Lehigh University Athletics
Kuliaev’s Campus and Community Impact
8/25/2017 10:20:00 AM | Men's Rowing
By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
The impact Dmitry Kuliaev is making within Lehigh University and the Bethlehem community is impressive enough, but what's most impressive?
He's only a sophomore.
The Lehigh rower and electrical engineering major took part in a Mountaintop project this summer, designing and building parklets for the local community. A parklet is a sidewalk extension with many potential uses.
Kuliaev and his group worked to address a specific problem.
"Smaller cities like Bethlehem, especially the south side of Bethlehem, have less walkable neighborhoods," said Kuliaev. "Our goal was to increase the walkability of the south side. To do that, our solution was the parklets which replaces a parallel parking spot.
"Most parklets are usually just outdoor seating, but we decided to take it a step further and try to make things that could help community members interact with each other. The neighborhood needs a little less cars, more pedestrian traffic and business revenue."
Kuliaev got involved in the project from persistence and a willingness to get involved. Early last fall (his freshman year), he heard about the Mountaintop Initiative from one of his rowing teammates which sparked his interest.
"I heard it was a great opportunity to make an impact in a real-world experience," said Kuliaev. "I got in touch with Bill Whitney (Administrative Director, Office of the Vice Provost for Creative Inquiry) and was too early to sign up, but he later sent me an email saying there was a parklet group looking for new members. The group was going to build outdoor parks in the neighborhood, similar to the ones in San Francisco."
Kuliaev knew immediately he wanted to sign up. Ironically, Kuliaev is from San Francisco, so the project piqued his interest on multiple fronts. He went through an interview process and was accepted to the team.
Being on a team isn't new to Kuliaev, as he ended his freshman year rowing in the Varsity Eight for the Mountain Hawks. Whether it's his groupmates or teammates, many of the dynamics within a team are the same.
Within the parklets' group, everyone was involved in many facets of the team, but each had specific areas of concentration.
"I was one of two people working outside and doing the heavy lifting, working with the pallets and power tools… building the actual parklet," said Kuliaev. "Inside, we had two interior design students from Pratt University. They were working on the renderings of the application, the 3D design. They made applications to submit to the city, to the business owners and the parking authority. Two other students worked on the website, our Instagram account and our research paper. Someone else pitched in everywhere else and made sure everyone was on track."
People weren't constrained, but rather focused to allow for consistent progress towards a goal. That goal was to build 10 parklets. In large cities like San Francisco, 10 parklets can cost upwards of $10,000.
"We obviously couldn't do the same thing," said Kuliaev. "We didn't have the resources, so we invested a lot of money in putting the platforms together, then moved them around. The insides changed. One was for outdoor seating, we had an art gallery, a performance space, a bike rack and more. We decided to use recycled wooden pallets because they were pretty sturdy and more affordable than starting from scratch. We built everything outside, then combined them to create the parklet."
The whole idea was re-use to give more bang for the buck.
"Because they were reused every time, the cost per parklet decreased each time we used them," said Kuliaev.
Kuliaev's group already distributed several parklets around the Bethlehem community this summer, but the work will continue. The Mountaintop Initiative is a 10-week program, but the work goes on well beyond the summer.
"The main goal is to have another team take over what we've been working on, continue moving the parklets around and continue our research," said Kuliaev.
Kuliaev's team has paved the way, making a tremendous impact already, but this is only the beginning.
"The goal for the next team would be to find out what kinds of people use the parklets and what people think about them," he said. "When we were installing them, a few people asked what it was. They're interested, but we don't really know the long-term impact because we haven't left them out for a long time.
"We need to find out what the community needs. We have surveys to take when entering the parklet, but not everyone completes them."
Kuliaev's summer experience has led to a number of tangible outcomes. Making a difference in the local community has made the project even more gratifying.
"It feels a lot better when I can say our work is outside, in Bethlehem and on the streets being used," said Kuliaev. "It's a physical thing you can see."
