Community Service | NYU Tandon School of Engineering

Community Service

Discover how to impact your community, here and around the world, by using your technology and engineering skills towards making social change.


Group picture of students doing community service

The Poly Project

What is The Poly Project?

The Poly Project provides regular and sustained opportunities for Tandon students to engage in community service. Our objective is to provide students school-led service opportunities as well as resources to help members of the Tandon community find other service opportunities that interest them.

Who are we?

The Poly Project is based out of the Office of Student Leadership & Engagement and led by a group of student Service Ambassadors who are dedicated to making service opportunities more readily available and visible here at the Tandon School of Engineering.

How can The Poly Project work with your department or club?

There are several ways that you and your office can get involved with The Poly Project:

  • Promote our service opportunities and we will promote yours: The Poly Project not only creates our own service opportunities, we promote other service opportunities going on at Tandon, NYU, New York City, and abroad. Send us your service opportunities and we will post them on our website and include them on our soon to come newsletter.
  • Partner with us in hosting a service opportunity: Teamwork makes the dream work! Do you, your office, or your club have an idea but aren’t sure where to start? Contact us at thepolyproject@nyu.edu for help in developing a service experience.
  • Recommend students for Service Ambassadors: Know a great student who is passionate about service? Encourage them to attend a Poly Project service outing or apply for a Service Ambassador position. Applications are open at the end of every academic year!

For more information please visit our NYU Engage page, email thepolyproject@nyu.edu, or call (646) 997-3800


SOEciety Alternative Break

Alternative Breaks SOEciety

NYU's Alternative Breaks program provides students with the opportunity to learn about political and social community dynamics while becoming a catalyst for collaborative social change. Through learning and practice, students will explore the theory of integrating service, education, and reflection to create meaningful change in their communities.

SOEciety is the Tandon School of Engineering's Alternative Break trip. SOEciety provides students with an immersive service experience that allows them to better understand personal and social identities, while working to serve a community’s needs as future leaders in STEM. Through this experience, students will engage with topics of social justice and leadership while working toward becoming social change agents. Participants will attend weekly meetings and service projects throughout the fall and spring semester and attend an Alternative Break (happening over NYU's Spring Break).

To Apply:

  • All applicants must be Tandon School of Engineering students enrolled for both Fall and Spring semesters.
  • Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 (undergraduate) and 3.0 (graduate).
  • After applications are reviewed, selected students will be invited to sign-up for  an individual interview.

Mandatory Dates:

  • You must attend SOEciety orientation to be involved in the program.
  • You must be able to attend weekly meetings. 
  • You must be able to attend the Alternative Break trip 

SOEciety is currently on pause due to COVID-19. Please contact engagement.tandonstudentlife@nyu.edu if you have any questions.

To learn more about SOEciety, check out the video from the Spring 2018 trip!


Additional NYU Service Opportunities

Visit the NYU Center for Student Life on the 7th floor of the Kimmel Center for University Life to find out more information on getting involved in long-term and one-day service projects as well as joining one of 40 community service student club. The office coordinates an array of opportunities with local non-profits in need of a helping hand.

Contact NYU's Office of Community Engagement, located on the 5th floor of 25 W. 4th Street, to find more about the largest university-based tutoring program in the nation, America Reads/America Counts and the NYU Jumpstart program.

NYU's Study Abroad sites provide ample opportunities for Global Service. For more information about volunteer opportunities while studying abroad at NYU global sites, contact the NYU Office of Global Programs.