educators, and more. This four-day event is packed with learning from staff about their different careers, and learning how your own interests could apply to a future career with birds.
The Young Birder’s Event will feature:
- Three days of field trips around the Finger Lakes region
- Learning from Cornell Lab staff about ways to incorporate birds into a career
- A hands-on sound recording and editing workshop with Macaulay Library staff
- Tours of the Cornell Lab building and grounds including the Museum of Vertebrates
Eligibility: All high school-aged birders from anywhere in the world are invited to apply. You do not need to be an expert – we’re looking for students with a passion for birds who want to learn about careers in ornithology! Students must be at least 14 years old and must be entering grades 10 – 12 at the time of the event. Students who have already graduated from high school are not eligible for this event.
Tuition: $650 Includes lodging, food, and transportation to birding sites during the event.
Travel expenses to and from Ithaca are not covered in the tuition.
If the tuition or cost of travel is a barrier to you attending the event, please contact us. Scholarships and financial aid are available for any student who needs it.
Application Deadline: March 16th 2025.
Please fill out the application form below and send it to us by Sunday, March 16th, 2025. We are able to accommodate sixteen young birders this year, and we will notify applicants about their status in late March. Slight preference is given to students entering 12th grade and students who have previously applied.
More details about the Young Birders Event:
Transport to and from the event: If students are traveling to Ithaca alone, Cornell Lab staff can pick up students from the Ithaca Airport or bus stop in downtown Ithaca on June 26th before 3 pm, and drop off students to depart after 1 pm on June 29th.
Lodging: Students will stay in shared rooms in dorms on Cornell University’s campus, supervised by Cornell Lab staff.
Field Trips: We will be birding and recording sounds at parks and wildlife refuges within the Finger Lakes region. All transport to field trips will be in comfortable 12-passenger vans. At the parks, we will be walking up to 2 miles at a time on gravel, dirt, and grass paths. If you have any questions regarding accessibility of specific sites, please contact us.
Food: All meals and snacks are provided during the event. Meals will be a mix of packed cold breakfasts in the field and hot lunches and dinners in the Cornell Lab with staff. We can accommodate any dietary needs.
Event Leaders: Alli Smith and Ian Davies
Tentative schedule:
Thursday, June 26
- Afternoon – students arrive; welcome presentations for students and families
- Evening – families depart; icebreakers and evening presentations
Friday, June 27
- Morning – birding and sound recording near Ithaca
- Afternoon – tour of the Cornell Lab; career presentations by staff
- Evening – sound editing workshop
Saturday, June 28
- Morning – birding around Cayuga Lake up to Montezuma NWR
- Afternoon – return to Ithaca; presentations by staff and students
- Evening – tour of the Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates
Sunday, June 29
- Morning – birding near Ithaca
- Afternoon – final presentations; students depart
The Cornell Lab is a welcoming community that values and respects teenagers from all backgrounds and identities. Through this event, we strive to foster a birding community where everyone feels they belong.