"Dmitry is a self-driven individual who has a heart for the community he's part of," said Conley. "I was not surprised that Dmitry sought this out the moment he heard about it. Dmitry brings that same determination and selflessness to our team and wants us to continue to strive to be better each day. Dmitry brings that attitude to everything he does, including the community in wanting to make it better than it was before."
Along with the tangible outcomes from the experience have come many intangible benefits, such as improved problem-solving skills. These skills will help Kuliaev heading into his sophomore year as a Lehigh student and athlete.
"This project has taught me there are three types of information that we have - what we know about, what we don't know about and what we don't know existed," he said. "We can sit inside here and say how we're going to put the parklets together, or go out and actually find out how."
Being immersed in something bigger than himself isn't new to Kuliaev, who looks to take on a larger leadership role within the Lehigh Rowing program in 2017-18.
"I've learned how there are different types of people," he said. "There are those who respond really well to feedback (positive and negative), and there are others who don't react the same way and want to do things on their own. In rowing, because we have such a large team, I need to think about how everyone is different."
Kuliaev looks to continue growing as a leader, and this summer will only help.
"Dmitry was someone that early on, led by example," said Conley. "As last season went on, he became more comfortable with speaking his mind about the team's direction. He still has a great deal to learn, but the exciting thing is that Dmitry is open to learning new ways and taking on challenges.
"I believe true leadership is done by listening, learning and applying. This program only helped enhance Dmitry's natural gifts in leadership, and I'm excited to get him back with the team, so he can show what he learned."
Everyone is different, whether it's an academic team, athletics team or team in the business world. No matter the team, the same overarching themes needs to happen for success.
"If you want something done, you need to hold everyone accountable," said Kuliaev. "It's a team effort. Everyone has to be on the same page."
Kuliaev has certainly made an impact on everyone around him.
"Someone as young and able to possess a strong foundation in leadership can really move a program forward," said Conley. "Dmitry has a quiet demeanor to him, so when he does talk, people listen."
For the impact Kuliaev has already made on everyone around him and growth he's shown over his first year at Lehigh, it's easy to forget… he's only a sophomore.
The impact Dmitry Kuliaev is making within Lehigh University and the Bethlehem community is impressive enough, but what's most impressive?
He's only a sophomore.
The Lehigh rower and electrical engineering major took part in a Mountaintop project this summer, designing and building parklets for the local community. A parklet is a sidewalk extension with many potential uses.
Kuliaev and his group worked to address a specific problem.
"Smaller cities like Bethlehem, especially the south side of Bethlehem, have less walkable neighborhoods," said Kuliaev. "Our goal was to increase the walkability of the south side. To do that, our solution was the parklets which replaces a parallel parking spot.
"Most parklets are usually just outdoor seating, but we decided to take it a step further and try to make things that could help community members interact with each other. The neighborhood needs a little less cars, more pedestrian traffic and business revenue."
Kuliaev got involved in the project from persistence and a willingness to get involved. Early last fall (his freshman year), he heard about the Mountaintop Initiative from one of his rowing teammates which sparked his interest.
"I heard it was a great opportunity to make an impact in a real-world experience," said Kuliaev. "I got in touch with Bill Whitney (Administrative Director, Office of the Vice Provost for Creative Inquiry) and was too early to sign up, but he later sent me an email saying there was a parklet group looking for new members. The group was going to build outdoor parks in the neighborhood, similar to the ones in San Francisco."
Kuliaev knew immediately he wanted to sign up. Ironically, Kuliaev is from San Francisco, so the project piqued his interest on multiple fronts. He went through an interview process and was accepted to the team.
Being on a team isn't new to Kuliaev, as he ended his freshman year rowing in the Varsity Eight for the Mountain Hawks. Whether it's his groupmates or teammates, many of the dynamics within a team are the same.
Within the parklets' group, everyone was involved in many facets of the team, but each had specific areas of concentration.
"I was one of two people working outside and doing the heavy lifting, working with the pallets and power tools… building the actual parklet," said Kuliaev. "Inside, we had two interior design students from Pratt University. They were working on the renderings of the application, the 3D design. They made applications to submit to the city, to the business owners and the parking authority. Two other students worked on the website, our Instagram account and our research paper. Someone else pitched in everywhere else and made sure everyone was on track."
