This presentation was prepared for the breakout session entitled: From the Community to the Classroom: Complementary Pathways to Service Learning and Community Engaged Research.

Students often have a genuine interest in contributing to the local community surrounding UMass Dartmouth through engaged research and learning. This presentation will highlight initiatives to nurture existing university-community partnerships to develop community-based research projects that provide opportunities for student involvement. Project-based service learning opportunities developed through collaboration with community organizations and agencies after identifying organizational needs, often with a goal to strengthen or refine existing services, will be presented. The critical role of institutional support in the execution of community-based research and service learning projects will also be highlighted. A community-based research project funded by UMass Dartmouth to investigate the translation of childhood obesity prevention best practices into early childcare centers within communities at risk will illustrate the interplay between the areas of research, teaching, and learning.