Rutgers Students and Faculty Participate in Climate Corps Summer School 2026 in Seoul

Rutgers University students and faculty joined peers from around the world this summer for an intensive week focused on climate innovation, sustainability and collaboration at the Korea University Climate Corps Summer School 2026.

Held July 6–10 in Seoul, South Korea, the program brought together students and leading scholars from 49 universities representing 28 countries across six continents. Rutgers participated for the second consecutive year, giving students an opportunity to engage with international researchers, develop climate-focused projects and explore how different disciplines can work together to address the global climate crisis.

Rutgers was represented by Dr. Kasia Klasa, assistant professor of human ecology in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS), and students Benjamin Eisenberg, obtaining his master’s degree in marine and coastal sciences at SEBS and Laiba Abbas, a junior studying civil engineering at the School of Engineering (SOE).

A Week of Learning, Collaboration and Innovation

Climate Corps is an international initiative that brings higher education institutions together to collaborate on solutions to climate change. By connecting universities and disciplines, the program creates a platform for sharing knowledge and resources, developing innovative ideas and advancing strategies that can be applied in the real world.

The 2026 Summer School combined lectures, seminars, research presentations, mentorship sessions, group projects, site visits and innovation competitions. Students worked in international teams to develop ideas addressing climate challenges through three broad tracks: technology, business and policy.

For Abbas, the experience provided a new perspective on the connections between engineering disciplines and sustainability.

One highlight was a visit to the Seoul Energy Dream Center, where participants explored energy-efficient building design, renewable energy and sustainable systems. “This program strengthened my interest in climate-resilient infrastructure and showed me how civil engineering, sustainability, and international collaboration can come together to address real-world challenges,” Abbas said.

Abbas worked with an international team to explore sustainable infrastructure and climate resilience, including ways infrastructure could help communities respond to rising temperatures. Her group researched its ideas, developed potential solutions and prepared a final presentation.

The experience also helped her build skills beyond the classroom. “It taught me how to connect with strangers, make friends and form a team,” Abbas said. “In addition, Climate Corps gave me the opportunity to see how CAD can actually be used in a real-world project to develop a prototype and help solve a problem. Our team used CAD as part of developing our prototype, which helped me connect what I had learned in class to a practical application. I learned so many things.”

From Carbon Capture to Climate-Resilient Infrastructure

Approximately 20 teams developed projects around different climate-related themes, working with mentors as they refined their ideas and prepared pitches. Eisenberg participated in the technology track, working with a team on carbon-capture biomolecular technology. 

Teams had the opportunity to select mentors to help develop their projects. Eisenberg said the mentors were enthusiastic about his team's concept, adding another dimension to the experience.

For Eisenberg, the collaborative process was one of the most rewarding parts of the program. “I enjoyed refining an idea and working on a pitch with a team,” he said. “There was a great sense of accomplishment.”

The program also offered students a chance to form relationships with peers from around the world. “It was my first time in Asia, and I really enjoyed Seoul,” Eisenberg said. “I met people from all over the world.”

The competition was designed to extend beyond the Summer School itself. The first-place team was invited to continue developing its idea for an additional week, while last year's winning team has proceeded to turn its project into a company.

Building Connections Across Universities and Disciplines

For Dr. Klasa, the program offered an important opportunity to strengthen Rutgers' connections with Korea University and other international institutions.

During the week, she connected with Korea University faculty and participated in discussions on emerging climate and sustainability challenges, including the energy demands of artificial intelligence data centers and questions about whether their growing energy consumption can be supported by greener energy systems.

She also praised Korea University for creating a cohesive experience for students, even as the program entered only its second year. “They did a phenomenal job of organizing the student side,” Dr. Klasa said, noting the evening activities and opportunities for students to continue building relationships outside the formal program. Alumni from the inaugural year also returned to help lead activities for the new cohort.

The program's international makeup was central to its impact. Students worked in teams of roughly five to six people, bringing together different academic backgrounds, national perspectives and approaches to climate challenges.

For Rutgers students, that meant learning not only about climate science and technology, but also about communication, teamwork, research and the process of turning an idea into a viable solution.

An Opportunity for Rutgers Students to Engage Globally

Participation in the Climate Corps Summer School was made possible through the collaboration of Korea University, Rutgers University and Rutgers Global. 

Dr. Klasa hopes the program continues in future years and that more Rutgers students become aware of the opportunity. “We hope the program continues next year—it’s a special program,” she said. “I hope more people learn about the opportunity.”

As climate change creates increasingly complex challenges, programs such as Climate Corps provide students with an opportunity to move beyond learning about those challenges and begin working collaboratively on solutions.

For the Rutgers participants in Seoul, the experience offered something equally valuable: a global network of peers, mentors and scholars—and a deeper understanding of how interdisciplinary collaboration can turn climate ideas into action.