People weren't constrained, but rather focused to allow for consistent progress towards a goal. That goal was to build 10 parklets. In large cities like San Francisco, 10 parklets can cost upwards of $10,000.
"We obviously couldn't do the same thing," said Kuliaev. "We didn't have the resources, so we invested a lot of money in putting the platforms together, then moved them around. The insides changed. One was for outdoor seating, we had an art gallery, a performance space, a bike rack and more. We decided to use recycled wooden pallets because they were pretty sturdy and more affordable than starting from scratch. We built everything outside, then combined them to create the parklet."
The whole idea was re-use to give more bang for the buck.
"Because they were reused every time, the cost per parklet decreased each time we used them," said Kuliaev.
Kuliaev's group already distributed several parklets around the Bethlehem community this summer, but the work will continue. The Mountaintop Initiative is a 10-week program, but the work goes on well beyond the summer.
"The main goal is to have another team take over what we've been working on, continue moving the parklets around and continue our research," said Kuliaev.
Kuliaev's team has paved the way, making a tremendous impact already, but this is only the beginning.
"The goal for the next team would be to find out what kinds of people use the parklets and what people think about them," he said. "When we were installing them, a few people asked what it was. They're interested, but we don't really know the long-term impact because we haven't left them out for a long time.
"We need to find out what the community needs. We have surveys to take when entering the parklet, but not everyone completes them."
Kuliaev's summer experience has led to a number of tangible outcomes. Making a difference in the local community has made the project even more gratifying.
"It feels a lot better when I can say our work is outside, in Bethlehem and on the streets being used," said Kuliaev. "It's a physical thing you can see."
"Dmitry is a self-driven individual who has a heart for the community he's part of," said Conley. "I was not surprised that Dmitry sought this out the moment he heard about it. Dmitry brings that same determination and selflessness to our team and wants us to continue to strive to be better each day. Dmitry brings that attitude to everything he does, including the community in wanting to make it better than it was before."
Along with the tangible outcomes from the experience have come many intangible benefits, such as improved problem-solving skills. These skills will help Kuliaev heading into his sophomore year as a Lehigh student and athlete.
"This project has taught me there are three types of information that we have - what we know about, what we don't know about and what we don't know existed," he said. "We can sit inside here and say how we're going to put the parklets together, or go out and actually find out how."
Being immersed in something bigger than himself isn't new to Kuliaev, who looks to take on a larger leadership role within the Lehigh Rowing program in 2017-18.
"I've learned how there are different types of people," he said. "There are those who respond really well to feedback (positive and negative), and there are others who don't react the same way and want to do things on their own. In rowing, because we have such a large team, I need to think about how everyone is different."
Kuliaev looks to continue growing as a leader, and this summer will only help.
"Dmitry was someone that early on, led by example," said Conley. "As last season went on, he became more comfortable with speaking his mind about the team's direction. He still has a great deal to learn, but the exciting thing is that Dmitry is open to learning new ways and taking on challenges.
"I believe true leadership is done by listening, learning and applying. This program only helped enhance Dmitry's natural gifts in leadership, and I'm excited to get him back with the team, so he can show what he learned."
Everyone is different, whether it's an academic team, athletics team or team in the business world. No matter the team, the same overarching themes needs to happen for success.
"If you want something done, you need to hold everyone accountable," said Kuliaev. "It's a team effort. Everyone has to be on the same page."
Kuliaev has certainly made an impact on everyone around him.
"Someone as young and able to possess a strong foundation in leadership can really move a program forward," said Conley. "Dmitry has a quiet demeanor to him, so when he does talk, people listen."
For the impact Kuliaev has already made on everyone around him and growth he's shown over his first year at Lehigh, it's easy to forget… he's only a sophomore.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Rowing
Undergraduate Commencement
Sunday, May 17
Graduate Commencement and Doctoral Hooding
Saturday, May 16
2026 Convocation Awards Ceremony
Thursday, May 07
2025-2026 Top Moments
Thursday, May 07
